In response to Neil Young's song Southern Man, the band Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote Sweet Home Alabama.
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( pronounced [ ˌlɛnərd_ˈskɪnərd ] ) is an American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre during the 1970s . 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 .