"Saturday Night Special" is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the opening track on their album Nuthin' Fancy. The song addresses fatal tragedies involving guns.

Content

Its lyrics refer to the cheap handguns popularly associated with the term Saturday night special, and associates them with impulsive violence. Each of the three verses presents a different example: a man shooting another man in bed with his cheating wife; a poker player killing his friend after accusing him of cheating; and accidentally shooting oneself while intoxicated. Notably, it argues that they "[a]in't good for nothin' / But put a man six feet in a hole." Ronnie Van Zant said in a radio interview that "we should sink them all to the bottom of the sea" (in reference to people). He said that he was a gun owner and that he had an antique gun over his fireplace. When asked if he had ever been shot he did state that he shot himself accidentally, but did not elaborate any further.

Reception

Billboard called the song "ominous sounding", and said that the lyrics contain "interesting social commentary". Cash Box said it had a "stinging, vital" and "brash and bawdy sound manifested in the sneering vocals of Ronnie Van Zant and the razor sharp interplay between three guitars."

Chart performance

Cover versions

In popular culture