Freedom

George Michael

About Freedom

"Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by George Michael, and released on Columbia Records in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with a hit by Michael's former band Wham!, also titled "Freedom". The song's backing beat is a sample from James Brown's song Funky Drummer. It was the third single taken from Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, though released as the second single from the album in the United States and Australia. "Freedom! '90" was one of a few uptempo songs on this album. It was a major hit and peaked at No. 8 on the United States Billboard Hot 100. The song refers to Michael's past success with Wham!, yet also shows a new side of himself as a new man, who is more cynical about the music business than he had been before. Michael refused to appear in the video and allowed a group of supermodels to appear instead. Michael performed this song, alongside his 2012 single "White Light", during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. 


Year:
1990
6:30
5,335 
#3

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I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
Because I would really, really love to stick around, oh yeah

Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
To win the race? A prettier face!
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV
But today the way I play the game is not the same
No way
Think I'm gonna get me some happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah yeah

Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Heaven knows we sure had some fun boy
What a kick just a buddy and me
We had every big shot good-time band on the run boy
We were living in a fantasy
We won the race
Got out of the place
I went back home got a brand new face
For the boys at MTV
But today the way I play the game has got to change
Oh yeah
Now I'm gonna get myself happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I stopped the show
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don't think that I'll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah yeah

Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Well it looks like the road to heaven
But it feels like the road to hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybody's got to sell
But when you shake your ass
They notice fast
And some mistakes were built to last

That's what you get
I say that's what you get
That's what you get for changing your mind
And after all this time
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes
Do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah yeah

Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom, freedom, freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Yeah you've gotta do what you do, what you do
May not be what you want from me
Just the way it's got to be
Lose the face now
I've got to live, got to live, got to live

 Struggling with Freedom? Become a better singer in 30 days with these videos!


George Michael

George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; (Greek: Γεώργιος Κυριάκος Παναγιώτου); 25 June 1963 - 25 December 2016) was an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Michael rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley. His first solo single, "Careless Whisper", was released when he was still in the duo and sold about six million copies worldwide. more »

13 fans

Written by: George Michael

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


14 facts about this song

Release Date
"Freedom" also known as "Freedom ‘90" by George Michael was released as a single on October 30, 1990.
Album
The song is featured on George Michael's second solo album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1."
Song Duration
The song has a duration of about 6 minutes and 28 seconds.
Chart Success
"Freedom '90" peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
Music Video Notoriety
Despite being featured heavily in the song’s legendary music video, George Michael himself does not make an appearance in the video.
Supermodel Appearance
The music video for "Freedom '90" is famous for featuring top supermodels of the time such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Tatjana Patitz.
Song Meaning
The lyrics of "Freedom '90" are perceived to address Michael’s struggle with his identity and fame. The song showcases his desire to be known for his music and not just his image.
Sales
“Freedom ‘90” has been certified as gold by the RIAA in the United States.
Public Events
During the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London, "Freedom '90" was performed to honor George Michael.
Cover Versions
Multiple artists, including Robbie Williams and The Spice Girls, have covered "Freedom '90" in the years since its release.
Coincidental Tragedy
"Freedom '90" was the last song George Michael performed in concert before his death on December 25, 2016.
Directorial Debut
The music video for "Freedom '90" marked the directorial debut for British photographer and filmmaker David Fincher who later went on to direct famed movies such as “Fight Club,” “Seven,” and “Gone Girl.”
Awards
Despite its popularity, “Freedom ‘90” did not receive any major music awards or nominations.
Symbolic Images
In the music video, there are symbolic images of Michael’s Wham! days being blown up, including his leather jacket and jukebox from the “Faith” video, as a visual representation of his breaking away from his previous image.

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    Freedom

    93.8M
    354.7K     17,162

    Top Hot 100 Songs 1990

    Billboard #8


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