Details
Male singer
Guitar Solo
Vocal Tambourine
Simple Man is a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd . It was released as a Rock Band downloadable single and as part of Classic Rock Pack 01 on April 15, 2008. It has also appeared in Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 2 and Rock Band Mobile . A Pro Guitar upgrade for use in Rock Band 3 was released on March 1, 2011.
Shortly after Ronnie Van Zant's grandmother and Gary Rossington's mother died, they got together in Van Zant's apartment and started telling stories about them. Rossington came up with a chord progression, and Van Zant wrote the lyrics based on advice the women had given them over the years. They wrote it in about an hour.
Even though the lyrics state, "Sit beside me, my only son ," Ronnie was not the only son. He had 2 younger brothers along with one older sister and one younger sister.
This appears on the soundtrack to the movie Almost Famous. (thanks, Aaron - Twin Cities, MN, for above 2)
Skynyrd producer Al Kooper didn't like the way this was coming out, so the band recorded it without him and had him add his organ part later. He didn't think they should release it, but realized he was wrong when it went over so well with their fans.
When Skynyrd toured in 1987, they dedicated this to Van Zant.
The studio and live versions of this song are tuned to different keys. The studio is in G#/Ab while the live is the key of A. (thanks, Bryant - Salina, KS)
The Heavy Metal band Shinedown recorded an acoustic version. The Deftones also covered it on their B-Sides And Rarities CD.
Template:In popular culture
The song is used in the 1994 film Airheads The first half of the song can be heard in the 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous The song is used in the 2006 film Barnyard The Lynyrd Skynyrd original of the song was made available to download on April 15, 2008 for use in the Rock Band [1]
Songs available as Downloadable Content
Released on marketplace 2011
"2112 " • "2112: Discovery, Presentation " • "2112: Oracle: The Dream, Soliloquy, Grand Finale " • "2112: Overture, The Temples of Syrinx " • "867-5309/Jenny " • "Adolescents " • "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie " • "Aerials " • "Airplanes " • "All Along the Watchtower " • "All Apologies " • "Alright " (RB3 Version) • "Angel " • "Animal " (Live) • "Animals " • "Audience of One " • "Awful Beautiful Life " (RB3 Version) • "Backwoods " (RB3 Version) • "The Ballad of Ira Hayes " • "Bark at the Moon " • "Barracuda " • "Bend Down Low " • "Bicycle Race " • "Big Bang Baby " • "Billionaire " • "Black Magic Woman " • "Blood and Thunder " • "Blow Up the Outside World " • "Blue Bayou " • "Blue Jean " • "Blurry " • "Boom " • "Born This Way " • "Brand New Cadillac " • "Breaking " • "Breath " • "Bringin' On the Heartbreak " • "Burden in My Hand " • "Burnin' and Lootin' " • "By the Way " • "Californication " • "Caravan " • "The Card Cheat " • "Child in Time " • "Clampdown " • "Clocks " • "Coming in from the Cold " • "Control " • "Conventional Lover " • "Crawling " • "Crazy Town " (RB3 Version) • "Cry, Cry, Cry " • "Dance, Dance " • "The Day I Tried to Live " • "Death or Glory " • "Diary of a Madman " • "Do You Feel Like We Do " (Live) • "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me " • "Dolly Dagger " • "Don't Stop Me Now " • "Don't Take Your Guns to Town " • "Don't You Want Me " • "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) " • "Dream Police " • "Dreams " • "Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove) " • "Every Breath You Take " • "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall " • "Fame " • "Fell on Black Days " • "Fire " • "Fire and Ice " • "Five Feet High and Rising " • "Five Minutes Alone " • "Fix You " • "Fly By Night " • "Flying High Again " • "Folsom Prison Blues " • "For What It's Worth " • "Forever " • "Four Horsemen " • "Freedom " • "Freeze-Frame " • "From Out of Nowhere " • "Get Clean " • "Ghost of Perdition " • "Giddy On Up " (RB3 Version) • "Gold Cobra " • "Gold Dust Woman " • "Grenade " • "The Guns of Brixton " • "Gypsy Eyes " • "Hard Rock Hallelujah " • "Hash Pipe " • "Hateful " • "Head Like a Hole " • "Heart of the Sunrise " • "Heart-Shaped Box " • "Help Is on the Way " • "Here Without You " • "Higher Ground " • "Hot Blooded " • "How You Remind Me " • "Hypnotize " • "I Alone " • "I Believe in a Thing Called Love " • "I Don't Know " • "I Go to Extremes " • "I Got Stripes " • "I Walk the Line " • "I Want You to Want Me " (Live) • "I Will Possess Your Heart " • "I Wish " • "I Write Sins Not Tragedies " • "If Today Was Your Last Day " • "I'm Broken " • "I'm in Love With My Car " • "I'm Not Down " • "In the End " • "In Waves " • "Intentional Heartache " (RB3 Version) • "Invincible " • "Island in the Sun " • "I've Seen All Good People " • "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter " • "Jimmy Jazz " • "Just the Way You Are " • "Kaya " • "King of Rock " • "Kiss a Girl " (RB3 Version) • "Koka Kola " • "Landslide " • "Left Behind " • "Lightning Crashes " • "A Little Respect " • "Lively Up Yourself " • "Living Dead Girl " • "Living for the City " • "The Loco-Motion " • "London Calling " • "Long Away " • "Long Hot Summer Night " • "Long Road to Ruin " • "Look Around " • "Lost in the Supermarket " • "Love is a Battlefield " • "Love Rollercoaster " • "Love Will Tear Us Apart " • "LoveGame " • "Lover's Rock " • "Made of Scars " • "Make Some Noise " • "Mama Tried " (RB3 Version) • "Mama, I'm Coming Home " • "Man of Me " (RB3 Version) • "Man on the Moon " • "Marry You " • "Me and Bobby McGee " • "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway) " • "Misery " • "Modern Love " • "Monarchy of Roses " • "Mouth for War " • "Mr. Crowley " • "Must Have Done Something Right " • "My Life " • "My Way " • "Need You Now " • "Never Let Me Down Again " • "Night Lies " • "The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia " (RB3 Version) • "No More Trouble " • "No Sleep till Brooklyn " • "Nookie " • "Nothin' but a Good Time " • "Numb " • "Obsession " • "On the Backs of Angels " • "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel) " • "The Only Time " • "Operation Ground and Pound " • "Otherside " • "Outshined " • "Over the Mountain " • "Owner of a Lonely Heart " • "Panic " • "Paparazzi " • "Paradise by the Dashboard Light " • "Parallel Universe " • "Pardon Me " • "Party for Two " (With Billy Currington) (RB3 Version) • "The Party Song " • "Perfect Day " (RB3 Version) • "Perfect Situation " • "Personal Jesus " • "Photograph " • "Policy of Truth " • "Pour Some Sugar on Me " (Live) • "Prelude/Angry Young Man " • "Pressure " • "Promises in the Dark " • "Pulse of the Maggots " • "Radio Ga Ga " • "Rain is a Good Thing " (RB3 Version) • "Rape Me " • "Re-Arranged " • "Rebel Love Song " • "Relax (Come Fighting) " • "Revolution Rock " • "Rhiannon " • "Ride " (RB3 Version) • "The Right Profile " • "Ring of Fire " (RB3 Version) • "Rob the Prez-O-Dent " • "Rock and Roll All Nite " (Live) • "Rock of Ages " • "Rock the Casbah " • "Rope " • "Rudie Can't Fail " • "Rusty Cage " • "Sanctified " • "Say You'll Haunt Me " • "Scar Tissue " • "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant " • "The Scientist " • "Settlin' " (RB3 Version) • "Seven Seas of Rhye " • "Shadows of the Night " • "She Hates Me " • "She's Always a Woman " • "Shooting the Moon " • "Shoulder to the Plow " • "The Show Must Go On " • "Sideways " (RB3 Version) • "Single White Female " (RB3 Version) • "Sir Duke " • "Small Axe " • "Snuff " • "So Lonely " • "Somebody to Love " • "Someday " • "Somewhere I Belong " • "Sooner or Later " • "South Side of the Sky " • "Spanish Bombs " • "Spill the Wine " • "Spinning Wheel " • "The Spirit of Radio (Live) " • "Stacked Actors " • "Stand Back " • "Starship Trooper " • "Stash " • "Stay Together for the Kids " • "Steal Away (The Night) " • "Stereo Hearts " • "Stone Cold Crazy " • "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around " • "Strutter " (Live) • "Sugar, We're Goin Down " • "Summer Nights " (RB3 Version) • "Super Bad, Pts. 1 & 2 " • "Super-Charger Heaven " • "Superstition " • "Supreme Girl " • "Surrender " (Live) • "Take On Me " • "Talk Dirty to Me " • "Tell Me Something Good " • "Tennessee Flat Top Box " • "Terrible Lie " • "That's How Country Boys Roll " (RB3 Version) • "The Good Left Undone " • "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) " • "This Love " • "This Means War " • "Thnks fr th Mmrs " • "Through Glass " • "Through the Fire and Flames " • "Thunder Kiss '65 " • "Total Eclipse of the Heart " • "Tubthumping " • "Turning Japanese " • "Twang " (RB3 Version) • "Tweezer " • "Unbelievable " • "Undefeated " • "Unholy Confessions " • "Unskinny Bop " • "Until the End " • "Up All Night " • "Urgent " • "Wait and Bleed " • "Waiting for the End " • "Walk " • "Walk " • "A Warrior's Call " • "We Belong " • "We Built This City " • "Welcome to the Family " • "Welcome to the Neighborhood " • "We're an American Band " • "What I've Done " • "When I'm Gone " • "When You're Young " • "Wish You Were Here " • "Visions " • "Viva la Vida " • "Won't Go Home Without You " • "Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Live) " • "Working for the Weekend " • "Wrong 'Em Boyo " • "Yellow " • "You Know You're Right " • "You Make Me Feel... " • "Young Americans " • "You're My Best Friend " • "Youth of the Nation " • "Ziggy Stardust "
