That Smell
Speaking of “That Smell,” let’s take a look into the genesis of the song. Both Collins and Rossington had serious car accidents over 1976’s Labor Day weekend, which slowed the recording of their album. It forced the band to cancel some of their concert dates. Rossington’s accident ended up inspiring the gloomy Van Zant/Collins song “That Smell.”
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com
The song was basically a cautionary tale about drug abuse that was clearly aimed towards Rossington and at least one other band member. Rossington boasted that he was the “Prince Charming” in the song who crashed his car into an oak tree while high on Quaaludes. By 1976, with the birth of Van Zant’s daughter Melody, he made a serious attempt to clean up his act. But sadly, as we know, it didn’t last.