Freedom! '90
Encyclopedia
"Freedom '90" is a song written and performed by George Michael
, and released on Columbia Records
in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with an international hit by Michael's former band, Wham!
, also titled "Freedom
".
It was the third single taken from Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1 ,"Freedom 90" was one of a few uptempo songs on this album, it was also a major hit and hit #8 in the US. The song is referring to George's past success with Wham! but also shows a new side of himself as a new man, who is more cynical about the music business then he had been before. Michael refused to appear in the video and let a group of supermodels appear instead.
's 1968 song "Think" and James Brown
's "Funky Drummer
".
and shot by Jeff Cronenweth
- and instead recruited a number of supermodels (including Naomi Campbell
, Linda Evangelista
, Christy Turlington
, Tatjana Patitz
, Cindy Crawford
, and male models John Pearson
, Mario Sorrenti
, and Peter Formby) to mouth the words. It also featured the destruction of the three items from "Faith
" that had come to symbolize Michael's career at that point: his leather jacket (burned), jukebox (exploded) and guitar (exploded).
", a #1 hit in the UK for Wham!
in 1984 (#3 in the US in 1985). It was the second US single 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 to earn a Gold certification from the RIAA
. It remained in the Billboard Top 40 for 12 weeks in late 1990 and early 1991.
(Released December 15, 1990)
. It reached #2 in the UK, twenty-six places higher than George Michael's original, and had not been included on any of his albums until 2010, when it was included on Williams' greatest hits album In and Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990–2010. The single had sold 280,000 copies by the end of 1996, being certified Silver by the BPI
. 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. The music video shows Williams dancing in the sea and in a field, celebrating his separation from his former group. Williams later admitted that the song had not even been recorded by the scheduled date of filming and instead mimed to George Michael's version of the song.
UK CD2
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, and released on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with an international hit by Michael's former band, Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
, also titled "Freedom
Freedom (Wham! song)
"Freedom" is a song by British pop duo Wham! in 1984, becoming the group's second UK #1 hit. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo.-History:...
".
It was the third single taken from Listen without Prejudice, Vol. 1 ,"Freedom 90" was one of a few uptempo songs on this album, it was also a major hit and hit #8 in the US. The song is referring to George's past success with Wham! but also shows a new side of himself as a new man, who is more cynical about the music business then he had been before. Michael refused to appear in the video and let a group of supermodels appear instead.
Composition
"Freedom! '90" sampled Aretha FranklinAretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's 1968 song "Think" and James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
's "Funky Drummer
Funky drummer
"Funky Drummer" is a funk song recorded by James Brown and his band. The recording's drum break, performed by drummer Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampled rhythmic breaks in hip hop and popular music; indeed, it lays a strong claim to being the most sampled recording ever,...
".
Music video
Michael does not appear in the music video - which was directed by David FincherDavid Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
and shot by Jeff Cronenweth
Jeff Cronenweth
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Cronenweth, ASC is an American cinematographer based in Los Angeles, California who is best known for his role as the Director of Photography on the David Fincher films Fight Club and The Social Network, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award...
- and instead recruited a number of supermodels (including Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, Linda Evangelista
Linda Evangelista
Linda Evangelista is a Canadian model. She has been featured on over 600 magazine covers and has garnered work on numerous modeling assignments with companies, most recently with L'Oréal.- Early years :...
, Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington
Christy Turlington Burns is an American model best known for representing Calvin Klein from 1987 to 2007. She has worked on dozens of modeling contracts with companies including Maybelline Cosmetics and Versace. Turlington starred in her fashion documentary Catwalk and Isaac Mizrahi's Unzipped...
, Tatjana Patitz
Tatjana Patitz
Tatjana Patitz is a German model and actress who rose to international prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, representing top fashion designers, campaigns, and collections, and who continues to model today.-Modelling career:...
, Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
, and male models John Pearson
John Pearson
John Pearson may refer to:* John A. Pearson , Canadian architect* John Pearson , English master-craftsman* John Pearson , British author...
, Mario Sorrenti
Mario Sorrenti
Mario Sorrenti is a photographer and director best known for his spreads of nude models in the pages of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar....
, and Peter Formby) to mouth the words. It also featured the destruction of the three items from "Faith
Faith (George Michael song)
"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
" that had come to symbolize Michael's career at that point: his leather jacket (burned), jukebox (exploded) and guitar (exploded).
Chart performance
"Freedom '90" was 6:30 long, but a shorter version was made available for radio consumption cutting down the intro and the bridge. The addition of the year to the title was to distinguish the song from "FreedomFreedom (Wham! song)
"Freedom" is a song by British pop duo Wham! in 1984, becoming the group's second UK #1 hit. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo.-History:...
", a #1 hit in the UK for Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
in 1984 (#3 in the US in 1985). It was the second US single 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
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, but was a major success on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, reaching #8 and selling over 500,000 copies to earn a Gold certification from the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. It remained in the Billboard Top 40 for 12 weeks in late 1990 and early 1991.
Charts
| Chart (1990/91) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
18 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
25 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
8 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
23 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
41 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
17 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
13 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
20 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
28 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
8 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 27 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 16 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Chart procession and succession
| Chart (1991) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 95 |
Formats and track listings
CD single (USA)(Released December 15, 1990)
- "Freedom! '90" – 6:29
- "Fantasy" – 4:12
Cover versions
- Lance BassLance BassJames Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
and Peter DantePeter DantePeter Francis Dante is an American actor. He has been in most Happy Madison films with his friend, Adam Sandler. His roles are usually alongside Jonathan Loughran and/or Allen Covert. His role in Little Nicky was named "Peter". Similarly, his role in Grandma's Boy was named after his last name...
's characters in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and LarryI Now Pronounce You Chuck and LarryI Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a 2007 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Barry Fanaro, and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters. The film was released on July 20, 2007, in the U.S., August 16, 2007, in Australia and on September 21, 2007, in the UK and...
perform a cover of "Freedom '90" before the end credits. - Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
covered the song for their 1991 album The Chipmunks Rock the HouseThe Chipmunks Rock the HouseThe Chipmunks Rock the House is a music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released in 1991 by Quality Special Products.- Side one :# "Cradle of Love" # "Freedom! '90" # "Roam" ...
. - It was used in the King of Queens episode "Bed Spread".
- AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B singer Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
performed the song at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards2007 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
. - It was used as a theme song to the computer animated film Bee MovieBee MovieBee Movie is a 2007 computer animated family comedy film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, and Patrick Warburton. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is directed by Simon J...
. - American Idol's (season 7) Top 12 performed a medley of this song along with "FaithFaith (George Michael song)"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
" and "Father Figure" at the Grand Finale. - The song is included in a U.S. television advertisement for the ChaseChase (bank)JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
Freedom credit card.
Robbie Williams version
"Freedom" was covered in 1996 by Robbie Williams who released it as his debut single since leaving Take ThatTake That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. It reached #2 in the UK, twenty-six places higher than George Michael's original, and had not been included on any of his albums until 2010, when it was included on Williams' greatest hits album In and Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990–2010. The single had sold 280,000 copies by the end of 1996, being certified Silver by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. 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. The music video shows Williams dancing in the sea and in a field, celebrating his separation from his former group. Williams later admitted that the song had not even been recorded by the scheduled date of filming and instead mimed to George Michael's version of the song.
Track listings
UK CD1- "Freedom"
- "Freedom" (Arthur Baker Mix)
- "Freedom" (Instrumental)
- "Interview - Part One"
UK CD2
- "Freedom" (Radio Edit)
- "Freedom" (The Next Big Genn Mix)
- "Freedom" (Arthur Baker's Shake And Bake Mix)
- "Interview - Part Two"
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak positions |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 6 |
| Austrian ARIA Singles Chart | 19 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 16 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 16 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 12 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 7 |
| German Singles Chart | 10 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 8 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 39 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 24 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |