Warren Zevon – Play It All Night Long

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  General Comment: I agree with the escapism comments, and I think that the song has real meaning. What about the irony that his biggest hit "werewolves" and Skynard's biggest hit "Sweet Home" is practically the same song musically? The Same 3 chord pattern! As we hear Kid rock mixes the two in “All Summer Long” and references “Sweet Home Alabama” also, and the money keeps rolling in.

  Flag peacedog7on May 17, 2011   Link

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  General Comment:I think it's Zevon contrasting the realities of much of the rural South (and rural life in general really) with the mixed messages of pride that seem to come out of it. "There aint much to country living" and yet everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Thoreau have somehow tried to suggest that it's some proud institution. Rural poverty sucks, but conversely when people have very little they tend to be very protective of what they've got.

  Flag Mistermookon June 09, 2009   Link

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    awesome song.

    Flag Fullerovon June 13, 2010  

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    hah. meant to say...awesome song. So sardonic. I guess I think it's kind of anti-escapism rather than anti-south.
    
    Guess the alcoholism reference was a dark nod to his own troubles at that time?

    Flag Fullerovon June 13, 2010  
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  General Comment:I don't know if this song is really supposed to make a grand statement for or against "country living" and rednecks, I think it's more of a piece of dark humor, not a social critique. Humorous in the way 'Ware wolves of London' is, or excitable boy is, not like 'the envoy' or any of his "I’ve got cancer, listen to me" stuff. The topics are funny, but there funny in a way you don't want to laugh at. At least they are funny in a thirteen year old boy, slapstick humor, kind of way. A guy pissing himself? Funny. A senile old man doing it? Not. A redneck with guns, funny. A guy with ptsd, not. Incest, funny (in rednecks at least). Cancer, not. Alcoholism, not funny, saying the word "jizz" funny. And like all his other dark humor songs he has this way of making it catchy, catchy enough that you want to sing along before you realize what exactly it is your singing. And by sampling a song that, as one of the above posts said, is the drunken southerners anthem, he made it super sing able to a particular audience, the audience that he is aiming his jokes at. Which brings to them more of that pairing of opposites in "sweet home alabama", awesome, "dead man's song" not awesome. It’s a joke. Ha.

  Flag flamingamoon May 04, 2009   Link

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    Dear FLAMINGAMO,
    
    Bravo!
    
    ~AQ

    Flag AstoriaQueenon June 17, 2009  
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  General Comment:This song is more relevant now than it has been for a long time.

  Flag TheThornBirdson March 19, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:To me it sounds like the moral of the song is something on the lines of “were in bad times, how are you gona go play the happy crap right now.” As to imply escapism doesn’t work for Zevon, which would explain the tone of most of his songs. Regardless of the band in the song.

  Flag 3ChordSpeedon September 04, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:While the last two posters' analysis is pretty, I think it misses the mark a lot - this song isn't pretty. It's pretty damn irreverent when you get down to it, the way a lot of Zevon's work is. He's contrasting this great image of the South with the terrible reality. Look at the gritty, vulgar language he uses in the verses, contrasted with the reverence of the chorus. Mixed with the way the music actually sounds, it comes off a lot more sarcastic and cutting. Rather than admiring popular culture for helping people make it through suffering, he's attacking them for saying that the South is a wonderful, great place when there's so much hardship everywhere.
  
  While the song isn't anti-redneck, it's still pretty harsh. He's saying that popular music is stupid for ignoring the problem, but also saying that the people are stupid for letting the music lull them into the concept that everything is just a-ok because they're Southern. Play it all night long.
  
  Also, Warren Zevon is awesome. AWESOME.

  Flag StellarFuryon May 02, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:I tend to agree with the last posting. If imitation is the best form of flattery then witness the lead guitar fills and solos - they remind me of Skynyrd's powerful 3-pronged lead guitar attack.

  Flag chrisb1on January 20, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:I think that the whole lot of you are wrong. This song is about taking comfort in escapism. I will agree that the family discussed in this song are a bunch of rednecks, but they are trying to make a honest life and are genuinely struggling. The narrator is trying to find a way out, and the only way he can is through identifying with the rock music he hears on the radio. Also, through my reading it seems as if Zevon has an admiration for Skynyrd for touching people who are at odds with such strife. This song was certainly not meant as a jab at rednecks or popular music, but an observation how low art and popular culture really do help in allowing people to withstand suffering.

  Flag powc3000on February 07, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:absolutely. i always consider the college bars near Hofstra University, where heavily makeuped, shit faced on watery beer young ladies belt out Sweet Home Alabama three times a night, and scream and yell when it comes on like they weren't expecting it.
  
  i wish i had something intelligent to add about this song, but you guys pretty much covered it.

  Flag scumbagstyleon February 07, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:They didn't take it personally, they thought it was funny, and so did Neil Young, they were all friends.
  
  And I don't think Warren Was taking a Jab At Skynard. It seems like more of a jab at the radio stations who play Sweet Home Alabama over and over and over and over....

  Flag bradec9on October 30, 2006   Link

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