Free Ride (song)

"Free Ride"
Single by Edgar Winter Group
from the album They Only Come Out at Night
B-side When It Comes
Released 1973
Recorded 1972
Genre Rock
Length 3:08 (Album/Single version)
3:24 (Full version)
Label Epic
Writer(s) Dan Hartman
Producer(s) Rick Derringer
Edgar Winter Group singles chronology
"Frankenstein"
(1973)		 "Free Ride"
(1973)		 "Hangin' Around"
(1973)
"Free Ride"
Single by Tavares
from the album In the City
B-side In the Eyes of Love
Released 1975
Format 7″
Genre Soul
Length 2:57
Label Capitol
Writer(s) Dan Hartman
Producer(s) Dennis Lambert, Brian Potter
Tavares singles chronology
"It Only Takes a Minute"
(1975)		 "Free Ride"
(1975)		 "The Love I Never Had"
(1976)

"Free Ride" is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by The Edgar Winter Group. The single, engineered by Jim Reeves, was a top 20 U.S. hit in 1973, hitting number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.[1]

The single 45 version is distinctly different from the LP version. The 45 version contains a significantly brighter guitar track (that opens the song only on the left channel), added harmonics, a fuzz bass added to the bridge, and other changes that contrast sharply with the "dry" LP mix. Most classic rock radio stations play the LP version, and the original 45 mix is much less commonly available online. Both versions clock in at virtually the same length because each was based on the same core "take" and re-mixed with different tracks to the fore as well as added enhancements to the single.

Tavares recorded a version of the song for their 1975 album, In the City. Their version peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[2]

Audio Adrenaline recorded a version of the song for their 1996 album, Bloom.

Hartman himself re-recorded the song and released it in 1979 on the album Relight My Fire.

Appearances

The song was featured in the opening scenes of the 1990 movie Air America and in the 1995 film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. It was later used in The Drew Carey Show episode "The Dog and Pony Show".[3] The song also appears in the video games Prey, MLB 11: The Show, Cars, and Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned. The song is featured in the 1993 film, Dazed and Confused.[4] The song is on Rock Band 3 as downloadable content along with "Frankenstein".[5] It also appears in the main setlist of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. This song appeared in a 2015 Ford commercial for a Free Ride sales event.[6]

Charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Canada 100 (RPM)[7] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 14

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 685.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 567.
  3. ↑ Archerd, Army (October 16, 1997). "Hello, 'Monty': Drew drops drawers". Variety. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106677/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd
  5. ↑ ""Free Ride" and "Frankenstein" from The Edgar Winter Group & "Freak on a Leash" and "Falling Away from Me" from KoRn Come to Rock Band!". Rockband.com. January 13, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Ford Free Ride Sales Event TV Commercial. 'Every 2015 Ford'". ispot.tv. September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ "RPM100 Singles". RPM (Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada) 34 (2). October 20, 1973. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Edgar Winter Group – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for The Edgar Winter Group. Retrieved November 8, 2015.

External links


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