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.
Sunny Day
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Melting away
Oh sunny day
Melting away
Some say she was good for no one
But I say
She was bad for every one
Help me now' cause I feel
Maybe somehow
You will hear me callin'
Baby you didn't take everything
If you want it
You know I would bring
All the love you left behind
When you said goodbye.
Oh sunny day
Melting away
Oh sunny day
Melting away
Inside she was really nothing
I was a fool and I gave her everything
Help me now
'Cause I feel I'm fallin'
Maybe somehow you will hear me callin'
Baby you didn't mean what you said
Things that you told me
Are still in my head
And though it's too late
I realise all you did was lie.
Oh sunny day
Melting away
Oh sunny day
Falling away
The song "Sunny Day" by Free is a powerful expression of heartbreak and loss. The lyrics describe a relationship that has ended, leaving the singer feeling shattered and alone. The imagery of a sunny day melting away conveys the idea that something once beautiful and perfect has been destroyed. The lyric "some say she was good for no one, but I say she was bad for every one" suggests that the relationship was toxic and unhealthy, with an impact on everyone involved.
The chorus repeats with the lines "oh sunny day, melting away", emphasizing the idea that whatever happiness was once present in the relationship is now fading away. The singer pleads for help, feeling like they are falling apart without their former partner. The second verse describes the singer's realization that the person they loved was "really nothing" on the inside, and that they were foolish for giving their all to someone who didn't deserve it.
The songpowerfully conveys the sadness and despair that come with the end of a relationship. The message is one of hopelessness, as the singer knows that no matter how much they try, they won't be able to recover what has been lost. The lyrics are accompanied by a simple, soulful melody that reinforces the mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, sunny day
The singer is expressing their positive emotion towards the day which is sunny.
Melting away
The singer is describing how the hot sun is causing things to physically melt away.
Some say she was good for no one
The singer is relaying what some people think about a certain woman, who is perceived to be of no use to anyone.
But I say
The artist is introducing their own alternate opinion.
She was bad for every one
The artist is sharing their belief that the woman in question was not only of no use, but actively caused harm to others.
Help me now' cause I feel
The singer is requesting assistance from someone, as they are experiencing some sort of distress.
I'm fallin'
The singer is using the metaphor of 'falling' to indicate their emotional state of desperation or loss of control.
Maybe somehow
The artist is holding on to some hope that something positive may yet happen.
You will hear me callin'
The artist is directing their request for help towards someone, who they hope will help them.
Baby you didn't take everything
The artist is addressing someone they used to be close with, suggesting that this person did not fully take away all their positive emotions.
If you want it
The singer is offering to give back what they still have to this person, if they so desire.
You know I would bring
The artist is assuring the person that they are willing and able to return what they still have left of their positive emotions.
All the love you left behind
The singer is describing what they still have leftover from their previous relationship: a sense of love or affection.
When you said goodbye.
The singer is connecting the previous line to their past relationship, indicating that their positive emotions were connected to this person who said goodbye.
Inside she was really nothing
The singer is describing their previous romantic partner, suggesting that they may have been fake or had no inherent value.
I was a fool and I gave her everything
The artist is taking responsibility for their own actions, admitting that they went all in for this person despite their negative traits.
Baby you didn't mean what you said
The artist is suggesting that the person who left them behind may not have been truthful when they spoke those previously mentioned negative sentiments.
Things that you told me
The singer is referring to statements made by this person, which may have contributed to their distress now.
Are still in my head
The singer is expressing how these thoughts continue to haunt them and cause them suffering.
And though it's too late
The artist is acknowledging that they are now past the point of being able to change what has happened in the past.
I realize all you did was lie.
The artist is bluntly accusing the other person of being untruthful, implicating this dishonesty as the cause of their current pain and suffering.
Oh sunny day
The artist is repeating the opening phrase, indicating that their emotional state may have changed throughout the course of the song.
Falling away
The singer is shifting from the previous metaphor of 'melting away' to convey the idea of the day's brightness or hope disappearing.
Contributed by Liam A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.