There are songs that are hard to listen to without being reminded of all the cultural baggage attached to them. As a small example, I wonder if for a whole generation the sound of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is forever tainted by the memories of Kurt Cobain's suicide and the music industry's rush to capitalize on grunge. For these people, the song feels like a cliche of an era, the track's power and excitement reduced to shtick.
For me (and, I imagine, for a lot of other people), "Free Bird" is that way, too. It now sounds like classic rock radio and some idiot at every concert you've ever attended ironically requesting it at the top of his lungs. If those are the feelings you have attached to this Lynyrd Skynyrd track, do me a favor and give it a listen right now. It's really a lovely, propulsive thing.
