In 1975, Lynyrd Skynyrd achieved a spot in the Top 30 of the US charts with a track that may not always reflect its true nature, much like certain aspects of both art and life.
The specific melody has consistently been seen as a dissent melody against firearms. In actuality, it is more complex and subtle than that.
Was Zant Van Ronnie the campaigner against guns telling the truth? Why don’t we dump ’em to the bottom of the sea instead? There was a question that went to the heart of America’s gun culture: Why was it that in the first great era of the band, the leading figure in the band sung and wrote words about it? The song “Special Night Saturday” was a protest song, but with a cautionary message.
In the hole, the man placed a gun, commonly known as a Saturday Night Special. This specific type of gun, a handgun that was readily available on the black market in America during the 1970s, could be purchased for as little as 20 dollars. Ronnie stated in the chorus of his song that this gun was not cold or blue, indicating that it was not stolen. The song also advocated for greater control over illegal handguns. When he wrote the song, Ronnie owned a .22 caliber pistol, which he used for hunting squirrels and rabbits in the woods around his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. Contrary to popular belief, this gun was not illegal at the time.
In 2018, Ed King, the guitarist who composed the music for Saturday Night Special, departed for the second and ultimate time. Drummer Artimus Pyle departed the band in 1991. Bassist Leon Wilkeson, keyboard player Billy Powell, and guitarist Allen Collins have deceased. Solely one member of the seven-man line-up that recorded this song persists in the band: guitarist and co-founder Gary Rossington. It has been 45 years since the plane crash that claimed Ronnie and five other members of Skynyrd and their entourage, and 47 years after Saturday Night Special was unleashed.
Visionary and lyrical, it’s a tune that appeals to both Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie’s younger sibling, who took on the role of Skynyrd’s vocalist when the band got back together in 1987. “One of our utmost,” he affirms, for Rossington, Saturday Night Special holds a prominent position among Skynyrd’s songs.
“What he said in his song, he foresaw. People listened. People gave him the gift of preaching to them, a gift from God. Johnny says, “Ronnie was a common poet for everyday people.”
Tragic gun violence resulted in intoxicated wagering and sexual deceit, showcasing eerie scenes that mirrored a song lyric penned by Ronnie. Rossington described it as “truly menacing and foreboding,” with a powerful, sharp melody that Ed King performed for Ronnie on a particular day. Skynyrd was touring the United States when Saturday Night Special was composed during the summer of 1974.
Rossington states, “Ronnie was sending a powerful message. Those inexpensive firearms were unsuitable for hunting or any other purpose – they were solely designed for taking human lives. Additionally, those firearms were readily accessible. We originated from a tumultuous area, specifically the western region of Jacksonville. Numerous dangerous individuals resided there, and every week news of someone being shot or killed would circulate.”
At the behest of MCA, the band immediately recorded the song. Once written, the song was recorded. The label executives and Alabama were eager to cash in on the success, as Skynyrd had notched up a Top 10 hit with “Sweet Home Alabama” that summer. In order to include it in the soundtrack for the 1974 comedy “The Longest Yard,” starring Burt Reynolds, a quickly recorded version of “Saturday Night Special” could be included.
Recently, Bob Burns, who joined the group, had their first recording with Artimus Pyle. Skynyrd, where they made their first two albums, recorded the track “The” in a single day between gigs at Studio 1 in Doraville, Georgia.
Rossington states, “That was thrilling,” in the group to possess this fresh talent. And we definitely didn’t squander any time recording that track. On stage, it was more or less completed, with only a few additional recordings for the lead guitars and vocals. Everyone recorded back then, that was the norm.
While working on the song, the entire band was mostly sober, as mentioned by Rossington. However, during their time in the recording studio, they slightly controlled their excessive behavior. Nevertheless, Skynyrd had a widely recognized image as a band that enjoyed heavy drinking and wild partying.
Rossington claims, “We exerted considerable effort.” “The reason we couldn’t deliver a performance is because consuming alcohol excessively in the studio was not feasible. It would have negatively impacted our performance. During that time, there was a significant presence of substances such as drugs and alcohol, but their influence on our music was not as evident as one might think.”
Skynyrd created a heavy track with much force in its Saturday Night Special, which was brilliantly played by guitarists Collins, King, and Rossington, with hard-hitting snare drumming from drummer Artimus Pyle. Ronnie Van Zant, the man who always spoke the truth and had a cool authority, saw it as his style, measured in his delivery, that there were no histrionics. It made it powerful and no one else could do it better.
Saturday Night Special, the lead track on Skynyrd’s third album Nuthin’ Fancy, was released as a single in May 1975, nine months after its recording. Additionally, in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, where Adam Sandler assumed the role originally portrayed by Burt Reynolds, Reynolds himself appeared as a distinct older character, making it a noteworthy inclusion years later.
“But pistols frighten me because I am aware of their sole purpose,” states Johnny Van Zant. “In my family, we were avid hunters. During my childhood, firearms were always present in our household. And I believe it holds greater significance today than when Ronnie penned it. ‘It’s a song that resonates with all of us,'” Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to perform Saturday Night Special at nearly every live concert.
Johnny states, “Whenever I perform Saturday Night Special,” “I experience the strength in those lyrics that Ronnie penned. There are an excessive number of firearms in the United States. My sibling had a deep understanding of the subject.”
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