The Song By Lynyrd Skynyrd That Ronnie Van Zant Regretted Writing

The American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd had its beginnings in Jacksonville, Florida during the summer of 1964, which is when high schoolers Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns and Gary Rossington met while playing on opposing baseball teams.

Oddly enough, they became friends when Burns got injured from a ball hit by Van Zant, which eventually led to them discovering a mutual love for music and, then, setting up their musical instruments in the carport of Burn’s parents’ house. They kicked things off by playing the Rolling Stones’ newest hit at that moment, “Time is On My Side.” Recognizing the synergy of their performance, they decided to set up their band. Little did they know that that decision would lead them to dominate the rock industry of the ’70s.

The Style Of ‘Lynyrd Skynrd’

The band, which originally went by the name My Backyard, became Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969 and produced their self-titled first album in 1973. The album included their hit single “Free Bird,” which caught everyone’s attention. The band quickly went on to produce its follow-up, Second Helping, an album that cemented their rise to stardom and increasedtheir fan base.

RELATED: Looking Back On The Day Lynyrd Skynyrd Lost Ronnie, Steve, & Cassie

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a perfect example of a southern rock band fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with the rebel southern image and the swagger of a hard rocker. Not relying on the jazzy improvisations of the Allman Brothers, they created a hard-living, hard-driving rock and roll band.

In the early stages of their history, the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant displayed a penchant for lyrical detail, which was more common in country music rather than rock and roll. However, they later took on the more muscular blues-rock sound, which led to their production of classic rock songs like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” “What’s Your Name,” “That Smell” and “Gimme Three Steps.”

The Song Ronnie Regrets Writing

Ronnie Van Zant emerged as the band’s lead singer and major songwriter until his death in a plane crash on October 20, 1977 when he was just 29. Ronnie was the foremost genius behind the band’s most famous songs, though he never forgot to credit his band members, believing that the tracks were a result of teamwork and true collaboration. In all of his songwriting career, there is one song that he regretted ever writing.

After the band gained popularity in 1970, playing in local concerts and opening for national acts, they took on Pat Armstrong and Alan Walden their managers, though Armstrong left to start his own business . However, a dispute arose between the band and Walden over his strict financial control, so they decided to hire Peter Rudge to replace him.

Ronnie Van Zant decided to write the song “Cry for The Bad Man” to express his disappointment in the behavior of Walden, who he had considered to be his close friend. In the track, he wrote about the betrayal and greed for money that made the manager lose his friends. Ronnie later disclosed that he felt bad for writing the song even though he was so very disappointed that Walden could act in the manner he did.