Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man

Hearing another person’s music describe the exact emotions of so many people in this world is remarkable. Thinking that there is no way someone could have actually put these thoughts and emotions into words, and knowing that another person feels the same way is a sentiment of unimaginable relief. Different people connect deeply with various thoughts, words, and harmonies, and hearing a song that achieves all of those qualities is a rare occurrence. The purpose of creating music is not to make money or become famous. The purpose of music is to express oneself and let the world experience any angst or struggles together and to help people in need of hearing another person’s voice saying that no one is alone. Therefore, when a deep connection

If an artist wants to cover the song because it speaks to them in every way, shape or form, and they truly believe it is perfect the way it is, then they should have the moral capacity to realize that the credit and payment belongs to the original songwriter. This is shown in the example of the band Shinedown covering Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song “Simple Man.” This cover was essentially played in the same manner as the original, yet with different vocals. In an MTV interview, lead singer of Shinedown, Brent Smith, expresses how much meaning this song possesses and states, “From the first moment I heard it, I thought it would be good to do as a rendition. I felt like we do the song justice, and it represents us as a band and what we’re about” (“Shinedown...”). This is a case where ethical, legal or financial complications are not a matter of concern because Shinedown covered this song with the utmost respect towards Skynyrd. In fact, Skynyrd helped Shinedown with a couple demos in the past (“Shinedown...”). This is truly the type of cover that artists should be playing. It owns a solid moral background and is played depicting the true purpose of music - expression. The band had Skynyrd’s permission to perform the song, setting it apart from most covers from the