Lynyrd Skynyrd's song Sweet Home Alabama is a song that was written in reply to Neil Young's song Southern Man.
Lynyrd Skynyrd . The band gained worldwide recognition for its live performances and signature songs `` Sweet Home Alabama '' and `` Free Bird '' . `` Sweet Home Alabama '' is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album , Second Helping . The song was written in reply to `` Southern Man '' and `` Alabama '' by Neil Young ; Young is name-checked in the song 's lyrics .