Freedom! '90

"Freedom! '90"
Single by George Michael from the album Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1
Released	1990
Format	CD
Genre	Pop Rock
Length	6:29
Label	Epic Records
Writer	George Michael
Producer	George Michael
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
George Michael singles chronology
"Mother's Pride" (1990) "Freedom! '90" (1990) "Heal the Pain" (1991) Twenty Five track listing "Fastlove" (6) "Freedom! '90" (7) "Spinning the Wheel" (8)

"Freedom '90", Also Known As "Freedom" is a song written and performed by George Michael and released on Epic records in 1990.

History

The song was a highly-praised confessional project from Michael, acknowledging his fortune and luck from his early days with Wham! - referring directly to Andrew Ridgeley as his "buddy" - but maintaining that he was a changed man, with a more cynical and grown-up attitude to the business he was in. The song also alludes heavily to the struggles of being a closet homosexual, and acted as a catalyst to his effort to break free from his publishing contract with Sony Music.

Music video

As if to prove the song's sentiment, Michael refused to appear in the music video, which was directed by David Fincher, and instead recruited a number of supermodels (including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Cindy Crawford) to mouth the words (Todo Segalla and Scott Benoit also appear). It also featured the destruction of various symbols of Michael's past, including the famous guitar, jukebox, and leather jacket of the Faith era.

Chart performance

"Freedom! '90" was six-and-a-half minutes long. The addition of the year to the title was to distinguish the song from "Freedom", a number-one hit for Wham! in 1984. It was the third single to be released from the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 and had contrasting fortunes on each side of the Atlantic - it peaked number 28 on the UK singles chart, but it was a success hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eight and had sold over 500,000 being certified Gold by the RIAA.

Pick Position

Cover versions

1. Notable cover versions include Robbie Williams' first solo single in 1996, which reached number two in the UK. Williams had left Take That the previous year and therefore could identify himself with much of the sentiment in the song, although he did not use the line "we had every bigshot goodtime band on the run boy, we were living in a fantasy" in his version, which seemed odd as Take That's dominance of the previous three years seemed to make it a relevant line.
2. Lance Bass and Peter Dante's character in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry perform a cover of "Freedom! '90" before the end credits.
3. R&B singer Alicia Keys performed the song at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

Robbie Williams version

"Freedom"
Single by Robbie Williams
Released	August 10, 1996
Format	CD Single, Cassette
Recorded	1996
Genre	Pop
Length	4:20
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Stephen Hague
Certification	Silver (BPI)
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"Freedom" (1996) "Old Before I Die" (1997)

"Freedom" is a 1996 single released by Robbie Williams, his debut single since leaving Take That.

It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, twenty-six places higher than the George Michael's original and has not been included in any studio albums since. The music video shows Williams dancing in the sea and in a field, celebrating his separation from his former group. The single had sold 280,000 by the end of the year, being certified Silver by the BPI.^[1]

Chart performance

References

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