Gimme Three Steps – Lynyrd Skynyrd | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#27);1973
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
“I was cutting the rug/Down at a place called The Jug/With a girl named Linda Lu.” Thus, begins Lynyrd Skynyrd’s immortal tale of a standoff between a gun-tottin’ jealous boyfriend and Linda’s yellow haired dancing partner.
Just “gimme three steps” the singer/dancer begs before making his break for the door. Many of the songs on (pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd) were based on true-life experiences as was this one.
Gimme’s co-writer Ronnie Van Zant simply worked off a scene he and his friends had witnessed at a tavern one day. This slice of life approach coupled with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s instrumental brilliance and undeniable Southern-ness made for a stunning debut in 1973.
Superstar producer Al Kooper, who had worked with everyone from Dylan to Hendrix, collaborated in the studio with Ronnie – who knew exactly what he wanted for his band – to create instant classics, such as Free Bird and Gimme Three Steps.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Al Kooper
Lyrics Written by:
- Ronnie Van Zant
- Allen Collins
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).