9. Lynyrd Skynyrd "Free Bird"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY No song in history epitomises the tradition of rock and roll excess quite like "Free Bird." Nowadays, the song is often used as a punchline, a two-word proclamation that drunken concertgoers shout out during a mid-show lull in an effort to be funny or ironic. But while it's difficult to separate the song from its modern-day status as the Chuck Norris of rock and roll showstoppers, we still have to remember that "Free Bird" originally earned its concert request status by being one of the most incendiary rock anthems ever played on a stage. The roots of the "Free Bird" song request come from Skynyrd's own 1976 live album, "One More from the Road," where, after coming out for a second encore, late frontman Ronnie Van Zandt asks the crowd which song they want to hear. Repeated shouts of "Free Bird" elicit a 14-minute marathon run-through the song, an occurrence that almost immediately turned it into a pop cultural lightning rod. The actual studio version of the song is a bit more restrained, clocking in a 9:06. In either form though, "Free Bird" is arguably the most iconic "epic track" ever written (aside from perhaps Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," which could have easily shared this slot), and its interesting musical dichotomy between gospel-tinged power balladry and triple guitar solo southern rock is something that can only be pulled off with an extended track length.
Craig Manning
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Craig is a Chicago-based freelance writer who like to talk incessantly about music on AbsolutePunk.net. He also does writing for marketing companies to "pay the bills," but his true passion lies with the pop culture sphere.
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