Free Bird

You'll be hard pressed to find a rock song with more emotional and cultural impact than "Free Bird." The song is best enjoyed in the album version, which runs 9:08 with the last lyric uttered at 4:55 ("fly high, free bird, yeah"). Those last four minutes comprise perhaps the most famous instrumental passage in rock history. Skynyrd had three guitarists: Allen Collins, Ed King and Gary Rossington, allowing them to jam for extended periods long after most songs would peter out. The radio edit was cut down to 4:41, with the closing instrumental cut to about a minute.

The lyrics are about a man explaining to a girl why he can't settle down and make a commitment. The opening lines, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" were inspired by Allen Collins' girlfriend Kathy, who had asked him this very question during a fight.

Many fans thought "Free Bird" was a tribute to Allman Brothers Band guitarist Duane Allman, who died in 1971, two years before "Free Bird" the song was released. Skynyrd sometimes dedicated it to Allman at concerts, but it was written long before his death and not about Allman at all. The double guitar solo at the end is the same style as many early Allman Brothers songs on which Duane played.