Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote Sweet Home Alabama in response to Neil Young's song Southern Man, which condemned the racism and history of slavery in the American south. Lynyrd Synyrd wanted to show rock fans that the south had good things about it as well
The label initially rejected Free Fallin'. Tom Petty waited 6 months then brought it to them again, and they loved it
Ronnie Van Zant wrote the lyrics to Freebird in under 5 minutes
Robert Plant could never remember all the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven. During concerts, the band's manager would hold up cue cards with the lyrics on them