Southern Man

Song infobox
Name = Southern Man


Type = Song
Artist = Neil Young
alt Artist =
Album = After the Gold Rush
Published =
Released = September 19 1970
track_no = 4
Recorded = Aug. 1969-June 1970
Genre = Rock
Length = 5:41
Writer = Neil Young
Composer =
Label = Reprise
Producer = David Briggs
Background = #E6E8FA
Tracks =
prev = "Only Love Can Break Your Heart"
prev_no = 3
next = "Till the Morning Comes"
next_no = 5"Southern Man" is a song by Neil Young from his album "After the Gold Rush". The album was released in 1970.

The lyrics of "Southern Man" are vivid, describing the racism towards blacks in the American South as perceived from the viewpoint of a Canadian. In the song, Young tells the story of a Southern man (symbolically the entire South) and how he mistreated his slaves. Young pleadingly asks when will the South "pay them back" for years of abuse and racism.

Where the initial inspiration for the song came from is very much debated, but is commonly believed to have stemmed from an incident in a roadhouse in Alabama which Young visited in 1969. As he was having a drink, two local men came up to him, took him outside, and beat him up because he had long hair.

Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote their song "Sweet Home Alabama" in response to "Southern Man" and "Alabama" from Neil's 1972 album Harvest. Young has said that he is a fan of both "Sweet Home Alabama" and concert.)

Lynyrd Skynyrd tried to arrange to have Neil Young come on stage during a performance of "Sweet Home Alabama", where he would have sung "a southern man don't need me around anyhow", but the performers were never able to arrange this performance due to busy touring schedules.

References