Quoth the Rodent Queen, "Squeak."

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird 1974

"Free Bird" is a song by American rockband Lynyrd Skynyrd, written by guitarist Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Featured on their 1973 debut studio album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd), the song was released as a single in November 1974 and became the band's second Top 40 hit in early 1975, peaking at number 19. "Free Bird" achieved number 3 on Guitar World's list of greatest guitar solos of all time in 2010 and 2016, while placing at number 8 in their rankings by 2022. 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.

According to guitarist Gary Rossington, for two years after Allen Collins wrote the initial chords, Ronnie Van Zant insisted that there were too many for him to create a melody in the belief that the melody needed to change alongside the chords. After Collins played the unused sequence at rehearsal one day, Van Zant asked him to repeat it, then wrote out the melody and lyrics in three or four minutes. The guitar solos that finish the song were added originally to give Van Zant a chance to rest, as the band was playing several sets per night at clubs at the time. Soon afterward, the band learned piano-playing roadie Billy Powell had written an introduction to the song; upon hearing it, they included it as the finishing touch and had him formally join as their keyboardist.

In subsequent interviews, Gary Rossington stated that the record company executives initially felt the song was too long and "wouldn't get any airplay", and that it "needed to be shortened to 3 or 3-1/2 minutes for radio". Also, the band was told, "Why would you ruin a pretty song like that with a wild 'LSD-type' ending?" Rossington stated that the band refused to change the length of the song and that "we weren't changing our ways, hell no".

"Free Bird" is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2008, the 1973 recording of "Free Bird" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Dolly Parton covered "Free Bird", accompanied by Lynyrd Skynyrd, on her 49th studio album Rockstar. "Free Bird" was featured in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, also in the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service, where the song's solo plays during a scene in which Harry Hart (Colin Firth) engages in a massive, extremely violent, church brawl. Director Matthew Vaughn revealed he picked "Free Bird" specifically because its guitar solo was long enough to encompass the whole scene. On May 24, 2025, the Lynyrd Skynyrd Youtube channel released an official music video for "Free Bird".

"Free Bird" received a total of 79,8% yes votes!

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