B-side "Made in the Shade" Length 5:09 | Recorded August 1974 Label MCA | |
Released May 19, 1975, 2000 (25th Anniversary Re-issue) Genre Southern rock, hard rock | ||
"Saturday Night Special" is a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the opening track on their album Nuthin' Fancy. The song addresses the issue of gun control.
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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; the following examples being given: a man being shot by a home intruder or shooting a cheating man in bed with his wife, a poker gambler shooting his gambling partner between the eyes during a losing night, and accidentally shooting oneself while intoxicated. Notably, it argues that they "[a]in't good for nothin' / 'Cept for puttin' a man six feet in a hole."
In popular culture
"Saturday Night Special" is on the soundtrack of the 1978 movie Blue Collar, starring Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto and Harvey Keitel.
The song is featured in a Season 2 episode of the American television show Supernatural titled "What Is and What Should Never Be."
The song is also featured in the scenes involving the police in both the original The Longest Yard from 1974 and the remake from 2005.
The song is played in Season 3 episode 5 of The Walking Dead, during the staged fight scene.
The song is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned.
The song is featured in James Hardy's part in Fallen Footwear's "Ride the Sky" (2008).
A live version is on the Lynyrd Skynyrd album, Live At Winterland, which was released in 2009.
The song was recorded at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia. Engineered by Rodney Mills, who engineered albums by The Atlanta Rhythm Section.
The song was made available to download on November 30, 2010 for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which allows use of a real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.
Cover versions
A cover version of this song was performed and recorded by the American heavy metal band Armored Saint on their 1987 album Raising Fear.
Punk/thrash band The Accüsed covered this song on the 1991 EP Straight Razor.
In 1994, a cover version was recorded by country music band McBride & the Ride, as part of a compilation titled Skynyrd Frynds, which featured several country acts performing covers of Skynyrd songs.
In 2002, rock band Great White recorded a version on their cover album, Recover.
In 2007, rock band Tesla recorded a cover version on their album, Real to Reel, Vol. 2.