ROCK MOMENT – Lynyrd Skynyrd ‘That Smell’
Released in 1977 on the Street Survivors album, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “That Smell” remains one of the band’s darkest and most sobering tracks. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, the song was born out of frustration and fear as the band spiraled deeper into heavy drinking, drugs, and reckless behavior. At the center of its inspiration was guitarist Gary Rossington, whose destructive habits had reached a breaking point.
In 1976, Rossington crashed his new Ford Torino into a tree after a night of partying, an accident serious enough to delay the recording sessions for Street Survivors. Ronnie, who believed deeply in tough love, was furious. Instead of lecturing Gary privately, he immortalized the incident in song form. Lines like “Whiskey bottles, brand new car / Oak tree, you’re in my way” were directed squarely at him. The refrain, “the smell of death surrounds you,” was Ronnie’s way of warning Gary—and the rest of the band—that their lifestyle was steering them toward disaster.
The song deeply affected Rossington. While he later said he understood Ronnie’s intentions, he also admitted that hearing such personal mistakes broadcast to the world felt painful and humbling. Over time, he came to view the song as a wake-up call. Rossington said that ‘That Smell’ stayed with him throughout his life, serving as a constant reminder of how close he came to losing everything. In later years, he often spoke about how the track encouraged him to gain more control over his habits and appreciate the second chance he was given after the crash and the 1977 plane tragedy.
Musically, ‘That Smell’ carries a brooding, ominous tone, reinforced by the band’s triple-guitar interplay and Ronnie’s pointed vocals. Producer Tom Dowd helped shape its haunting atmosphere, making it one of Skynyrd’s most powerful cautionary tales.
Tragically, just three days after the album’s release, the plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines cast an even darker shadow over the song. What had started as a warning about excess became, for many fans, a chilling premonition of the tragedy to come.
Today, ‘That Smell’ stands as a raw and honest testament to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s turbulent era—and a lifelong reminder to Gary Rossington of the fragile line between survival and catastrophe.
