Free Bird

"Freebird" redirects here. For the 2013 animated film, see Free Birds. For the Beatles song, see Free as a Bird. For the Germanic legal concept, see Vogelfrei. For other uses, see Freebird (disambiguation).

"Free Bird"
US single of the shortened studio recording
Single by Lynyrd Skynyrd
from the album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)
B-side"Down South Jukin'"
ReleasedNovember 1974 (1974-11)
RecordedApril 3, 1973
StudioStudio One, Doraville, Georgia, U.S.
Genre
Length
  • 9:08 (album version)
  • 4:41 (single version)
  • 10:07 (Skynyrd's Innyrds version)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
  • Allen Collins
  • Ronnie Van Zant
Producer(s)Al Kooper
Lynyrd Skynyrd singles chronology
"Sweet Home Alabama"
(1974) 		"Free Bird"
(1974) 		"Saturday Night Special"
(1975)
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
Music video
"Free Bird" (Music Video) on YouTube

"Free Bird",[5][6][7] also spelled as one word "Freebird",[8][9][10] 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[11] and became the band's second Top 40 hit in early 1975, peaking at No. 19 on January 25.[12] A live version of the song, recorded at Atlanta's Fox Theater and included on the album One More From The Road,[13] re-entered the charts in late 1976,[14] eventually peaking at No. 38 in January 1977.[15]

"Free Bird" achieved No. 3 on Guitar World's list of greatest guitar solos of all time in 2010 and 2016,[16][17] while placing at No. 8 in their rankings by 2022.[18] 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.[19] "Free Bird" was once the most requested song on FM radio,[20] and remains a staple on classic rock stations.

  1. ^ "The History Of Southern Rock In 30 Songs". Classic Rock Magazine. June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2019. The track that, more than any other, defined the southern rock genre.
  2. ^ Doggett, Peter (January 1, 2015). "Push-Button Rock". Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone - 125 Years of Pop Music. London: The Bodley Head. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-847-92218-2. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Cavanagh, David (2015). Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life. Faber & Faber. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-57130-248-2.
  4. ^ Breihan, Tom (June 11, 2021). "The Number Ones: Will To Power's "Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley (Free Baby)"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 10, 2022. ...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.
  5. ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd). Songs of the South (Universal City), 1973. Hosted at Discogs Archived April 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  6. ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Free Bird / Searching". MCA Records (Universal City), 1976. Hosted at Discogs Archived April 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th ed., p. 403. Billboard Books (New York), 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  8. ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Free Bird / Sweet Home Alabama / Double Trouble". Leeds Music Ltd. (London), 1976. Hosted at Discogs "Discogs". Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2014.. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  9. ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. Official Website. "(pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd) Archived February 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference wsj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, November 23, 1974". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  12. ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  13. ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gary Rossington Recalls When 'Free Bird' Took Flight at Atlanta's Fox Theatre". Billboard, May 27, 2015 Music News. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, December 4, 1976". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, December 4, 1976". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  16. ^ Guitar World Magazine (October 1, 2010). The Complete History of Guitar World: 30 Years of Music, Magic, and Six-String Mayhem. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4768-5592-9.
  17. ^ "Hear Allen Collins' Isolated Guitar Solo from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" | Guitar World". July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "The 50 greatest guitar solos of all time". Guitar World. July 20, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  20. ^ Kozak, Roman (August 30, 1980). "U.S. Rock Groups Will Play In China". Billboard Magazine: 10. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Google Books. "'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.
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