"Get Free" is a song by the garage rock

Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...

 band The Vines

The Vines

https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:LandingCheck?landing_page=L11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy_DDOptimised&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=C11_1121_WMUK_DDvOneOff&utm_source=B11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy&language=en&country=GB...

 from their debut album Highly Evolved

Highly Evolved

Highly Evolved is the debut album by Australian alternative rock band The Vines, released in July 2002. Produced by Rob Schnapf, Highly Evolved was an immensely popular debut, part of a trend towards garage rock revival bands known as much for the relentless hype from the UK music press as for...

. The song was released in late 2002

2002 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...

, and remains the Vines' highest charting single (#7 Billboard Modern Rock, #24 UK Singles Chart). The song was written by Vines' frontman Craig Nicholls

Craig Nicholls

Craig Robert Nicholls, is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Australian alternative rock group The Vines. He formed the band in 1994 in Sydney, New South Wales...

. It was covered by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...

 in his polka medley "Angry White Boy Polka" from his 2003 album Poodle Hat

Poodle Hat

Poodle Hat is the Grammy Award-winning 11th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on May 20, 2003 on Volcano Records. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. The album was released on an Enhanced CD...

.. It was featured in the pilot episode of Fastlane

Fastlane (TV series)

Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from 2002 to 2003. On August 14, 2005 G4 began rebroadcasting the complete series. After finishing its initial run on the network, Fastlane stopped airing on G4...

 and in the introduction video for Topspin

Topspin

In ball sports, topspin is a property of a ball that rotates as if rolling in the same direction as it is moving. Topspin on a shot imparts a downward force that causes the ball to drop, due to its interaction with the air . It can be generated by hitting the ball with an up-and-forward swing, with...

, a tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 video game by XSN Sports

XSN Sports

XSN Sports is a defunct Microsoft Game Studios brand focusing on sports games that also featured an online game matching service that allowed players to set up private leagues and tournaments for titles in their lineup.-Game matching service:...

. The song is featured in the Nintendo DS version of "Band Hero

Band Hero

Band Hero is a spinoff video game as part of the Guitar Hero series of music video games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles...

" and in the "Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...

" and "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...

" soundtrack.

CD Single track list

1. "Get Free" (02:06)
2. "Down at the Club (Zen Demo)" (02:54)
3. "Hot Leather (Zen Demo)" (01:57)

Song

Whereas previous Vines songs were driven by chord structure riffs, this one has Nicholls strumming the 5th and 3rd frets for the main riff. The song opens with the resounding riff, a drum-build up and then the song breaks in. However, the song does not follow a verse-chorus-verse structure, going from verse-chorus-solo-verse-bridge-middle-verse-chorus. Get Free was playing at the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Music videos

There were two promotional videos shot for "Get Free". The more commonly known music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, directed by Roman Coppola

Roman Coppola

Roman Coppola is an American film director and music video director.-Early life:Coppola was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, the son of set decorator/artist Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola was born in the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine while his father was in Paris...

, shows the band standing, surrounded by huge spotlights, on a hill with a lightning storm brewing above. As the video develops, lightning bolts begin to strike the ground with increasing intensity. Eventually, during the final chorus, lightning strikes the drummer Hamish Rosser

Hamish Rosser

Hamish Rosser is the drummer of Australian garage rock band, The Vines. He graduated with a degree in Engineering from Sydney University. He worked as a chemical engineer in Sydney. He left his job so that he could play music with bands...

's cymbal, bassist Patrick Matthews

Patrick Matthews

Patrick Matthews is the former bassist of Australian garage rock band The Vines and currently the bassist of Youth Group. Matthews founded The Vines with Craig Nicholls. The two met while working at McDonald's in Sydney. Matthews stayed with the band for two albums...

 and then Nicholls sending Matthews and Nicholls flying in different directions while the drummer sits behind his set.

Live performances

There have been vast numbers of 'Get Free' live performances, though the most infamous was on a 2002 Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman

Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

 on which Nicholls came on stage and performed under the influence of marijuana. During the solo, Nicholls rolled around on the floor with feedback squealing out from his guitar, causing the instrument to detune. At the climax of the show, Nicholls jumped on to drummer Hamish Rosser's kit, dismantled it (much to Rosser's dismay) before tumbling over an amp, grabbing the mic and doing a long, loud 'Whoooooooo!' as Rosser and bassist Patrick Matthews left the stage. He then tumbled offstage. A similar incident occurred early the following year on Australian show Rove, as well as, during a performance in the Seattle Paramount Theater.

Awards and accolades

"Get Free" was nominated several times for awards in 2002 and 2003. It walked away with Best Song at the NME Awards 2003. It was ranked at No 10 on the NME's best songs of 2002 as well as No 49 on Kerrang's chart of Moshpit Kings.