3 Southern Rock Songs From the 1970s That Sound Like a Bar Fight at Closing Time
American Songwriter has put together a short list of 1970s Southern rock songs that, in the writer's view, would suit the soundtrack to a raucous bar-room brawl. The feature is one of the outlet's regular "The List" round-ups, celebrating the genre's aggressive, high-energy sound through a playful lens rather than reporting any news event.
– "Uneasy Rider" by Charlie Daniels (1973) — a talking-blues/bluegrass tale of a hippie narrowly avoiding trouble in a Mississippi bar; reached No. 9 on the Hot 100.
– "La Grange" by ZZ Top (1974) — a boogie-blues classic whose explosive sound suits a cinematic brawl, though it only peaked at No. 41.
– "Gimme Three Steps" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973) — based on a real incident where songwriter Ronnie Van Zant was threatened at gunpoint after dancing with another man's wife; it never charted.
- Three 1970s Southern rock tracks picked as ideal "bar fight" songs
- Includes Charlie Daniels, ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd classics
- Lynyrd Skynyrd's track was inspired by a real gunpoint incident