"Free Bird" | ||||
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![]() US single of the shortened studio recording | ||||
Single by Lynyrd Skynyrd | ||||
from the album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) | ||||
B-side | "Down South Jukin'" | |||
Released | November 1974 | |||
Recorded | April 3, 1973 | |||
Studio | Studio One, Doraville, Georgia, U.S. | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Al Kooper | |||
Lynyrd Skynyrd singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Free Bird" (album version) on YouTube | ||||
"Free Bird" (Extended Music Version) on YouTube | ||||
"Free Bird" (live, undubbed, 1976) on YouTube | ||||
Live video | ||||
"Free Bird" (live, 1977) on YouTube |
"Free Bird",[4][5][6] also spelled "Freebird",[7][8][9] is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, written by guitarist Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. The song was released on their 1973 debut studio album.
Released as a single in November 1974, "Free Bird" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on November 23 at No. 87[10] and became the band's second Top 40 hit in early 1975, peaking at No. 19 on January 25.[11] A live version of the song re-entered the charts in late 1976,[12] eventually peaking at No. 38 in January 1977.[13]
"Free Bird" achieved No. 3 on Guitar World's list of greatest guitar solos of all time in 2010 and 2016,[14][15] while placing at No. 8 in their rankings by 2022.[16] It is Lynyrd Skynyrd's signature song, the finale during live performances, and their longest song, often going well over 14 minutes when played live.[17] "Free Bird" was once the most requested song on FM radio,[18] and remains a staple on classic rock stations.
The track that, more than any other, defined the southern rock genre.
...Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," two entries in the grand pantheon of '70s lighters-up arena-rock power ballads.
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"'Free Bird,' the only Skynyrd number they perform on stage now, has become FM radio's most popular request song, overtaking Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven,' they say.