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.
Remember
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every morning
We would dress
And we'd be still yawning,
In the street
Where people meet
We would wander around
In the northern heat.
All these days are gone
My Baby, now I'm all alone
I wish I had you near me
Baby, I wish I had you here
In the summer
Days were lazy
And sometimes the heat
Would drive us all crazy
Singing songs all night long
Till the light through' the window
Said another day had come
All these days are gone
Baby, now I'm all alone
I wish I had you near me
I wish I had you here.
Baby, do you remember
Every morning
We would dress
And we'd be still yawning,
In the street
Where people meet
We would wander around
In the northern heat.
Baby, oh these days are gone
And I'm all alone
I still remember
The good old days we spent together
Baby I can't forget
You know me
I can't forget
The good old days we spent together.
The lyrics of Free's song Remember reflect nostalgia for a past romance. The singer remembers waking up with their lover every morning and getting dressed while yawning, walking around the streets in the "northern heat" as they wandered around and met with people. The singer seems to miss the simplicity and ease of these days, where they were happy just spending time together. The chorus repeats the sentiment that these days are gone and the singer is now alone, wishing for their lover to be near.
In the summer, the days were lazy and the heat could make them crazy. The couple would sing songs all night long until the light through the window signaled another day. The singer again laments the loss of these days, wishing for their lover to be with them. The final verse repeats the opening verses, emphasizing the idea of remembering and missing the past.
Overall, the song portrays a sense of longing and wistfulness for a relationship that has ended. The memories of happy times make the singer wish for the past, knowing that they cannot go back.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember
Asking the listener to recall certain memories
Every morning
Referring to the specific time of day
We would dress
Getting ready for the day
And we'd be still yawning,
Being sleepy and not quite awake
In the street
Referring to a common outdoor area
Where people meet
Where individuals gather and socialize
We would wander around
Moving aimlessly but joyfully
In the northern heat.
Suggesting a warm or tropical climate
All these days are gone
The past can never be regained
My Baby, now I'm all alone
Addressing a lost loved one
I wish I had you near me
Expressing a desire to be reunited
Baby, I wish I had you here
Further emphasizing the longing
In the summer
Referring to a particular season
Days were lazy
Suggesting a relaxing attitude
And sometimes the heat
Describing an occasional discomfort
Would drive us all crazy
Causing disorientation or agitation
Singing songs all night long
Enjoying the moment with music
Till the light through' the window
Referring to the early hours of morning
Said another day had come
Indicating the end of the night
Baby, oh these days are gone
Repeating the sense of loss
And I'm all alone
Still dealing with the absence
I still remember
Despite the sadness, recalling fondly
The good old days we spent together
Reminiscing about past experiences
Baby I can't forget
Affirming the lasting impact
You know me
The listener should be aware of this feeling
I can't forget
Restating the lasting memory
The good old days we spent together.
Repeating the nostalgia for the past
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDY FRASER, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind