Freedom (Wham! song)
| "Freedom" | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Wham! | |||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Make It Big | |||||||||||||||||||
| Released |
August 13, 1984 (UK) August 1985 (US) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 12", 7" | ||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||||||||||||||||
| Length |
5:01 (album version) 5:20 (single version w/ alternate ending) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Label | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | George Michael | ||||||||||||||||||
| Producer(s) | George Michael | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wham! singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Freedom" is a song by British pop duo Wham! in 1984, becoming the group's second No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.[2]
History
Wham! had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time "Freedom" was released in August of the year. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" had given them their first UK No. 1 and had then reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. George had then gone to No. 1 with a solo single, "Careless Whisper". Then after, Wham! had their second American number one song with Everything She Wants.
"Freedom" was No. 1 in the UK for three weeks,[1] and featured on the album Make It Big, which was issued at the same time. Unusually for the time, it was released in mono sound. "Freedom" was the 10th biggest selling single of 1984. This song also reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in September 1985. The music video, coinciding with the 1985 US release, features the band touring around Beijing, China.
The melody of the song was used by George Michael as an introduction to his song, "Faith", played on a church organ.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by George Michael.
| 7": Epic / A 4743 (UK) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Freedom" | 5:08 |
| 2. | "Freedom" (Instrumental) | 5:10 |
| 7": Columbia / 38-05409 (US) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Freedom" | 5:00 |
| 2. | "Heartbeat" | 4:42 |
| 12": Epic / TA 4743 (UK) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Freedom" (Long Version) | 7:14 |
| 2. | "Freedom" (Instrumental) | 5:10 |
- Note "Long Version" is mislabeled as "Long Mix"
| 12" Maxi Single: Columbia / 44-05238 (US) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Freedom" (Long Mix) | 6:16 |
| 2. | "Hearbeat" (Instrumental) | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Freedom" (Instrumental) | 5:10 |
Chart performance
| Chart (1984/1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 9 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 3 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 6 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 23 |
| German Singles Chart | 14 |
| French Singles Chart | 16 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 3 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 3 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[3] | 4 |
References
- 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 441–2. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Amy Hanson. "Freedom - Wham! | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
- 1 2 Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved 11 December 2007)
| Preceded by "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder |
UK number-one single 20 October 1984 - 3 November 1984 |
Succeeded by "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan |
| Preceded by "The War Song" by Culture Club |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 27 October 1984 - 10 November 1984 |
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