| I Wanna Be Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 3, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | May 14, 1969–March 30, 1971 | |||
| Studio | Bradley's Barn (Mount Juliet) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 28:50 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Owen Bradley | |||
| Loretta Lynn chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from I Wanna Be Free | ||||
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I Wanna Be Free is the seventeenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on May 3, 1971, by Decca Records. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [3] |
In the issue dated May 22, 1971, Billboard published a review which said, "Miss Lynn's latest album spotlights her current country hit, "I Wanna Be Free", and features excellent versions of "Help Me Make It Through the Night", "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Rose Garden". Among the originals, "Drive You Out of My Mind" and "I'm One Man's Woman" stand out. [4]
Cashbox published a review in the May 15, 1971 issue which said, "The most difficult thing for a popular recording artist to do is to maintain his or her popularity via records and live appearances. Loretta Lynn has found that to be no task at all. In fact, as the years pass, she becomes more popular. "I Wanna Be Free" is the title of Loretta's latest chart single, and this album of the same name is likely to soar to the top of the country charts as fast as the single. "Me and Bobby McGee", "When You're Poor", "See That Mountain", and "Put Your Hand in the Hand" are included." [5]
The album peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP's chart and No. 110 on the US Billboard Top LP's chart.
The album's only single, "I Wanna Be Free", was released in February 1971 [6] and peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Singles chart.
Recording sessions for the album began on November 25, 1970, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Two additional sessions followed on March 29 and March 30, 1971. Four songs on the album were recorded during earlier sessions for other albums. "I'm One Man's Woman" was recorded on May 14, 1969, during sessions for 1969's Woman of the World/To Make a Man . "Drive You Out of My Mind" was recorded during the October 2, 1969 session for 1970's Wings Upon Your Horns . "If I Never Love Again (It Will Be Too Soon)" and "When You Leave My World" were recorded during sessions for 1971's Coal Miner's Daughter , on April 9 and July 14, 1970, respectively. [7]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna Be Free" | Loretta Lynn | November 25, 1970 | 2:16 |
| 2. | "Help Me Make It Through the Night" | Kris Kristofferson | March 29, 1971 | 2:28 |
| 3. | "See That Mountain" | Connie Moore | March 29, 1971 | 2:35 |
| 4. | "When You Leave My World" | Sharon Higgins | July 14, 1970 | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Put Your Hand in the Hand" | Gene MacLellan | March 29, 1971 | 2:27 |
| 6. | "If I Never Love Again (It Will Be Too Soon)" |
| April 9, 1970 | 2:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Me and Bobby McGee" |
| March 29, 1971 | 2:38 |
| 2. | "When You're Poor" | Tracy Lee | March 30, 1971 | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Rose Garden" | Joe South | March 30, 1971 | 2:26 |
| 4. | "Drive You Out of My Mind" |
| October 2, 1969 | 2:41 |
| 5. | "I'm One Man's Woman" |
| May 14, 1969 | 2:41 |
Adapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records. [7]
Album
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country LP's ( Billboard ) [8] | 5 |
| US Top LP's ( Billboard ) [9] | 110 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [10] | US [11] | CAN Country [12] | ||
| "I Wanna Be Free" | 1971 | 3 | 94 | 1 |
I Like 'Em Country is the sixth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on March 28, 1966, by Decca Records.
You Ain't Woman Enough is the seventh solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on September 12, 1966, by Decca Records. It was Lynn's first No. 1 album on the US Billboard Hot Country Albums chart, as well as her first album to chart on the Billboard Top LPs chart.
Don't Come Home a Drinkin' is the ninth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 6, 1967, by Decca Records.
Singin' with Feelin' is the tenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on October 9, 1967, by Decca Records.
Singin' Again is the second collaborative studio album by American country music singers Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn. It was released on May 29, 1967, by Decca Records.
Fist City is the twelfth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on April 15, 1968, by Decca Records.
Your Squaw Is on the Warpath is thirteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 17, 1969, by Decca Records.
Woman of the World/To Make a Man is the fourteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on July 7, 1969, by Decca Records.
If We Put Our Heads Together is the third and final collaborative studio album by American country music artists Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn. It was released on June 9, 1969, by Decca Records.
Wings Upon Your Horns is the fifteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on January 5, 1970, by Decca Records.
Loretta Lynn Writes 'Em and Sings 'Em is a compilation album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on June 8, 1970, by Decca Records. The album is composed of five previously released recordings and six new recordings.
Coal Miner's Daughter is the sixteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on January 4, 1971, by Decca Records.
We Only Make Believe is the first collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 1, 1971, by Decca Records.
You're Lookin' at Country is the eighteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on September 20, 1971, by Decca Records.
One's on the Way is the nineteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on March 6, 1972, by Decca Records.
Lead Me On is the second collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. It was released on January 17, 1972, by Decca Records.
Here I Am Again is the twenty-first solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on October 2, 1972, by Decca Records. The album features liner notes written by Lynn's mother, Clara Butcher, who had remarried following the death of Lynn's father, Ted Webb, in 1959. This would be Lynn's last studio album to be released under Decca Records, which would merge with MCA in 1973.
Entertainer of the Year is the twenty-second solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on February 26, 1973, by MCA Records. This was Lynn's first album with MCA following Decca's consolidation into the MCA label.
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man is the third collaborative studio album by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. It was released on July 9, 1973, by MCA Records.
Loretta Lynn's Greatest Hits, Vol. II is a compilation album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on May 13, 1974, by MCA Records. The album is made up of Lynn's biggest hits between 1968 and 1973.
