Warren Zevon’s Contribution to the Infamous Neil Young v. Lynyrd Skynyrd Feud

We often associate the ubiquitous, albeit hyperbolic, feud between Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd with their respective songs, “Southern Man” and “Sweet Home Alabama,” but this dichotomy excludes a third song by Warren Zevon, which also directly referenced this musical argument. Indeed, sometimes, the fastest way to break up a fight between two friends is for a third friend to act as a mediator and point out holes in either party’s stance.

Such was the case for Zevon’s 1980 track, “Play It All Night Long,” released three years after the death of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s frontman, Ronnie Van Zant.

The Neil Young v. Lynyrd Skynyrd “Feud”

Even if you’re unaware of the intricacies of the musical fight between Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd, you’ve likely heard both sides of the argument. Young, for all intents and purposes, started it with his 1970 track “Southern Man,” which denounced the American South’s legacy of racism. 

Southern man, better keep your head. Don’t forget what your good book said, Young begins, referencing the region’s strong Christian demographic. Southern change gonna come at last, now your crosses are burning fast. Four years later, proudly Southern band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their musical response, “Sweet Home Alabama.” Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her. I heard ol’ Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember a Southern man don’t need him around, anyhow.

In an interview with Glide Magazine, Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant condemned Young’s generalizations about the southern United States, saying, “We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two. We’re southern rebels, but more than that, we know the difference between right and wrong” (via Thrashers Wheat).

Despite the contentious musical back-and-forth, both Van Zant and Young were outspoken about their admiration for each other. Nevertheless, public intrigue around the catchy rock ‘n’ roll feud perpetuated the largely untrue story that the bands had bad blood.

Warren Zevon Added His Two Cents Six Years Later

Three years after Lynyrd Skynyrd released their Neil Young-name-dropping hit, “Sweet Home Alabama,” the band got in a plane crash that killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines on impact. Young and the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd had resolved their conflict before the untimely tragedy, although the pervasiveness of both hit singles has allowed the idea of the two feuding musicians to continue.

In 1980, Warren Zevon contributed his own satirical commentary on the long-lasting “feud” between Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd with his track “Play It All Night Long.” While it musically follows Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1974 hit, Zevon diverges lyrically, poking fun at overt Southern pride as meaningless and shallow. Grandpa p***ed his pants again, he don’t give a damn, Zevon continues. Brother Billy has both guns drawn, he ain’t been right since Vietnam.

Leaving no room for interpretation, Zevon continues into the chorus: Sweet home Alabama, play that dead band’s song. Turn those speakers up full blast. Play it all night long. The satirical use of Southern imagery and the pervasive theme of family infighting seems to be a direct call to Young and Van Zant’s musical fighting. Zevon argues that both Young’s broad generalizations and Van Zant’s rose-colored, regional identity politics deserved a more skeptical gaze.

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