The other day I was driving to work, feeling pretty sad. Life has been harder lately.

I had my Ipod on shuffle, and an untitled upload began to play. It was a song I was completely unaware of, "Free" from the 1999 album. The lyrics made me cry....

"Don't sleep 'til the sunrise, listen 2 the falling rain
Don't worry 'bout tomorrow, don't worry 'bout your pain
Don't cry unless you're happy, don't smile unless you're blue
Never let that lonely monster take control of U

Be glad that U r free
Free 2 change your mind
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime
Be glad that U r free
There's many a man who's not
Be glad 4 what U had baby, what you've got
Be glad 4 what you've got

I know (my?) heart is beating, my drummer tells me so
If U take your life 4 granted, your beating heart will go
So don't sleep until you're guilty, 'cuz sinners all r we
There's others doing far worse than us, so be glad that U r free"

I just really needed that encouragment. Prince really has become my guardian angel.

If you don't know of this song, do yourself a favor and listen. So grateful I can discover songs that I totally missed. <3

An old favorite of mine. So glad you've discovered it for the first time and it speaks to you.

YES!!! "Free" has to be one of my absolute favorite Prince songs!!

Love this!

jdcxc said:

Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs.

.

I think that you got your adjectives mixed up.

.

"Free" is the least awesome song on the album.

It's a keeper!

jdcxc said:

Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs.

Opininos eh?

This song has been on my mind a lot lately, it's like a glorious anthem for all of humankind.

Be glad that U r free
Free 2 change your mind
Free 2 go most anywhere, anytime
Be glad that U r free
There's many a man who's not
Be glad 4 what U had baby, what you've got
Be glad 4 what you've got

Absolutely it

perfume said:

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

Yeah, no doubt! I feel totally ripped off now.

As for "Free"... I always felt it seemed a little out of place on the album. Though he puts it across with great conviction, it's hard to get past the corniness. I like the verses, but that chorus is one big, hoaried cliche. Lee Greenwood should cover it.

It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that there are Prince fans that are more into the last 19 years of his career than they are the first 19. For me Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 are the peak of Prince Mountain. So reading that someone was completely unaware of Free is a trip in my world. Same with reading "Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs". If that's one of your least favorites, tell me what your favorites are, please. Just so I can know if you have a different flavor, or if you shiould be sized up for a straight-jacket.

Great song!

TheLotus said:

It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that there are Prince fans that are more into the last 19 years of his career than they are the first 19. For me Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 are the peak of Prince Mountain. So reading that someone was completely unaware of Free is a trip in my world. Same with reading "Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs". If that's one of your least favorites, tell me what your favorites are, please. Just so I can know if you have a different flavor, or if you shiould be sized up for a straight-jacket.

always been a strange one...bit like Kiss on Parade..i.e. great song but just doesn't feels like it belongs. I think Prince too mentioned Kiss annoying him for the same reason.

TheLotus said:

It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that there are Prince fans that are more into the last 19 years of his career than they are the first 19. For me Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 are the peak of Prince Mountain. So reading that someone was completely unaware of Free is a trip in my world. Same with reading "Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs". If that's one of your least favorites, tell me what your favorites are, please. Just so I can know if you have a different flavor, or if you shiould be sized up for a straight-jacket.

Prince was on the music scene for close to 40 years, so maybe the fans who are into P's later music were either not born during the first 19 years or were too young.

btw, Free is one of my many favorite Prince songs.

[Edited 7/13/16 7:43am]

Must be so nice for those hearing these Prince songs for the first time.

perfume said:

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

Me too! haha BTW, your signature is my favorite line of any Prince song. Or at least the one that has always stood out to me and spoke to me the first time I've heard it. I almost used it on my signature. It's something that I've always done when praying (which is not too often) but I always thought asking for stuff was selfish and just giving thanks for every breath and another day was all that mattered. And not to offend those that pray for other stuff, but sometimes people use the "I'm gonna pray on it" thing too loosly (in my humble opinion). Once I was shopping for a used car and the dealer told me another couple was going home to "pray about it" and come back and make a decision to buy or not. I was just like....huh? That seems a little wasetful of God's time to me....to debate with him if the car at the lot was "the one". ha but to each his own.

Also to keep on point to this post...I love the song FREE as well, espically the line "There's many a man who's not". It always makes me think of someone that might have followed the wrong path in life, now behind bars, etc and regretting it. I know that's probably not his point, but always felt that way about that line.

One of the more important songs of his entire body of work-- to me anyway. That song has gotten me through many a dark days and nights. Prince saved me and quite a few other folks that just didn't know it, many times when I've needed to listen to "Free". I will forever be grateful to him for that.

[Edited 7/14/16 17:52pm]

never got the chance to do it live again with guitar solos..

perfume said:

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

Iluvmusic78 said:

perfume said:

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

Awe, my bad!!! Lol

TheLotus said:

QueenofCardboard said:

perfume said:

When I saw,'free', I thought it was a giveaway of some sort...

tmo1965 said:

TheLotus said:

It's still hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea that there are Prince fans that are more into the last 19 years of his career than they are the first 19. For me Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 are the peak of Prince Mountain. So reading that someone was completely unaware of Free is a trip in my world. Same with reading "Worst song on the album...one of my least favorite P songs". If that's one of your least favorites, tell me what your favorites are, please. Just so I can know if you have a different flavor, or if you shiould be sized up for a straight-jacket.

Prince was on the music scene for close to 40 years, so maybe the fans who are into P's later music were either not born during the first 19 years or were too young.

btw, Free is one of my many favorite Prince songs.

[Edited 7/13/16 7:43am]

Wouldn't think that that is such a hard concept to swallow... Probably as foreign to you as the idea that fans from the 'getgo' strayed and reject more recent music like RNR Love Affair, Another Love, FunkNRoll and such. I'm always like, "Say wha' now?!"