| "I'm Free" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Who | ||||
| from the album Tommy | ||||
| B-side | "We're Not Gonna Take It" (US) "Tommy Can Your Hear Me?" (Europe) | |||
| Released | 5 July 1969 (US) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:39 | |||
| Label | Decca (US) Polydor (Europe) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pete Townshend | |||
| Producer(s) | Kit Lambert | |||
| The Who USsingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I'm Free" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the Who on the album Tommy . The song has since been released as a single, becoming one of the best known tracks from Tommy.
Pete Townshend has claimed that the song was partly inspired by the song "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones.
'I'm Free' came from 'Street Fighting Man.' This has a weird time/shape and when I finally discovered how it went, I thought 'well blimey, it can't be that simple,' but it was and it was a gas and I wanted to do it myself.
On "I'm Free," drummer Keith Moon only played on the breaks of the song. According to bassist John Entwistle, Moon was unable to perform the intro the way Townshend wanted, resulting in Townshend and Entwistle having to perform part of the drums. Townshend and Entwistle had to signal Moon to play the song during live performances by taking very large steps.
On 'I'm Free', me and Pete had to play the drums and Keith played the breaks because he couldn't get the intro. He was hearing it differently from how we were, and he couldn't shake it off. So we put down the snare, the hi-hat and the tambourine part and he came in and added all the breaks. When we did it live, the only way to bring him in was for Pete and I to go like this [makes an exaggerated step], which must have looked completely nuts.
— John Entwistle [5]
Within the plot of the album, "I'm Free" tells of Tommy's vision to spiritually enlighten others due to his sudden and immense popularity. The "Pinball Wizard" riff (earlier on the album) appears at the end of the song during the "How can we follow?" part. Townshend has since noted "I'm Free" and "Pinball Wizard" as "songs of the quiet explosion of divinity. They just rolled off the pen." [5]
"I'm Free" was later released as a single in most of Europe (backed with "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?") as well as America (where it was backed with "We're Not Gonna Take It"). The single reached number 37 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100. [6] It also reached number 20 in the Netherlands, [7] and number 26 in Canada. [8] Billboard described the single as an "easy beat rocker" with "much sales potency" that represented a "change of pace" from the Who's previous single "Pinball Wizard." [9] Cash Box said that "the Who come on strongly" and that the song has a "striking out-of-context lyric which should spark immediate activity." [10]
The versions of “I’m Free” recorded for the 1975 film and its soundtrack album feature The Who accompanied by Nicky Hopkins on piano and Kenney Jones playing drums.
This song was used in the 1969-1970 concert classic set list. It is often switched with "Sensation" on setlists, including in the movie and in the Broadway musical as Tommy rejoices at regaining his sight, voice and hearing after the shock provided by his mother.
In 1975-1976, the song was reintegrated into The Who's set list. The version played at these shows featured more raucous vocals and a reworked guitar riff.
In 2002, The Who played this for a stretch on their 2002 UK Tour, with a similar arrangement to the versions played on the 1975-1976 tour. However, it was dropped again by the time bassist Entwistle died.
| Chart (1969–1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [11] | 40 |
| Canada (RPM) | 26 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [11] | 20 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 37 |
| West Germany (Media Control) [11] | 18 |
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. Their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large public address systems, the use of synthesizers, Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by many hard rock, punk, power pop and mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Tommy is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 19 May 1969. Written primarily by guitarist Pete Townshend, Tommy is a double album and an early rock opera that tells the story of the fictional Tommy Walker and his path to becoming a spiritual leader and messianic figure.
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"Pinball Wizard" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend and featured on their 1969 rock opera album Tommy. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 19 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Then and Now is a 2004 greatest hits compilation album by The Who released internationally by Polydor Records and by Geffen Records in the United States. It features 18 Who classics and two new tracks—"Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine"—which were the first Who originals since "Dig" from Pete Townshend's 1989 album The Iron Man. "Real Good Looking Boy" is a tribute to Elvis Presley, and "Old Red Wine" is a tribute to former band member John Entwistle, who died in 2002. The album was re-released in 2007 and replaced "Old Red Wine" with "It's Not Enough" from the 2006 album Endless Wire and "Summertime Blues" was replaced by "Baba O'Riley".
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"Join Together" is a song by British rock band the Who, first released as a non-album single in June 1972. The song has since been performed live multiple times and has appeared on numerous compilation albums. It was the last Who single to be released in the United States which used the Decca Records color bar label.
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The 1st Singles Box is a box set compilation of singles recorded by the Who throughout their history. The album was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2004. It was considered the counterpart to the other compilation album by the Who, entitled Then and Now. The album was set with twelve compact discs containing two songs each, a la the A-side and B-side of the original single. Each individual CD was encased by a paper sleeve representing the single's original artwork from a particular country.
The Who Tour 2000 was partially in support of The Who's live album The Blues to the Bush and their first full-fledged tour as a five-piece band since The Who Tour 1982.
The Who by Numbers Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band the Who, in support of their seventh album, The Who by Numbers (1975). It began on 3 October 1975, ended on 21 October 1976 and consisted of 79 concerts split between North America and Europe. Despite being named after The Who by Numbers, few songs from the album were actually performed during the tour.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Bursts of acoustic suspense and hard rock rapture on songs like "Sparks" and "I'm Free" demonstrate the band's approach to sound-driven storytelling...
