Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama. Nuance.

Any working musician who has been at it for more than a few years has probably gotten their fill of Sweet Home Alabama. After playing it a couple hundred times it loses its luster. I myself could probably go the rest of my life without playing or hearing it again. But when I go back and listen to the original, it is striking how many tiny details there are, and how few cover bands seem to play them. This is 3-chord rock done right, and I have a special appreciation for the little nuances that make this song a classic.

A quick note from my soapbox: so many musicians today grew up playing in jam sessions, winging it, and have a background in jazz. (like myself) It is easy for us to treat a rock song like a set of chords to make things up over, like a typical lead sheet. But rock music is often much more carefully composed than that, and the details can be what sell it to the listener, whether they realize it or not. If a specific bass part is repeated throughout the tune, that is part of the song. If the drummer plays a very specific groove, that is part of the song. If the rhythm guitar plays a very consistent strumming pattern, that is part of the song.

It's one thing if you're just learning the song well enough to get by, or just taking a quick request. You can play D, C and G chords, nail the chorus and 99% of your drunken audience will be thrilled. But if you're going to be playing Sweet Home Alabama more than occasionally, and you really want your band to stand out, it's worth digging a little deeper.

To that end, I have created a checklist with points (0-100) for all of the cover bands out there. This list assumes you're getting the basics already - groove, tempo, form, lyrics, etc. High points are given to the details that are a) obvious and b) integral to the song. See how you do!


20 points - The Chorus Groove

This is the first part that every band should make sure they get. The verses have a simple eight note + dotted quarter rhythm in the bass, but there are offbeats in the chorus that almost everyone in the band should be hitting:

20 points - The F Chord

If you're playing a 3-chord song and there is a fourth chord that shows up only a few times, you sure as heck better play it! Don't make muffins and forget the blueberries. The F chord occurs at the end of the first chorus, going into the (first) guitar solo - another crucial part. The second time it occurs is very similar, with the "ooh, ooh, ooh" after "love the governor." People will sing that part, so you should be playing it. Don't be lazy! The third time it occurs is just like the first time, but near the end as they go into a second chorus.

15 points - The Pre-Chorus Lick

A lot of bands miss this because it is a little tricky and less overt than the main guitar riff, but the whole band plays it, which is a good sign that you should too:

15 points - The Guitar Interlude

This interlude occurs between the first and second verse, before you've reached the chorus at all, and after the guitar solo. It is mostly guitar-driven (make sure to get the harmonics!) but the best bands will include the piano support during this section. The bass doubles part of the riff on the second pass. The drummer starts hitting the snare in this part, then goes back to the cross-stick during the verse.

10 points - The Piano

Speaking of the pianist, not every band has one, but for those who do it plays an important part in this song. They may sound capricious, but the following riffs occur the same way during every verse. Riff One comes after the first and third stanzas, Riff Two after the second.

Piano Riff 1

Piano Riff 2

10 points - The Bass under the Solo

The bass part gets a lot busier under the guitar solo, and because it is the same every time, I know that he is not just making things up. It is part of the song. Here it is:

10 points - Other Guitar Parts

I'm not going to transcribe every guitar part in this song, but the rhythm guitar part during the verses is really interesting. (with good headphones you can hear it very clearly on the right side) It is quite syncopated and provides an interesting rhythmic counterpoint to the very straight lead part. The guitar part during the chorus is also very specific and nearly as important as the opening riff.

Extra Credit 1 - The Backup Vocals

It is beyond the scope of most bands to have the time and personnel to cover all of the backups throughout this song, but there are a lot there for the ambitious cover band. There are responses to the lyrics, thick harmonies and backups during the solo. At the very least, bands should harmonize the chorus.

Extra Credit 2 - "Alabama"

It's very subtle, but at the end of the second chorus, before the guitar solo, the singer says "here I come, Alabama" and the band hits the syllables in "Alabama" with him. It's the tiniest of details, but it would blow my mind if I saw a cover band actually do that part.

That's my checklist. To be fair to musicians everywhere, getting all of these things right would require a lot of time spent on a song on which many of us are, as I mentioned, more than a little burned out. I listened to an old recording of my band playing this song and I doubt we'd have scored much over 50. But for people who really love Skynyrd, or who just love the thrill of getting things right, there is a lot to sink your teeth into.