Freedom (Jimi Hendrix song)

"Freedom" is a Jimi Hendrix song released in 1971 from the album The Cry of Love. The album was released posthumously in 1971 and became a major hit. This was the only single released from the album and was somewhat successful on the charts, reaching number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[1] It is now one of the more popular songs in the Hendrix collection, and is a staple in many compilation works. It was later featured on the 1997 album First Rays of the New Rising Sun.

Interpretation [edit]

The lyrics "Keep on pushing straight ahead..." towards the end of the song are most likely a reference to the Curtis Mayfield song "Keep On Pushing" from the album of the same name. Mayfield was a major influence on Hendrix, from whom he borrowed much of his R&B rhythm guitar style, as heard on recordings such as "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" and "Little Wing". "Straight ahead" is a phrase which features on several tracks from the period--and it was one of the titles considered for his final studio album.

Covers [edit]

In 1994, Steve Lukather sang this song for his album Candyman. In 1995 Jeff Healey did a version on his "Cover To Cover" album.

In popular culture [edit]

On March 19, 2009 the song was released as downloadable content playable on basic controllers for Guitar Hero: World Tour.

It was made available to download on December 20, 2011 for play in Rock Band 3 Basic, and PRO mode which utilizes real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

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