In late 1970 Jim Messina, formerly of Poco and Buffalo Springfield, was working as an independent contract record producer for Columbia Records. It was then that he met a little-known studio artist who had written a few songs of his own, Kenny Loggins. Loggins was working as contract songwriter for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Messina decided to produce Loggins' debut album. By the time all was said and done, Messina had contributed so much to the album, both instrumentally and vocally, that the effort was more of a Kenny Loggins album with Jim Messina sitting in. Thus an accidental duo was born. Their harmonies meshed so well that what was begun as a one-off album became an entity unto itself. So rather than simply producing Kenny Loggins as a solo act, in 1971 they both decided to form a duo, Loggins and Messina.
Over the course of the next four to five years they produced five original material albums, one album of covers of other artists' material and two live albums. One compilation album, a "best of", would be released after the duo had separated.
As is natural in most mentor type relationships, Loggins outgrew the duo over time. Within a few years he would feel the need to spread his wings and fly by his own right, and by 1976 the pair separated and pursued successful solo careers, with Loggins soon achieving the super-star status that he sought.
They reunited in 2005 for a compilation album of their greatest hits, which proved so successful that they decided to tour as a group again. The "Sittin' In Again" tour was launched in mid-2005 and played out the remainder of the year, proving that they hadn't lost the magic that made them famous in the first place.
Their backing band changed from album to album. Many albums featured backing members who were well know in their own right, such as Stephen Stills who contributed to their self-titled second album. Bryan Adams played guitar on the album Full Sail. John Townsend and Ed Sanford, later of the Sanford Townsend Band (Smoke from a Distant Fire) contributed vocals and songwriting to the Native Sons album.
Be Free
Loggins & Messina Lyrics
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I can see it re-arranging,
Happening before my very eyes.
Everywhere the cements growing,
In the street the traffic's flowing,
Ruining the air up in the skys,
Is no surprise.
I want to get away and live my life,
In the rivers and trees,
I want to spend the days making wine and be free,
Be free (Be free, be free)
I can hear the cities calling,
Come on down i can feel you falling,
Happening for all of us to see.
See the deepening cement hollow,
Reaching out for those who follow,
hunkering on far too many lies,
Its no surprise.
I want to get away and live my life,
In the rivers and trees,
I want to spend my days making wine,
And be free (be free, be free) and be free.
From the winds so far away,
Ive had an inner vision,
Ive seen the universe unfold.
[about 4 minute instrumental]
I can hear the school bell ringing,
From the yard the children singing,
Merily life is but a dream.
In the street there go the brothers,
Selling slow and ship to others,
Aiding those whos songs have turned to crys,
Is no surprise.
I want to get away and live my life,
In the rivers and trees,
I want to spend my days making wine,
And be free, and be free, and be free(be freee...)
Loggins & Messina's song Be Free talks about the changes and developments happening in the world. The lyrics depict a common sight of urbanisation, with cement buildings and highways taking over natural surroundings. It calls for disconnecting from this people-made life and getting back to nature, spending days making wine, and living near rivers and trees. The song talks about the yearning to be free from the clutches and consequences of urbanisation, from the fumes of cement and the pollution of air, and to embrace a life close to nature instead.
The song uses symbolism to evoke deep emotions in the listener, such as the deepening cement hollow reaching out for those who follow, is symbolic of urbanisation consuming and taking over people's lives. The school bell ringing and children singing is symbolic of innocence, and the need to preserve it in the face of changing times, such as urbanisation. The song ends with the repetition of 'Be Free' emphasizing the need to break free from the chains of urbanisation and live life on one's own.
Line by Line Meaning
can see the world's changing,
I am aware of the changing world, seeing it re-arrange right in front of me.
I can see it re-arranging,
I can see the world changing and reordering itself.
Happening before my very eyes.
I'm witnessing these changes firsthand.
Everywhere the cements growing,
Concrete is constantly expanding everywhere.
In the street the traffic's flowing,
There is a constant flow of traffic in the streets.
Ruining the air up in the skys,
The pollution from all the concrete and traffic is having a negative impact on the air quality.
Is no surprise.
It's not unexpected to see the negative effects of urbanization.
I want to get away and live my life,
I want to escape and live my life on my own terms.
In the rivers and trees,
I want to live amongst nature, surrounded by rivers and trees.
I want to spend the days making wine and be free,
I want to spend my days manufacturing wine, and live a carefree life.
Be free (Be free, be free)
I want to live my life without constraints and be completely free.
I can hear the cities calling,
I can feel the pull of the cities and their urban lifestyles.
Come on down i can feel you falling,
You're being lured into the cities, and you can feel yourself being drawn towards them.
Happening for all of us to see.
Everyone can see that urbanization is expanding all around us.
See the deepening cement hollow,
The concrete is reaching deeper and deeper, creating a feeling of emptiness.
Reaching out for those who follow,
The urban lifestyle is attempting to attract and lure more followers.
hunkering on far too many lies,
Many of the people who buy into the urban lifestyle are basing their decisions on falsehoods.
Its no surprise.
It's not shocking that people are drawn into urban lifestyles based on false pretenses.
From the winds so far away,
I've had a vision that comes from a faraway place.
Ive had an inner vision,
I've had a vision within myself.
Ive seen the universe unfold.
I've had a profound epiphany about the unfolding of the universe.
[about 4 minute instrumental]
There's a roughly four-minute instrumental break here that serves to clear the mind and arrange the thoughts together.
I can hear the school bell ringing,
I can audibly hear the sound of the school bell ringing.
From the yard the children singing,
I can hear the children singing in the school yard.
Merily life is but a dream.
Life is fleeting and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
In the street there go the brothers,
I see the brothers walking down the street.
Selling slow and ship to others,
They are selling goods at a steady pace, marketing items to others.
Aiding those whos songs have turned to crys,
They are attempting to help or console people who are feeling depressed or sad, due to a host of reasons.
Is no surprise.
There's nothing strange about trying to help people feeling down, but it's unfortunate that so many people are crying out for help.
I want to get away and live my life,
Once again, I want to be able to escape urban environments and live a life free from constraints.
In the rivers and trees,
I want to live amongst nature, free from the concrete.
I want to spend my days making wine,
I desire to spend my days crafting wine, a metaphor for an activity in which I find pleasure and fulfillment.
And be free (be free, be free) and be free.
Once again, I want to live freely, with no limitations or constraints holding me back.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, CTM Publishing
Written by: JIM MESSINA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anthony Miglore
on Wasting Our Time
You are the life (?) and I love you
And I'll never, ever, love by myself i think should be
You are my life and I love you
And I'll never, ever, walk by myself
Anthony Miglore
on Wasting Our Time
Chocolate (?), don't you be afraid of wasting our time s/b Try tryin', don't you be afraid of wasting our time
Anthony Miglore
on Wasting Our Time
Wanna turn around and listen to me? s/b Woman turn around and listen to me
Anthony Miglore
on Wasting Our Time
devil or ranger? (?) s/b devil or angel
Anthony Miglore
on Wasting Our Time
Or begin trying to change it? s/b Or begin trying to change ya'