Flying Right

The Freebirds put it all together to fly right

BLACK CREEK, AL - "Straighten up and fly right" means to start behaving properly, maturely, and responsibly. It advises someone to stop acting absurdly, or misbehaving, and to get their "act together" by improving their behavior and conduct. The phrase gained popularity from the 1943 Nat King Cole song of the same name, which was inspired from an old folk tale where a monkey teaches a deceitful buzzard a valuable lesson. "You Got That Right" is a vastly underrated Lynyrd Skynyrd song written by Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. Van Zant and Gaines trade off on the lead vocals which makes the song somewhat unique in the Skynyrd collection. It was recorded on the Southern rock band's last studio album, Street Survivors, before the tragic plane crash on October 20, 1977 near Gillsburg, Mississippi that killed both Van Zant and Gaines. Street Survivors was actually recorded in two different studios earlier in 1977: The initial version was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida with Tom Dowd as the produucer, and the version that was actually released was recorded later at Studio I in Doraville, Georgia, with uncredited co-producers Kevin Elson and Rodney Mills. The Miami version was ultimately rejected by the band for the album's release because the band members believed it sounded too much like a demo compared to the fresher re-recorded material. The Doraville version was used for the initial release of the album and was considered by the band to be a livelier and more polished version of the two recordings. "You Got That Right" was released as a single in 1978 and peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of April 29, 1978. According to Billboard Magazine, "You Got That Right" contains "plenty of sparkling guitar and keyboard riffs." Cash Box said that it has "tough vocals, strong sliding guitar work, boogie beat, sparkling piano licks and a tight hook." Record World said the song "recalls an era when rock songs could be danced to" and praised how the vocals, guitar work, and arrangement all shined through the track and added that "this tight, crisp rock 'n' roll song should stand as one of Lynyrd Skynyrd's best tracks ever." In Week 1 of the BDFL's 32nd season, the Black Creek Freebirds "got it right" at Black Creek Ball Park to embarass the Fieldstown Bellcows 57-7 in the annual territorial rights of the proverbial "Battle for Coalburg". In this Week 1 BDFL folk tale, a high flying buzzard teaches a dead cow the laws of nature. 

You Got That Right by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Live 1977)

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32nd Season