| "Freedom! '90" | ||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||
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"Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom") is a song written and performed by George Michael, and released on Epic records in 1990.
Contents |
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 6:30 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 #28 on the UK singles chart, but was a major success on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching #8 and selling over 500,000 copies.
Chart Positions
| Chart (1990) | Peak positions |
|---|---|
| Japanese Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Play | 16 |
| Australia ARIA Singles chart | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart | 28 |
| German Media Control Singles chart | 41 |
Formats and track listings
CD Single (USA)
(Released December 15, 1990)
- "Freedom 90" - 6:29
- "Fantasy" - 4:12
Cover versions
- Notable cover versions include Robbie Williams' first solo single in 1996. Williams had left Take That that 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.
- 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.
- American R&B singer Alicia Keys performed the song at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
- It used as a soundtrack to the computer animated film Bee Movie.
Robbie Williams version
| "Freedom" | |||||
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| 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 | |||||
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"Freedom" is a 1996 single released by Robbie Williams, his debut single since leaving Take That. It reached #2 in the UK, twenty-six places higher than George Michael's original and has not been included on 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 copies by the end of 1996, being certified Silver by the BPI.[1]
Chart performance
| Chart (1996) | Peak positions[2] |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| Australia ARIA singles chart | 6 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
| German Singles Chart | 10 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 12 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 19 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 24 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 39 |
References
External links
Albums
Studio: Faith • Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1 • Older • Songs from the Last Century • Patience Compilation: Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael • Twenty Five EPs: Five Live EP
Singles
Solo: "Careless Whisper" • "A Different Corner" • "I Want Your Sex" • "Hard Day" • "Faith" • "Father Figure" • "One More Try" • "Monkey" • "Kissing a Fool" • "Praying for Time" • "Waiting for That Day" • "Mother's Pride" • "Freedom! '90" • "Heal the Pain" • "Cowboys and Angels" • "Too Funky" • "Jesus to a Child" • "Killer" / "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" • "Fastlove" • "Spinning the Wheel" • "Older / I Can't Make You Love Me" • "Star People '97" • "You Have Been Loved / The Strangest Thing '97" • "Outside" • "Freeek!" • "Shoot the Dog" • "Amazing" • "Flawless (Go to the City)" • "Round Here" • "John and Elvis Are Dead" • "An Easier Affair" Duets: "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)" • "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" • "As" • "If I Told You That" • "This Is Not Real Love"
Tours
The Faith World Tour • 25 Live
Related articles
Discography • George Michael awards and nominations • Wham! • Eli Stone • Anselmo Feleppa
