It was released in 1974 on the album Second Helping and it was the song that established the band commercially, the first Skynyrd single to enter the charts, climbing to No. 8 in the US. It was also the opening track on the album, a song Skynyrd had held back from the sessions for their first album, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd, because they wanted to save it to open Second Helping with force. It was not simply another strong composition. It was the “big song” they knew they had in their hands.