The members were all siblings of the Dedrick family: Chris Dedrick (who wrote most of the songs), sister Sandy Dedrick and brother Bruce Dedrick were the original lineup. Younger sister Ellen Dedrick joined the group later, as did cousin Jeff Dedrick for a brief time, and youngest sister Stefanie joined near the end of their initial career. Their father, Art Dedrick, was a trombonist and music arranger. Their uncle, Rusty Dedrick, was a jazz trumpeter with Claude Thornhill and Red Norvo. They formed the band while living in New York City. Chris has said the group was influenced by vocal groups like The Hi-Los (who performed in Greenwich Village frequently at the time) along with Peter, Paul and Mary and the counterpoint experiments of Benjamin Britten. Their trademark sound involved complex harmonies, jazz-like chord progressions, and off-beat time signatures; all products of Chris's classical training.
The band released six albums from 1967 to 1972, all on Enoch Light's Project 3 label. For the most part, they were accompanied on the albums by studio musicians.
Revival of interest
During their career, The Free Design never gained the commercial success they, and a small fan-base, felt they deserved; a plight they noted in their 1969 song "2002 - A Hit Song", in which they describe how to create a hit, then continue, "there's just one fact that we can't quite shirk/ we did all this last time, but it did not work." They remained in obscurity after disbanding in 1972. Starting in the mid-90's, however, interest in them began to grow as part of a general resurge of interest in easy listening music from the 60's and 70's. In 1994, Japanese musician Cornelius began the revival by re-issuing the Free Design catalog on his "Trattoria" label. In 1997, the band Tomorrow's World covered their song "Kites Are Fun", and in 1998, the Spanish "Siesta" label put out four compilation albums of their music. Stereolab, whose lounge-inspired music clearly showed a Free Design influence, named a 1999 single "The Free Design" (though the song itself had no direct connection to the band). The Free Design song "Bubbles" was covered by Dressy Bessy on the 2000 Powerpuff Girls soundtrack.
Perhaps inspired by this newfound interest, in 2000 the band re-grouped, after a nearly 30-year retirement, to record the song "Endless Harmony" on the Beach Boys tribute album Caroline Now. This experience convinced them to record a new full-length album, 2001's Cosmic Peekaboo, which featured the original lineup minus Ellen Dedrick.
In 2001 the label Cherry Red released a Best of Free Design compilation. Their song "I Found Love" was included on the 2002 Gilmore Girls soundtrack. Another song, 'Love You' featured over the end credits to the Emma Thompson and Will Ferrell film, 'Stranger Than Fiction' in 2006. From 2002 to 2005, the original albums were reissued in the United States by the Light in the Attic label. In 2005, the label put out The Now Sound Redesigned, an album of Free Design remixes from established acts like Stereolab, Super Furry Animals and Peanut Butter Wolf.
The recognizable sound of this influential band can be felt in modern-day acts such as Stereolab, Cornelius, The Pizzicato Five, Beck, The High Llamas, and many others.
Chris Dedrick is now an established film composer, most notably for his Genie-awarded soundtrack for Guy Maddin's "The Saddest Music In The World."
Perfect Love
The Free Design Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no time or place that love cannot be found
When we feel what we're singing of
In your heart, love is powerful, and it claims its own
You and I are embraced within a feeling
So beautiful as we're coming home
There's a choir of angels in the rain
There's a mystery beyond the given name
Can you feel the chords aligning?
Perfect love is yours, perfect love is ours
Perfect love we sing together
Perfect love is yours, perfect love is ours
Perfect love is all forever
In this world we appear as two, this is just for a while
In my love for you and in your love for me
There's an innocence undefiled
May you carry this sweet refrain every day of your life
You are born of its melody
Its meaning so beautiful as the sounds unite
There's a choir of angels in the rain
A host of poets rhyming
There's a mystery beyond the given name
Can you feel the chords aligning?
Perfect love is yours, perfect love is ours
Perfect love we sing together
Perfect love is yours, perfect love is ours
Perfect love is all forever
The Free Design's "Perfect Love" explores the unexplainable and powerful nature of love that exists between two individuals. The opening lines of the song suggest that love is a mystery that cannot be limited to a specific time or place in the world. The lyrics further elaborate that the feeling of love encapsulates both individuals in a beautiful journey like coming home. Moreover, the song emphasizes the powerful nature of love where it claims its own and brings two people closer. The phrase "perfect love is all forever" indicates that the love shared between both individuals is timeless, unchanging, and perfect.
The song also refers to the choir of angels and poets, which aligns with the idea of love and its ethereal nature. The lyrics mention that the sound of love and its chords are aligning, encouraging the listener to feel the unity of two souls coming together. The song's melody and themes embrace the notion of intimacy between two individuals, where they share a musical language that they both understand.
In conclusion, The Free Design's "Perfect Love" is a beautiful testament to the unexplainable nature of love, the emotional connection between two individuals, and how it continues to live on forever. The lyrics give a message of hope to those who actively seek perfect love.
Line by Line Meaning
In this world there's a mystery, and its name is love
Love is a mysterious force that exists in our world
There's no time or place that love cannot be found
Love can be found everywhere at all times
When we feel what we're singing of
Our feelings can be expressed through song
In your heart, love is powerful, and it claims its own
Love is a powerful force that takes hold of your heart and emotions
You and I are embraced within a feeling
We share a feeling of love and acceptance
So beautiful as we're coming home
This feeling is so comforting and beautiful, like coming home
There's a choir of angels in the rain
Nature and the world around us is singing with the beauty of love
A host of poets rhyming
People have been inspired to create beautiful poetry about love
There's a mystery beyond the given name
Love goes beyond just being a word or a feeling, there's something magical about it
Can you feel the chords aligning?
Can you sense the harmony and connection of love?
Perfect love is yours, perfect love is ours
The love we share is perfect for us
Perfect love we sing together
We celebrate our perfect love through song
Perfect love is all forever
Our perfect love will last forever
In this world we appear as two, this is just for a while
Although we may seem like separate individuals in this world, that's just temporary
In my love for you and in your love for me
Our love connects us and overcomes any differences we may have
There's an innocence undefiled
Our love is pure and untainted
May you carry this sweet refrain every day of your life
May the memory of our love stay with you always
You are born of its melody
Our love has given birth to something beautiful and melodic
Its meaning so beautiful as the sounds unite
The meaning of our love is truly beautiful and comes to life when we're together
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Christopher Ward Dedrick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind