Edit: I wasn’t saying the song is lighthearted, the melody/rhythm of it with the background singers gave it a radio-rock feel that made the chorus feel more lighthearted for me where I initially was in a serious state of mind with the song. I just explained that poorly in the video. Finally getting back to some Lynyrd Skynyrd!! What’s next for us to check out by them?! Alex has heard Gimme Three Steps but other than that it’s free game! Cheers all see you on Friday! 🙌🏻🔥
Thievius333 - they mentioned drugs moron. Listen to the second sentence in the song "Oak tree in my way" a commenter mentioned a car crash cause it is referenced in the song. WTF!
yes. This. It's the smell of death, not alcohol. Maybe A&A should do a lyric dive before they comment on the lyrics. It's metaphorical, not literal. If you've ever had a friend that parties insanely always doing blow, drinking handles of liquor daily like a Chris Farley/John Belushi/Sam Kinison, you can smell and see death all around them. You know they aren't here for long.
The lyrics "Can't you smell that smell" is not an observation after the fact, It's a warning, before the fact. It's a warning to others, not to let the booze, drugs, and bad experiences, lead them to a death that could be avoided. "Whiskey bottle. Brand new car. Oak tree You're in my way." Then later, too much smoke. Too much coke." The song isn't about a single incident. It's about how someone with little hope can easily get sucked into the addictive lifestyle which starts a path of bad decisions heaped on top of bad decisions, to the point of reckless abandon.
Gary Rossington has been in multiple drunk/drugged driving accidents and the band as a whole was getting out of control. That was part of the reason Ed King left.
Van Zant wrote this after Rossingtons drunk driving crash that almost killed him. They were getting out of control on drugs and drinking, and VZ (totally controlled the band) reeled them back in. Collins was paralyzed in a car accident a few years later.
This was aimed at guitarist Gary Rossington who was going overboard drug-wise. He survived the car crash with the oak tree and the plane crash. Also, how is “ Can’t you smell that smell” light-hearted? The line that follows is “the smell of death surrounds you”.
@Paul Pelosi Not the lyric itself, but the way it was sung in terms of the melody and the rhythm, taking a serious thing and making it lighthearted/radio friendly. Cheers Paul!
@@andyandalex point taken. Have a Happy New Year, guys. Oh, and congrats to the graduate. It just dawned on me; you should react to Mrs Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel for Andy’s big step out the classroom doors. It was a huge hit for them and was the featured song in the Dustin Hoffman movie, The Graduate. One word, Andy: Plastics. Watch the movie and you’ll understand.
They reached a level of musical sophistication by the time they recorded street survivors that was unmatched in any genre, in my opinion. Which was strongly enhanced by Steve Gaines contributions to the overall sound through his playing, songwriting and vocal abilities.
My favorite, Play me a song Curtis Loew, Curtis Loew Well I got your drinking money tune up your dobro People said he was useless, them people all were fools 'Cause Curtis Loew was the finest picker to ever play the blues
@Ted Ketterer Yeah I think I worded it poorly in the video but I think my main thing wasn’t as much the line as it was the melody/rhythm where it gave it a radio-rock feel which I just wasn’t expecting from a song with this level of seriousness so it just kind of rubbed me off wrong as it reminded me records gotta sell somehow where I was wanting to focus on the subject matter, I probably overthought it. Lol.
I have to say these guys, Alex and Andy, even if you don't agree with them, even if their age and lack of exposure to a lot of bands bothers you, these guys are serious with their breakdown of songs. I point this out because a lot of reactors just don't give a critical, well thought out discussion of the music. They will play the song, say something like, "yeah, that's a rocker man, click to subscribe" and that is all you get. Not with these guys. They bring the critique in a big way by discussing the song in terms of their personal musical experience as musicians and just regular dudes who are seriously into popular music of all genres. You can count on Alex to bring his knowledge of percussion, rhythm and production values to the discussion, EVERY TIME. Andy is good at putting the music in context for today and when the song was originally released. A historical perspective. I just hope these guys keep to this format wherein they obviously put a lot of thought into the reaction.
I love that they DONT pause the song every 20 seconds to comment like most other reaction videos out there. I know some will have the videos pulled if they don’t. But how can you get a full impression of a song if you don’t hear it completely through? Can’t be done. I think if A&A had done a lyrics analysis on this song afterwards, Andy would have realized the exact meaning of the song and how the hook was the main point of the song. It would have straightened him out on it pretty quick. Great song and great reaction guys! “Saturday Night Special” is a good one from Lynyrd Skynyrd, along with a what the others are all suggesting. Looking forward to seeing more reactions on Skynyrd.
Street Survivors was the first album released after Ronnie had given up drinking and began living a somewhat healthy lifestyle. The "whiskey bottles, brand new cars, oak tree you're in my way" line is a reference to a bad car wreck that Gary Rossington had while driving drunk. The boys in Skynyrd played hard and partied hard and we're just getting to the point of being stadium headliners before the plane crash. The record company redesigned the album cover from the one you showed during the song to one without flames on it out of respect to Steve Gaines, whose head is engulfed in the flames on the cover, and to Ronnie, both of which died in the plane crash along with Steve's sister Cassie, Dean Kilpatrick, their road manager, both pilots, and another member of the band's crew. Ronnie Van Zant is also one of the most underrated songwriters of all time.
Both are dynamite recommendations. The Ballad has a special place in my heart. I can relate to the kid and how captivating authentic blues can be when played by a real master. The dobro just makes it more real and believable (as opposed to a guitar which would be the easier/lazier songwriting cliche).
You praised the vocals, background vocals, guitar, drums, but the bass line in this song is amazing. It's so subtle and sounds so simple but does what a good bass line should do... adds the soul. I'm glad you guys enjoyed this song.
Ronnie wrote this song about an accident that Gary (the slide guitarist) got into when he was drunk and high. “The smell” was in reference to the smell of burnt rubber and a car accident. “Van Zant's inspiration for the song was the increasing reckless indulgences of the band members culminating in guitarist Gary Rossington getting drunk and high and survived the crash of his new Ford Torino into an oak tree along Mandarin Road in Jacksonville, Florida, where the band was founded.”
Awesome song!! They wrote this about "prince charming" Gary Rossington when he wrecked his car and hit a oak tree!! Keep rocking guys!! Fly high Freebirds!!🦅🎸🦅
Also about Allen Collins who wrecked a vehicle the same holiday weekend as Gary. Lyrics about both wrecks and both Allen and Gary were under the influence when they wrecked the vehicles.
“As several people have commented it is my understanding that the song "That Smell" was inspired by Gary Rossington's drug and alcohol abuse. The reference to "Whiskey bottles", "Brand new cars", and "Oak trees" in the way most certainly refers to the car wreck drunk driving incident that delayed the start of one of the bands tours... What I will add to this conversation is the interpretation of the song's line "The smell of death surrounds you!" When you shoot Heroin in tar form it must be melted (or mixed with water and heated) to a liquid form in order to inject into the bloodstream with a syringe. Before disposable butane lighters were ubiquitous addicts often would use matches lighting 2 or 3 at a time to heat the spoon with the Heroin in it, often burning a book or more of matches in quick succession. This can result in the sulfur smell from the match heads lingering in a persons hair and clothing after they have 'shot up'. Reportedly Gary Rossington was not only drinking excessively but also shooting heroin, which the other band members became aware of by the smell of matches, 'the smell of death', when he would enter the room.”
I just found these guys today. I’ve had a wonderful day of listening to the songs that I loved growing up in the 70’s as a teenager, through young eyes. As I have matured, I turn 63 this month and still listen to a lot of these artists and songs. Curtis Loew is a favorite of mine, I got the Second Helping album for Christmas in 1973, I was 13. I grew up with the best music.
Can't you smell that smell is the singer trying to ask the person if they can see how far gone they really are before it's too late. I think it's a perfect phrasing for the subject matter.
Call me the Breeze is one of their best songs written by JJCale, who also wrote Cocaine and After Midnight later made famous by Eric Clapton! If played, you need to play the studio version for the best acoustics!
Andy, congrats on graduating, and as a computer programmer pushing 40 years in the business ( I started at 16 in 1982) you have chosen the right career. The fact that you’re already drinking whiskey will surprisingly help a lot.
Ricky Medlock was a founding member of Skyward as a drummer. Went on to found Blackfoot and returned to Skynyrd in the guitar lineup. But keep it on the downlow, he's not yet aware of his passing.
That album cover that you showed in the video is the original one for that LP. They changed it to removed the flames as it was released just around the same time as the crash that killd some of the members of the band. Its eerie to see that pic with the flames. The original album cover with the flames is rare and hard to come by. Great tune.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was one of the most social conscious bands of my era.....songs like this and Saturday Night Special were a warning to us.....especially growing up in north Florida
The legendary story of the band and this song, is worth reading. This song smokes...their story is spontaneous combustion, and the band members who survived were Phoenix Rising. Chills.
About Gary Rossington who was slowly killing himself with drugs and alcohol. This was to help him stop.The smell is the smell of death following him around. He had been in a serious accident before the song.
Great job Andy!!! you should be proud of what you have accomplished. You and Alex give me hope for your generation to keep the incredible music i grew up with alive and well. Thanks to you both for that.
Thanks for the reaction guys! Great song. The line "Can't you smell that smell" to me is like a friend pleading with you, "wake up, can't you see you're killing yourself". Anyway, I recommend Saturday Night Special.
Andy, Andy, Andy. This song was inspired by Gary hitting an oak tree with his brand new Ford Torino, delaying a tour start date, but the whole band was living the rock star lifestyle, i.e., over indulging. Ronnie & guitarist Allen Collins wrote "That Smell" and I like to think of it as sort of banging PSA. "Tomorrow might not be here for you".
The smell of death is pretty damn serious. Not really sure how it can't be taken as anything but serious. Especially when every word in the verses emphasizes where the chorus is going.
I think what andy was saying was the delivery melodically and rhythmically felt lighthearted. For me specifically the word choice of “smell” feels lighthearted. Clearly the best word to be sung there but words evoke different emotions even if they have the same meaning. For example, the smell of death, and.. the stench of death. Stench is clunky and ugly and makes it seem harsher where smell is a lot lighter in tone. Both evoke something dark. One evokes it more. That was our point
@@andyandalex If you haven't read the other comments, it was written as a wake up to guitarist Gary Rossington who was dealing with severe drug and alcohol problems and had just wrapped his new car around a tree. It was hat should have been a fatal wreck, and sadly one of the other guitarist {Allen Collins} later was paralyzed in a wreck. Strangely enough three days after the album was released, the band was devastated by a plane crash.
I loved the review. Steve Gaines was a game changer for Skynyrd and the members of the band commented on that. Rumor has it that Ronnie Van Zant said "some day we will be working for him" or something like that. "I know a Little" was a song Gaines performed with one of his bands, prior to Skynyrd, called Crawdad and it is a banger. Ronnie changed it up to make it a Skynyrd song. Another contribution by Gaines, "I believe is You Got That Right" where Gaines sang with Ronnie. You can see the joy Gaines brought to the table in any of the live recordings. Another banger is "T for Texas" cover where Gaines is playing with a slide. Love to hear some more Skynyrd. Happy New Years!
@@aquatarkus2022 Bob burns is dead bub he died in 2015. And Ricky Medlocke isn't an original member. He played drums on a few songs when Bob Burns had a mental meltdown the first time. He played on the album Skynyrds First And Last, which wasn't released until after the plane crash. Its basically just a polished demo.
Yeah, stupid god damn plane! It's really sad when you realize they didn't know how little time they had left. I hope Van Zant listened to his own message.
The best live shows for these songs would be Knebworth, 1976. Lynyrd Skynyrd was smoking during that concert! Always liked Free Bird from this concert best too. The guitar army at their absolute best!
Needle and The Spoon is the natural follow up to this song. Both are southern rock masterpieces. RIP band. Thank you for the gold you gave us and for warning us.
Great news. Congratulations on your graduation Andy. You must have really worked your butt off doing that and the music channel too. I hope you realise how much the work you and Alex put in to your reaction videos is appreciated. Congratulations again and I wish you luck in whatever the future holds for you. This is sent to you from an old Brit across the pond in Merrie Olde England. Keith 🇬🇧🇺🇲👍
The chorus is kind of key to the song meaning. It was a musical intervention to all of them that they were going to kill themselves with their excessive partying, after one night ending with Gary Rossington wrapping his car around a tree. Imagine the Spectre of Death himself hovering over you, awaiting your demise. It is said at that point that the smell of death is on you.
First off....I was so happy when the notification came in and I saw you were doing this song! It is only a good song if you enjoy deep lyrics written about something very real. Song-writing overall is immaculate! Also you need to enjoy very clean, precise and fast guitar. Cool drumming. To me, this may be the most perfect song ever recorded!!! Andy! Congrats on your graduation 🎓 A great accomplishment! May it lead to a career better than you envision! And thank you for still fitting this channel in to your regular routine. I think you mentioned before having a full time job as well. Kudos to you for having such a full plate and maintaining all of your obligations. Not many in your age group have the integrity for such "stuff"! And the fact that you have a gf speaks volumes about you too- because they ALWAYS demand time and attention. Cheers to you, my man!!! So, I also respect your view on the hook. I've been part of this community long enough to know that you know music. I'd never tell either of you that you are wrong. I just want to throw a different perspective at you on "can't you smell that smell"! As somebody who is in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse (I'm going to toot my own horn here cuz I'm damn proud of this fact, next Wed Jan 6th I'll have 14 years!!!) sometimes people that are always drunk and/or high don't realize how bad they are. They'll tell you that they don't have a problem, they only do it for fun or that they can stop any time they want. So "that smell" isn't an actual odor, but more of a euphemism. You are way F'ed up man, you are headed for either prison or death if you don't clean up your act. You "not being that bad" is a horrible lie that only you believe. Smell "that smell" before it's too late. Just my own spin. Great song, great reaction, happy you both loved it! To Andy, Alex and all members of the A&A community....have a happy, safe and blessed new year. I'm praying that 21 will be better than 20 was for all of us in every way possible ❤ Sorry my comment is so short!
@Daniel Barrasso Really appreciate the thoughtful comment man! And yeah I think I just worded my critique a bit badly, I think it was more so the melody/rhythm of it paired with the line that rubbed me funny, I like it a lot more after hearing Alex’s very real story
I realize, to each his own, but for me, I've heard that song MANY times, over the years, and "lighthearted" is the last thing I thought when hearing the line "smell that smell".
Alex is awesome. First he had Keith Moon still alive when he had been dead for years. Now he has Gary Rossington dead when he is actually the only original member still alive. You guys do get a point for showing the album cover that had a couple of members on fire that was pulled after the plane crash.
That's a little bit of guitar heaven, right there. Also, with Skynyrd, those first five albums, you really can't go wrong. But to work off of this song, Needle and the Spoon. Other good songs are Working for MCA, Swamp Music, Saturday Night Special, Whisky Rock 'n' Roll, What's Your Name, You Got That Right.
Thanks guys! Hear this fairly often on classic rock radio, but this is the first time I've really listened to it in a while. Gives me new appreciation for a great song. Congrats Andy, good job. Happy New Year!
Nice reaction. Andy, congratulations on your accomplishment,well done. Now you will have a great day and a great life. More to come in 2021,and beyond.
It's fun watching you guys listening to the great music I grew up with. Hearing your discussion about it actually gives me a new appreciation of the songs I have heard hundreds of times. Keep up the great work.
I'm glad you passed on Sweet Home Alabama, I only want to listen to that maybe twice a year. I can listen Call Me the Breeze everyday. I saw them three times in concert and really enjoyed the shows, especially when they just started getting recognized and warmed up Marshall Tucker. Charley Daniels also played too. It cost $3.75 and provided a legendary night in KC Mo
"the breeze","I know a little","you got that right","I need you","on the hunt","comin home","needle and the spoon","Mr banker","all I can do is write it" ,"four walls of raiford" and plenty more ☮️
So happy someone mentioned The Rossington Collins Band. I don’t think many people are aware this band existed post Skynyrd. Don’t misunderstand me is a great song ... Dale Krantz kills it!
Hello Alex and Andy. If you don’t mind I’m gonna put you guys in a hot seat today and give you reactionaries reaction. You are going to get a return on this year of your reviews. You guys are absolutely stupendous and you know that. But watching you go through so many different musical genres is pretty astonishing. No easy task. Especially when you’re buried in college as well. From the most simplistic rock ‘n’ roll to the heaviest progressive rock and roll, you guys have handled it all. And with his much grace and dignity as the Irish whiskey would allow. But in all seriousness, you guys have brought an awful lot of fun to this year. Again, not an easy task. As 2020 comes to a close, I give a hardy cheers and wish you great New Year. Let’s hope it’s a banger.
"Workin For MCA" is a must it absolutely rocks straight banger 💯 then later after that maybe some "Swamp Music" could be put on deck for you next to check out
Gotta give a shout to Artemis Pyle and his band from the Carolinas. Heard them about 7 yrs ago in Leesburg, VA. A real treat for me and actually enjoyed it more than seeing Rossington Collins Band. Reason I bring up Artemis and That Smell? The dude was a marine prior to joining the band. And he cheated death not once, but twice. Survived a helicopter crash serving his country and a plane crash. Not sure how many people have their in their life story. Keep drummin Artemis!!
"Van Zant's inspiration for the song was the increasing reckless indulgences of the band members culminating in the evening when guitarist Gary Rossington got drunk and high and survived the crash of his new Ford Torino into an oak tree..." Gary's nickname was "Prince Charming" cuz he had a way with the ladies.
Andy & Alex, Hey Alex mentioned reposting the Muddy Water's "Mannish Boy" reaction during a previous Livestream. That would be great. Was a great reaction !! BTW that was Johnny Winter yelping in the background!!!
💯The lyrics are EXTREMELY SERIOUS!!! Alcohol, Pills, Heroin, and Cocaine abuse was rampant in this band, resulting in the untimely death of several members through the years☹️☹️ RIP to all the members who couldn't get the "Monkey off their back"
At no point did we say the lyrics weren’t serious, we said the line “can’t you smell that smell” added levity to a very dark song. If anything that shows we understood how dark it was. Alex even told the story about watching someone die in his front yard from a drunk driving accident... I think we got the meaning.
My husband is a big fan of these guys and was lucky enough to see the original line up a few times. Tim was the first in line at his local A Shop Called East in the mall to buy Street Survivors the day it came out. He had the 1st album cover until it was pulled off the shelves. Someone in college stole it and he never seen it again. I love Gimme Three Steps. That's my jam! Take care and stay safe 😷. Happy New Year to all! Hope 2021 is a good one.
Also, Andy, congrats on graduating! It couldn't have been easy finishing the degree PLUS running this channel. I had a hard enough time finishing my senior year of my undergrad degree while playing through Ocarina of Time, I can't imagine having to do what you're doing. Keep up the good work, it is much appreciated!
The tune is about substance abuse, particularly that of Gary Rossington, who Van Zant thought was killing himself w drugs and ETOH. As the story goes, Gary was driving under the influence of certain recreational medicinal agents with a woman in the vehicle, when he crashed, messing up his face and losing teeth. Ronnie wrote this tune in response to that incident. ‘That Smell” being the smell of death and that smell that addicts carry with them. “Tuesdays Gone”, “Saturday NIght Special” Real bangers.
Steve and Cassie Gaines were from Miami OK and are still missed and loved here! Legendary Band thanks Fellas. Steve was the Okie sicced on us in "Freebird" live and Cassie background vocalist
This was written in reference to guitarist Gary Rossington’s car accident, around the time of the Street Survivors recording sessions. “I know a little” “ Tuesday’s Gone” “T for Texas”
