The Ten Best "Free" Songs

Every summer Americans celebrate their independence by igniting fireworks, usually accompanied by a soundtrack of music. Seldom is there rhyme or reason in the song selection. Most fireworks shows seem to just play a random selection of songs familiar to most spectators.

Since the purpose of celebration is to revel in the birth of America's freedom, I suggest that the song list should feature tunes that contain the word free in their titles.

Here are the ten songs I would definitely include in such a list.

10. I Want to Break Free by Queen: The band had reached its peak a few albums before The Works ,and this John Deacon composition is the last catchy pop hit Queen ever released.

9. Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young: The Canadian folk-rock legend periodically moves into electric rock, and this anthem is a prime example of what Young can do when backed by Crazy Horse.

8. Free Energy by Free Energy: This rock track, complete with cow bell and vibrant electric guitar, opens the first album from the Philadelphia indie band. After just one listen you'll find yourself singing along with the chorus, "This is all we got tonight."

7. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd: The enduring track from the southern rock band's debut album remain ubiquitous four decades after its release, and thirty years after its first line ("If I leave here tomorrow, Would you still remember me?") was adopted as my Class of '81 motto.

6. Free Fallin' by Tom Petty: John Mayer adequately covered the classic, but Petty's voice seems to soar as he sings the chorus between the obscure verses about vampires, Elvis, and horses.

5. I'm Free by The Who: Roger Daltrey as Tommy screeches the title as if he has literally been set free after years of confinement. In the film, he is flying, twenty five years before Petty went Free Fallin'.
4. Free Ride by The Edgar Winter Group: The instrumental Frankenstein is more well-known, but this is a track from They Only Come Out at Night that you could actually sing along with. The opening guitar riff is still a favorite choice for beginning guitarists to impress their friends.

3. Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell: Is it the best track from Court and Spark? There are so many that it has always been difficult to say for sure, but this one has the best chorus: "I was a free man in Paris, I felt unfettered and alive, There was no one calling me up for favors, No one's future to decide."

2. Chimes of Freedom by Bob Dylan: Robert Zimmerman's poetry was its apex in the gorgeous stanzas of this track from Another Side of Bob Dylan. The best image among them is, "Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight."

1. Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John: This single was a follow up to Elton's smash Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. Lyricist Bernie Taupin returns to his common theme of leaving the city for the quaintness and stability of the country life.