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."
Peter
The Free Design Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
Little Jackie paper loved that rascal puff
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on puff's gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came
Pirate ships would lower their flag when puff roared out his name oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
The Free Design's song "Peter" is actually an adaptation of the popular children's song "Puff, the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary. The lyrics narrate the life of Puff, the magic dragon, and his bond with a young boy, Jackie Paper. The song describes their adventures as they travel in a boat with billowed sail, receive respect from noble kings and princes, and intimidate pirates who lower their flags when puff roared out his name.
However, the lyrics take a somber turn when Jackie Paper grows up and moves on to other toys, and Puff loses his friend forever. The song speaks to the universal theme of growing up and losing childhood innocence. It depicts the pain that comes with leaving behind the whimsical and simple pleasures of childhood and transitioning into the harsh realities of adulthood.
Overall, "Peter" is a touching and emotive song that communicates the bittersweet nature of growing up and leaving behind childhood fantasies.
Line by Line Meaning
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
Puff was a magical dragon who lived near the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee
Puff enjoyed playing in the sea mist in a magical land called Honahlee
Little Jackie paper loved that rascal puff
Jackie Paper loved Puff, despite his mischievousness
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff oh
Jackie brought fancy items like strings and sealing wax to Puff as gifts
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie and Puff would embark on adventures together on a sailboat
Jackie kept a lookout perched on puff's gigantic tail
Jackie would watch for potential dangers while sitting on Puff's tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came
Even royalty would show respect to Jackie and Puff when they came around
Pirate ships would lower their flag when puff roared out his name oh
Even pirates feared Puff, and would lower their flag when he appeared
A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Dragons are immortal, unlike mortal little boys like Jackie
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys
As kids grow up, they lose interest in childish toys like painted wings and giant rings
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
One sad night, Jackie Paper passed away and could no longer visit Puff
And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
Puff lost his spirit and courage without his dear friend Jackie
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff mourned the loss of Jackie and shed tears of green dragon scales
Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave
Puff relied on Jackie's companionship to find courage and strength
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave oh
Puff retreated into his cave, overcome with grief and sadness
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Leonard Lipton, Peter Yarrow
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ojmiranda9839
My fave.song for now....
Hush hush in my ears