Recording
The album carried on the Fraser/Rodgers writing partnership that characterized the bulk of the Free canon, with five of the seven tracks being credited to them. The album was made very much with the intention of gaining the band a hit single: the band only had one song ("The Hunter" from Tons of Sobs) that would generate the ecstatic reaction they desired from an audience and they badly needed another. This commercialized ethos is immediately obvious: many of the tracks seem to be intended to be listened to individually rather than as a coherent whole and as such the relationship between the songs is less distinct than on the band's previous albums. The tracks are arranged in a fairly basic form of alternating fast songs with slow ones.
Like their previous album there is little that could be called hard rock such as their debut album had contained, with the album continuing the fairly lightweight soulful sound of their previous album. There are also no blues songs, that being a genre where the band had their roots. The production is considerably less polished than their previous album as Fire and Water had been produced by the band themselves, a fact that Island Records boss (and the producer of the last album) Chris Blackwell later regretted.
Reception
The album and single were both massive successes, catapulting the band to near-iconic status. Fees for live shows rose to £1000 (a considerable amount in 1970) and they began to be featured in mainstream music magazines. Commercial success brought with it accusations of "selling-out" which the purist Kossoff took badly: he took a defensive stance in one interview, stating: "Obviously 'All Right Now' is part of us, but it's a frivolous part, it isn't what we want to be remembered by. We're generally more serious" (quoted in Phil Sutcliffe's album liner notes).
Nevertheless, "All Right Now" is indeed what the band is remembered by; especially since it was remixed by Bob Clearmountain and re-released in February 1991, being discovered by a new generation of fans. Since then, it has frequently appeared on generic budget rock compilation albums. Free are somewhat regarded as a one-hit wonder in the USA and if it were not for this song it is doubtful how well any more of their catalog would be known.
Fire And Water
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to say goodbye
Baby but look at the tears in my eye
I don't want to say goodbye
Mama but look at the way you made me cry
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
And I know
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes, to make a poor man's heart break
A poor mans heart break
Baby you turn me on
But as quick as a flash your love is gone
Baby I'm gonna leave you now
But I'm gonna try to make you grieve somehow
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes to make a poor man's heart break
A poor man's heart break
And my heart is breakin' too
I don't want to say goodbye baby
But look at the tears you made me cry
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
And I know
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes to make a poor mans heart break
Fire, fire and water must have made you their daughter
Baby you've got what it takes to make a poor man's heart break
Heart break
Baby and my heart is breakin'
Oh my heart is breakin'
Oh listen
The lyrics to Free's song Fire And Water describe a tumultuous relationship between two people, where the singer is constantly having to deal with a "heartache" that seems to be coming their way every single day. Despite this pain, the singer is reluctant to say goodbye to their lover, who they describe as having a heart made of ice. They also suggest that this person has the power to break a poor man's heart, and that they themselves are experiencing heartbreak too.
The chorus of the song suggests that the woman in question has been influenced by two powerful elements - fire and water - which have made her into the heartless person that she is. The singer seems to both admire and resent her for this, as they recognize that she has what it takes to make a man fall in love with her, but at the same time recognize that this same quality will cause them pain and heartbreak.
Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulties of leaving a toxic relationship, and the pain and heartache that can come with it. The singer is torn between their desire for this person who is causing them so much pain, and their recognition that they need to move on for their own well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Every single day, I got a heartache comin' my way
I experience heartache every day.
I don't want to say goodbye
Baby but look at the tears in my eye
I don't want to leave you but your actions hurt me.
I don't want to say goodbye
Mama but look at the way you made me cry
I don't want to leave you but you've caused me so much pain.
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
And I know
Even when you're nice, you still have a cold heart and I realize it.
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes, to make a poor man's heart break
A poor mans heart break
You have a strong set of characteristics that can cause a man to feel heartbroken.
Baby you turn me on
But as quick as a flash your love is gone
Baby I'm gonna leave you now
But I'm gonna try to make you grieve somehow
I enjoy your company but your love is fleeting. I'm going to leave but hope to make you feel remorseful.
And my heart is breakin' too
I am also heartbroken.
Fire, fire and water must have made you their daughter
Baby you've got what it takes to make a poor man's heart break
Heart break
Your personality has a unique blend of qualities that are capable of causing heartbreak.
I don't want to say goodbye baby
But look at the tears you made me cry
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
And I know
I don't want to end our relationship but your behavior has caused me pain and revealed your cold heart.
Baby and my heart is breakin'
Oh my heart is breakin'
Oh listen
My heart is shattered and I am hurting. Listen to my pain.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.,
Written by: ANDY FRASER, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind