"Saturday Night Special" is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the opening track on their album Nuthin' Fancy. The song addresses the issue of gun control.
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"Saturday Night Special" | ||||
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Single by Lynyrd Skynyrd | ||||
from the album Nuthin' Fancy | ||||
B-side | "Made in the Shade" | |||
Released | May 19, 1975 | |||
Recorded | August 1974 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 5:09 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant | |||
Producer(s) | Al Kooper | |||
Lynyrd Skynyrd singles chronology | ||||
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Its lyrics refer to the cheap handguns popularly associated with the term Saturday night special, and associates them with impulsive violence. Each of the three verses presents a different example: a man being shot by a home intruder, or shooting a cheating man in bed with his wife; a poker player killing his friend after accusing him of cheating, and accidentally shooting oneself while intoxicated. Notably, it argues that they "[a]in't good for nothin' / But put a man six feet in a hole." Ronnie Van Zant said in a radio interview that "we should sink them all to the bottom of the sea" (in reference to guns). He said that he was a gun owner and that he had an antique gun over his fireplace. When asked if he had ever been shot he did state that he shot himself accidentally, but didn't elaborate on it further.
Billboard called the song "ominous sounding", and said that the lyrics contain "interesting social commentary".[2] Cash Box said it had a "stinging, vital" and "brash and bawdy sound manifested in the sneering vocals of Ronnie Van Zant and the razor sharp interplay between three guitars."[3]
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
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Canada RPM Top Singles | 63 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] | 27 |