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Rediscovered "Free" (on 1999) recently I had never been a big fan of this one but recently revisted it and just cannot stop listening to it! I am particularly in love with the part where his vocals for the chorus change from falsetto to his normal timbre. He sounds so incredibly passionate during that part, like he's just overcome with emotion.
I think the message is wonderful as well, especially in light of what is going on in the states with the election
It's so interesting how songs change for us (or I guess, we change and the song feels different). What do y'all think of it? Admission is easy, just say you believe and come to this place in your heart... <3 | |
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I've always liked this song. 1999 was the first album I ever bought, and this song resonated with me. Because I was so young at the time, it's really hard to know if it simply struck a chord with who I already was, or if it helped to shape me. I love the first verse, and I still think it's pretty deep; it feels like a sort of optimistic pragmatism to me. No, things aren't perfect, but count your blessings and do your best to improve it from there. There's not a lot of Prince's music that I'm comfortable playing for my kids, but they know this one. My 9-year-old daughter doesn't really care for Prince all that much, but she regularly requests this song. We talk a lot about music from a historical perspective here, and this song made for really interesting conversation. We talked about the idea of freedom thinking about the international stuff going on with the Cold War at the time (especially interesting since my family is from Eastern Europe) and also about the domestic stuff, particularly U.S. racial relations, that Prince would've seen up until that point. It made for really good discussion. The fact that the song has a call to action at the end ("Will we all fight for the right to be free?") makes it obvious that there still a lot of work to be done, and IMO challenges the listener to ask what kind of person he or she is. I can totally understand why Free might not be on everybody's "favorites" list, but I've also found myself going back to it a lot lately. I think the message is pretty timeless. | |
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I always liked this song but now it is one of my favorite. I think people lose track of the message of the song while living their lives in this jungle, and it is so refreshing to hear Prince remind us of this truth. |
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Accidental duplicate. [Edited 11/18/16 21:44pm] |
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Thank you for your beautiful comments, pah and gandorb. The message in this song is a very wise one coming from a very young man in ~24 year old P. I think he is drawing on what he has seen (war, pre/post civil rights movement). It's important that we all remember what we have. For me, this message is very liberating; it helps free me from my minute problems and realize how lucky I am to live my life as I wish. [Edited 11/18/16 18:28pm] Admission is easy, just say you believe and come to this place in your heart... <3 | |
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My father also immigrated to the US from Cold War era Romania and I know from his stories that I am very, very lucky to be here, despite the fact that we still have many problems and a long way to go. Admission is easy, just say you believe and come to this place in your heart... <3 | |
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Hi I am new here so I must take a moment and thank the creators/mods and all you orgers for so generously sharing your Prince knowledge, experiences and opinions. These last months, you have been a great comfort to me. I have cried along with you, and on the happy threads your words and photos have brought me smiles and much needed laughter. I do appreciate you. Free has always been one of my favorite songs, but when pushed to chose a favorite from this album, I would often choose Delirious - as I particularly love anything Prince did that had a rockabilly flair/flavor to it - or DMSR or Automatic. Honestly I love this entire album. Lately, Free has become my favorite. I guess I have been in a more thoughtful mood. I really enjoyed all you orgers' thoughtful comments. "Don't make us put somebody in for you" Fixurlifeup, Prince&3rdEyeGirl, 2013 | |
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Welcome, playinthesunshine! I'm pretty new to posting here too and I also used this place to cope regularly since April.
I think the 1999 album as a whole is absolutely incredible. There isn't a song on there that I don't enjoy. Free used to be middle of the pack for me but is now one of my very favorites.
Admission is easy, just say you believe and come to this place in your heart... <3 | |
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Thank you for welcoming me LRCDance. It is an awesome album. I agree, I love each song and think they are classic. "Don't make us put somebody in for you" Fixurlifeup, Prince&3rdEyeGirl, 2013 | |
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Thank you so much for this. Somehow 1999 is so packed with joy and wildness that I just parsed this song out. All those years, a gem I just kind of blanked. It's one of the reasons I love the org so much - it's like Prince himself - a slight twist on the familiar makes it new all over again and fills you with wonder.
Have a purple day x I'm looking out for a purple dolphin. | |
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