Elbert was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but when aged three his family relocated to Buffalo, New York. He learned to play guitar and piano as a child, and in 1955 formed a doo-wop group, the Vibraharps, with friend Danny Cannon. Elbert acted as the group's guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and background vocalist, making his recording debut on their single "Walk Beside Me". He left the group in 1957 for a solo career, and recorded a demonstration record that earned him a recording contract with the King label's DeLuxe subsidiary. His solo debut "What Can I Do?" reached #12 in the U.S. R&B chart, and he followed it up with the less successful "Believe It or Not" and "Have I Sinned?", which became a regional hit in Pittsburgh.
He continued to release singles on DeLuxe, but with little commercial success, and also played New York's Apollo Theater and toured the chitlin' circuit of African-American owned nightclubs. After completing an album, The Sensational Donnie Elbert Sings, he left DeLuxe in 1959, joining first Red Top Records, where in 1960 he recorded "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)", and then Vee-Jay Records, where he had another regional hit with "Will You Ever Be Mine?," which reportedly sold 250,000 copies in the Philadelphia area but failed to take off nationwide. His career was also interrupted by a spell in the US Army, from which he was discharged in 1961. He then recorded singles for several labels, including Parkway, Cub and Checker, but with little success. However, although the 1965 Gateway label release of "A Little Piece of Leather" failed to chart in the US, the record became a #27 pop hit when released on the London label in the UK several years later in 1972, and remains a Northern soul favorite.
Elbert relocated to the UK in 1966, where he married. There, he recorded "In Between The Heartaches" for the Polydor label in 1968, a cover version of The Supremes' hit "Where Did Our Love Go?". and an album of Otis Redding cover versions, Tribute To A King. His 1969 Deram release "Without You" had a rocksteady rhythm, and went to the top of the Jamaican charts. He returned to the US the same year, and had his first US chart hit in over a decade with the Rare Bullet label release "Can't Get Over Losing You," which reached #26 on the Billboard R&B chart. Following the success of that record, "Where Did Our Love Go?" was released on the All Platinum label, and became his biggest hit, reaching #15 on the US pop charts, #6 on the R&B charts, and (in 1972) #8 in the UK. Its follow-up "Sweet Baby" reached #30 on the R&B chart in early 1972.
Elbert then signed with Avco-Embassy, where he entered the recording studio with the successful production team of Hugo & Luigi. Although his cover of The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself" reached #14 on the R&B chart, Elbert balked at the label's insistence that he record material associated with Motown. He returned to All Platinum and had a run of minor R&B hits, but left after he claimed authorship of Shirley & Company's R&B chart-topper "Shame Shame Shame" which was credited to label owner Sylvia Robinson. For 1975's "You Keep Me Crying (With Your Lying)," Elbert finally formed his own label, and "I Got to Get Myself Together," appeared on an imprint bearing his surname, but it was among his final recordings.
By the mid-1980s Elbert had retired from performing, and became director of A&R for Polygram's Canadian division. He suffered a massive stroke and died in 1989, at the age of 52.
Free
Donnie Elbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flowin' freely through infinity
Free to be sure of
What I am and who I need not be
Free from all worries
Worries prey on oneself's troubled mind
Freer than the clock's hands
Tickin' way the times
Life running through me
Till I feel my father God has called
Me having nothin'
But possessing riches more than all
And I'm free
To be nowhere
But in every place I need to be
Freer than a sunbeam
Shinning through my soul
Free from feelin' heat or knowing bitter cold
Free from conceiving the beginning
For that's the infinite start
I'm gone - gone but still living
Life goes on without a beating heart
Free like a vision
That the mind of only you can see
Freer than a raindrop
Falling from the sky
Freer than a smile in a baby's sleepin' eyes
I'm free like a river
Flowin' freely to infinity
I'm free to be sure of what
I am and who I need not be
I'm much freer - like the meaning of the word free that
crazy man defines
Free - free like the vision that
The mind of only you are ever gonna see
Free like the river my life
Goes on and on through infinity
The song “Free” by Donnie Elbert is about the concept of freedom, described as the ability to be oneself without any external constraints. The lyrics suggest that true freedom is a state of mind that transcends physical limits, allowing one to be completely at peace with oneself and the world. The river is a recurring metaphor used in the song to represent the idea of boundless fluidity, indicating that everything flows without any specific destination or purpose. The lyrics also stress that freedom is not something that can be possessed or bought, but a state of mind that can only be achieved by letting go of all worries, doubts, and fears. Overall, the song encourages listeners to embrace their true selves and let go of society's constraints to achieve true freedom.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally released in 1972, but it took two years before it made it onto the US charts. It ended up peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974. Another interesting fact is that the song was covered by several artists over the years, including Deniece Williams, Randy Crawford, and Billy Paul. The song was also featured on the soundtrack of the movie, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, in 1977. Additionally, the song's lyrics were sampled in the song "Freedom" by DJ Bobo, which was a hit in Europe in 1996.
The chords for the song are as follows, according to several online sources:
Intro: D# D#maj7 D#7 G#maj7
Verse: D# D#maj7 D#7 G#maj7
Chorus: G#maj7 G#maj7/E Fm7 Fm7/C G#maj7 G#maj7/E Fm7 Fm7/C
Bridge: D# D#maj7 D#7 G#maj7
Outro: D# D#maj7 D#7 G#maj7
Line by Line Meaning
Free like the river
Unrestricted, like the river that flows without limitations.
Flowin' freely through infinity
Going on continuously, without an end in sight.
Free to be sure of
Unconstrained, with the liberty to trust in oneself.
What I am and who I need not be
Embracing one's identity and not feeling the need to impress others.
Free from all worries
Unburdened by worries that trouble the mind and bring one down.
Worries prey on oneself's troubled mind
Worries tend to affect one's own mind and exacerbate negative thoughts.
Freer than the clock's hands
More liberated than the ticking of the clock's hands.
Tickin' way the times
Slowly and steadily moving forward, as time passes by.
Freer than the meaning of free that man defines
More unbound than the interpretation of freedom that humans have constructed.
Life running through me
Feeling the pulse of life's energy within oneself.
Till I feel my father God has called
Acknowledging one's spiritual beliefs and feeling connected to a higher power.
Me having nothin'
Being content with simple possessions and material possessions having no control over one's life.
But possessing riches more than all
Feeling abundant in spiritual and emotional wealth, which is more valuable than material possessions.
And I'm free
Experiencing a sense of liberation.
To be nowhere
Not needing to be in a physical place to feel a sense of belonging and purpose.
But in every place I need to be
Feeling comfortable and at home in any situation or environment.
Freer than a sunbeam
More unencumbered than the rays of the sun.
Shinin' through my soul
Radiating from within one's own being.
Free from feelin' heat or knowing bitter cold
Not being affected by external factors like temperature, and experiencing emotional freedom.
Free from conceiving the beginning
Not being held back by thoughts of the past, and being open to new beginnings.
For that's the infinite start
Recognizing that the beginning has no limits or boundaries, and is infinite.
I'm gone - gone but still living
The essence of oneself lives on even after physical death.
Life goes on without a beating heart
Acknowledging the cycle of life and recognizing that life continues even after death.
Free like a vision
The ability to imagine without constraints.
That the mind of only you can see
Having unique, personal visions that are only seen by oneself.
Freer than a raindrop
Being even less constrained than the falling of a raindrop.
Falling from the sky
Being let go and allowing oneself to experience life without holding back.
Freer than a smile in a baby's sleepin' eyes
Feeling a sense of liberation greater than the happiness found in a baby's serene facial expression.
I'm free like a river
Being liberated, like a river that has no restrictions or limitations.
Flowin' freely to infinity
Continuously moving forward without an end in sight.
I'm free to be sure of what
Feeling unrestricted in order to be certain about something.
I am and who I need not be
Being confident in one's identity and not feeling the need to change for others.
I'm much freer - like the meaning of the word free that crazy man defines
Experiencing a sense of liberation greater than what society typically views as freedom.
Free - free like the vision that the mind of only you are ever gonna see
Being unbounded, like a vision that is only seen by oneself.
Free like the river my life
Feeling unencumbered, much like a river flows without limitation.
Goes on and on through infinity
Continuous movement like the infinity symbol, without end.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Susaye Greene, Nathan Watts, Henry James Redd, Deniece Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tracey Murray
Beautiful version! 😍
MonkeyBarz179
Odd that this song isn’t really available. Such a classic!
brian collins
best rare cover
brian collins
💘
brian collins
there is an amazing artist here in boston
he wheres a huge fur cat suut and plays brenda Russell
brian collins
chris Dj Kon from here use to play this
Chris Taylor
sweet guy