We’re one step closer to naming the greatest song ever written about Alabama. Before we move on to the final four, let’s take a moment to look back on Round 1.
Round 1 Recap:
“My Home’s in Alabama” by Alabama vs. “Old Alabama” by Brad Paisley
Winner: “My Home’s in Alabama” with 91.7% of the vote.
“Old Alabama” is upbeat and catchy, but it didn’t stand a chance against a classic like “My Home’s in Alabama.” For contests like this one, it’s usually a safe bet that the old will trump the new. “My Home’s in Alabama” was released in 1980. That’s 34 years ago. I doubt anyone–Brad Paisley included–will even remember “Old Alabama” 34 years from now.
I fully agree with this decision. Well done.
“Stars Fell on Alabama” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong vs. “Alabama Getaway” by Grateful Dead
Winner: “Stars Fell on Alabama” with 85.1% of the vote.
I pray I’m never compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in any category because they will always come out on top. Their version of “Stars Fell on Alabama” makes you feel like you’re falling in love on a warm summer night in Alabama. The state license plate used to say “Stars Fell on Alabama.” In this first round, no song really stood a chance against Ella and Louis.
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd vs “Alabama” Neil Young
Winner: “Sweet Home Alabama” with 96.8% of the vote.
It’s fitting that readers pitted these two songs against each other. Neil Young’s “Alabama” takes shots at some of the state’s failings during the Civil Rights Movement. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote “Sweet Home Alabama” as a response to Young, who they thought was painting an incomplete picture of the South. “We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two,” Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, told Rolling Stone.
Regardless of the politics surrounding each song, no song will ever have the cultural impact that “Sweet Home Alabama” has had on the Yellowhammer State. This one was easy.
“Alabama Pines” by Jason Isbell vs. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” by The Doors
Winner: “Alabama Pines” with 72.9% of the vote.
Released in 2011, “Alabama Pines” is the youngest song to make it into the final four. While it hasn’t passed the test of time yet, it’s still worthy of being in this elite group. The acoustic singer-songwriter feel makes “Alabama Pines” the kind of song you’d want to listen to while sitting around a campfire. It may not have a proven cultural impact in the same way these other songs do, but Isbell captures the simple charm of the South well. It takes someone born and raised in Alabama to write a convincing love song to this state.
Good choice.
Here’s where things stand going into Round 2.
