By the early 1970s, Free was one of the biggest-selling British blues rock groups; by the time the band dissolved in 1973, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts. "All Right Now," remains a rock staple, and had been entered into ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.
Rolling Stone has referred to the band as "British hard rock pioneers". The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", while Kossoff was ranked No. 51 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Free were signed to Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in North America. Both labels became part of the PolyGram group in 1989, then Universal Music Group in 1998; UMG now controls the band's catalogue worldwide.
Most remarkable about the birth of Free was the young age of the band members who came together to rehearse and play their first gig on the evening of 19 April 1968 at the Nag's Head pub, which was at the junction of York Road and Lavender Road in Battersea, London. Bass player Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and both lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18. By November of that year, having been given the name Free by Alexis Korner, they had recorded their first album Tons Of Sobs for Island Records and, although it was not released until the following year, the album documents their first six months together and contains studio renditions of much of their early live set.
Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke first became friends in the R&B band Black Cat Bones but they wanted to move on. Paul Kossoff saw vocalist Paul Rodgers singing with Brown Sugar while visiting the Fickle Pickle, an R&B club in London's Finsbury Park. He was immediately impressed and asked if he could jam with Rodgers onstage. Along with Kirke, they began the search for a fourth member. Alexis Korner recommended Andy Fraser to the band, who at the age of 15 had already been playing with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Korner also provided the name "Free" the newly formed band
Unlike their previous albums Tons of Sobs and Free, Fire and Water, released in 1970, was a huge success, largely due to the album containing the hit single "All Right Now", which reached No. 1 on the UK rock music charts, No. 2 on the UK singles chart and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album reached No. 2 in the UK charts and No. 17 on the U.S charts making it the most successful Free album. "All Right Now" became a No. 1 hit in over 20 territories and recognized by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in 1990 for garnering 1,000,000 plus radio plays in the US by late 1989, and in 2000 an award was given to Paul Rodgers by the British Music Industry when "All Right Now" passed 2,000,000 radio plays in the UK.
Highway was their fourth studio album, recorded extremely quickly in September 1970. Highway performed poorly in the charts, reaching No. 41 in the UK and No. 190 in the US.
In 1971, due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the drug problems of guitarist Paul Kossoff, and inconsistent record sales, the band broke up. This led to the release of the live album called Free Live!. Early in 1972 the band set aside their differences and reformed in an effort to save Kossoff from his growing drug addiction, and in June of the same year released Free at Last.
But all was not well with the band. Bassist Andy Fraser left the band in mid-1972 due to Paul Kossoff's unreliability in being able to perform at shows or even showing up. The remaining members recruited Japanese bass player Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, who had worked with Kossoff and Kirke during Free's initial split, recording Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit and what would be Free's final album, Heartbreaker. Kossoff was replaced by Wendell Richardson in 1973, but shortly thereafter Free disbanded with Rodgers and Kirke going on to form Bad Company that same year. Fraser went on to form the band Sharks and later The Andy Fraser Band, and Kossoff formed the band Back Street Crawler.
With Kossoff in better health again in late 1975, he was delighted that ex-colleagues Rodgers and Kirke asked him to join them on stage for two nights. A British tour was set to begin on 25 April 1976 with Back Street Crawler headlining with Bad Company in support of Back Street Crawler's second album, but again Kossoff's drug addictions contributed to a drastic decline in the guitarist's health. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York City on 19 March 1976, Paul Kossoff died from drug-related heart problems at the age of 25. After parting with Bad Company in 1982 Rodgers went on to explore the heavy blues stylings of Free again in his solo career during the 1980s and 1990s, and in the bands The Firm and The Law.
More recently Rodgers has joined the remaining members of Queen (Brian May and Roger Taylor), as vocalist. In September 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers released their first studio album The Cosmos Rocks. Rodgers also performs Free and Bad Company songs whilst on tour with Queen, in addition to the traditional Queen songs and new cuts from their most recently released album. Currently, Rodgers and Kirke are once again on tour with Bad Company.
Andy Fraser died on 16 March 2015.
Personnel Members
Classic lineup
Andy Fraser - bass, piano (1968–1971, 1972; died 2015)
Simon Kirke - drums (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Paul Kossoff - guitar (1968–1971, 1972–1973; died 1976)
Paul Rodgers - lead vocals, piano (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Later members
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - keyboards (1972–1973)
Tetsu Yamauchi - bass (1972–1973)
Wendell Richardson - guitar (1973)
Discography :
1969 Tons of Sobs
1969 Free
1970 Fire and Water
1970 Highway
1972 Free at Last
1973 Heartbreaker
2) Free is a hardcore band
3) Free consists of four of the final five Have Heart members - Patrick Flynn, Kei Yasui, Shawn Costa, and Ryan Hudon - in addition to the band's 2009 bassist, Austin Stemper. On November 29, 2015, the group released a four-track, self-titled demo recorded by Trevor Vaughan (Sex Positions, Soul Control) in their home of New Bedford, MA.
Don't Say You Love Me
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you just needed somewhere to stay
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have told you to be right on your way
You say you needed a friend
But you just needed sympathy
Oh any other time
I'd have told you just to let me be
But I was so alone
So alone.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
I lost the warmth in my life
And you came and helped me up
When I was down
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
Fooling around
I let you into my home
And I even let you into my heart
Oh but any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
From the very start
But I was so sad and blue
And I just didn't know what to do
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Time
Has told me what I need to know
Time
Has showed me now what love is for
Time
Keeps telling me that I have got to go
Yeah I needed someone
But that time's gone
Now baby I'm gonna try and do it
All on my own.
So don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Oh don't say that you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie
I don't want you to tell me that you love me
Because I know, because I know
Yeah I know, yes I know
I know that it would be just a lie
The song "Don't Say You Love Me" by Free is a heart-wrenching narrative about a man who is used by a woman who claims to love him but in reality, only sees him as a place of refuge when she is down. The man is longing for love and companionship, but the woman only wants sympathy and a place to stay. The opening lines of the song reveal the woman's true intentions, as she claims to need someone but only needed a place to stay. The man's loneliness allowed him to believe that she had genuine feelings for him, and he allowed her into his home and his heart.
The chorus of the song is a plea, demanding that the woman not say that she loves him because he knows it would be a lie. The singer has become strong enough to recognize deceit and is no longer willing to tolerate it. He knows that true love cannot be faked and does not want to hear the words if they are not genuine.
The final verse of the song reveals that the singer has learned from his experiences and is determined to move on. He has realized that he needs to find love on his own and is no longer willing to settle for a false connection. The song serves as a warning to others who may find themselves in a similar situation and encourages them to trust their instincts and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you needed someone
You claimed to need a person in your life
But you just needed somewhere to stay
But in reality, you only wanted a roof over your head
Oh any other time
Under different circumstances
Any other time
At any other point in time
I'd have told you to be right on your way
I would have advised you to leave
You say you needed a friend
You claimed to require a friend
But you just needed sympathy
But you merely wanted someone to feel sorry for you
I'd have told you just to let me be
I would have suggested that you leave me alone
But I was so alone
However, I felt incredibly lonely
Don't say you love me baby
Please don't tell me that you love me
Don't say you love me
I don't want to hear those words
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Because I am aware that it would not be genuine
I lost the warmth in my life
I had lost the comfort and happiness in my life
And you came and helped me up
And then you arrived and assisted me
Fooling around
Mistreating my trust
But I was so sad and blue
But I was incredibly depressed and dejected
And I just didn't know what to do
And I had no idea how to proceed
Time
As time passed
Has told me what I need to know
I was able to learn what I needed to know over time
Has showed me now what love is for
I was also able to understand the true meaning of love
Keeps telling me that I have got to go
Time continues to advise me that it is time to leave
Now baby I'm gonna try and do it
Now, I am going to attempt to manage on my own
All on my own.
Without any external help or support
Oh don't say that you love me
Please don't express your love for me
I don't want you to tell me that you love me
I myself don't want to hear you say that you love me
Yeah I know, yes I know
Yes, I am aware
I know that it would be just a lie
That your proclamation of love would be a false statement.
Contributed by Keira R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A New Song Psalm 33:3
"Don't Say You Love Me"
You say you needed someone
But you just needed somewhere to stay
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have told you to be right on your way
You say you needed a friend
But you just needed sympathy
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have told you just to let me be
But I was so alone
So alone.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
I lost the warmth in my life
And you came and helped me up
When I was down
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
Fooling around
I let you into my home
And I even let you into my heart
Oh but any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
From the very start
But I was so sad and blue
And I just didn't know what to do
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Time
Has told me what I need to know
Time
Has showed me now what love is for
Time
Keeps telling me that I have got to go
Yeah I needed someone
But that time's gone
Now baby I'm gonna try and do it
All on my own.
So don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Oh don't say that you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie
I don't want you to tell me that you love me
Because I know, because I know
Yeah I know, yes I know
I know that it would be just a lie
Rebel Souls Band
The fact that Paul Rodgers isn't in the R&R Hall of Fame on his own merit for everything from Free to Bad Company to The Firm to his own solo touring and albums goes beyond absurdity! Free and Bad Co should also be in the Hall too of course but PAUL RODGERS is the definition of ROCK and ROLL VOCALS! He is the king and how the Hall can overlook him all these years shows how much of a joke the Hall really is. Madonna is in?? C'mon!
Steve I
Perhaps the Hall of Fame leans too much towards US artists.. just an observation!
Paul Martin
Your right. Its crazy Paul Rodgers is not in there, and Madonna is.🤔🤔🤔
rcknalwys
Couldn't agree more
annette wise
Too right my friend. Great comment.
Joel Houlette
Monstrously underrated song. So beautiful.
Lynda McArdle
Oh I do so agree...every instrument is in the right place at the right time here, particularly Fraser's glissando bass.
A New Song Psalm 33:3
"Don't Say You Love Me"
You say you needed someone
But you just needed somewhere to stay
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have told you to be right on your way
You say you needed a friend
But you just needed sympathy
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have told you just to let me be
But I was so alone
So alone.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
I lost the warmth in my life
And you came and helped me up
When I was down
Oh any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
Fooling around
I let you into my home
And I even let you into my heart
Oh but any other time
Any other time
I'd have let you carry on
From the very start
But I was so sad and blue
And I just didn't know what to do
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Time
Has told me what I need to know
Time
Has showed me now what love is for
Time
Keeps telling me that I have got to go
Yeah I needed someone
But that time's gone
Now baby I'm gonna try and do it
All on my own.
So don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
Don't say you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie.
Don't say you love me baby
Don't say you love me
Oh don't say that you love me
'cause I know it would be just a lie
I don't want you to tell me that you love me
Because I know, because I know
Yeah I know, yes I know
I know that it would be just a lie
steve salt
Never missed them in Geordieland,,,Paul still has great voice,,FREE SPIRIT
Alan Kingsland
As if his smooth voice and soulful delivery wasn't enough, the man's timing is sublime! Nuff said!