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Freedom (Wham! song)

March 12, 2023

For the unrelated later solo song by George Michael, see Freedom! '90.

"Freedom" is a hit song by British pop duo Wham!. It became the group's second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America.[1] It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.[2]

"Freedom"
Artwork for the UK 7-inch single and continental European release. It is identical to North American artwork of the song's parent album Make It Big.
Single by Wham!
from the album Make It Big
B-side
  • "Freedom" (instrumental) (UK)
  • "Heartbeat" (US)
Released
  • 1 October 1984 (UK)
  • July 1985 (US)
Recorded1984
GenrePop
Length
  • 5:01 (album version)
  • 5:20 (US version)
LabelCBS
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Careless Whisper"
(1984) 		"Freedom"
(00000004) 		"Last Christmas" / "Everything She Wants"
(1984)
Music video
"Freedom" on YouTube

History

Cash Box said that "George Michael’s R&B tinged vocals soar with the tune’s catchy refrain."[3] Billboard described the song as a "Motown tribute".[4]

Wham! had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time "Freedom" was released in October of the year. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" had given them their first UK number one and had then reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. George had then gone to number one with a solo single, "Careless Whisper".

"Freedom" was number one in the UK for three weeks,[1] and featured on the album Make It Big, which was issued at the same time. "Freedom" was the 10th biggest-selling single of 1984.[5] This song also reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in September 1985.[6] The music video, coinciding with the 1985 US release, features the band touring around Beijing, China.

The melody of the song's chorus was used by George Michael as an introduction to his song, "Faith", played on a church organ.

A reworked version of the song with altered lyrics (but still performed by the duo) was used to promote Maxell's line of audio cassettes in 1984.[7]

When the single was released in the United States, the song was remixed and extended an extra 20 seconds. The remix involved the vocals being given more reverb and the organ sounds being higher up in the mix. The extension involved a new trumpet section and added vocals. The section had first been heard in The Big Tour to close the number.

The American remix was later included on The Final (album) and later, the greatest hits compilation album The Best of Wham!: If You Were There.... However, the original version was included on the release of Make It Big in the United States.

Track listings

All tracks are written by George Michael.

7-inch: Epic / A 4743 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Freedom"5:08
2."Freedom" (instrumental)5:10
  • Incorrectly labelled as 5:00 in length.
7-inch: Columbia / 38-05409 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Freedom"5:20
2."Heartbeat"4:42
12-inch: Epic / TA 4743 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Freedom" (long version)7:14
2."Freedom" (instrumental)5:10
  • Note "Long Version" is mislabeled as "Long Mix"
12-inch maxi single: Columbia / 44-05238 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Freedom" (long mix)6:16
2."Heartbeat"4:42
3."Freedom" (instrumental)5:10

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Freedom"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Gold 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 700,000[39]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 441–2. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ Amy Hanson. "Freedom - Wham! | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-03-29.
  3. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. July 27, 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  4. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. July 27, 1985. p. 64. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  5. ^ a b 1984 in British music#Best-selling singles
  6. ^ a b "Wham! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Wham! - Maxell Cassette Tape Commercial (1984)". YouTube. Maxell. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 335. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Wham! – Freedom" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Wham! – Freedom" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  11. ^ (in Dutch). Top 30. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0579." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9296." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  14. ^ . CHUM. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  16. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Wham! – Freedom" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Wham! – Freedom" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  19. ^ "Wham! Chart History". RÚV. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Freedom". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".
  22. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  23. ^ "Wham! – Freedom" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  24. ^ "Wham! – Freedom". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  25. ^ "Wham! – Freedom". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  26. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts W". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  27. ^ "Wham! – Freedom". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  28. ^ "Wham! – Freedom". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Wham! Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  31. ^ . Cash Box. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  32. ^ "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 12 January 2022 – via Imgur.com.
  33. ^ . Ultratop 50 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  34. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  35. ^ . Single Top 100 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  36. ^ a b "Volume 97 No. 52, DECEMBER 28. 1985" (PDF). Billboard. New York, NY, USA. 28 December 1985. p. TA-21,TA-28. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  37. ^ . Cash Box. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  38. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Wham! – Freedom" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 28 November 2019. Enter Freedom in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1984 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle statussen"
  39. ^ "George Michael on the charts". Music Week. Intent Media. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Wham! – Freedom". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

March 12, 2023
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For the unrelated later solo song by George Michael see Freedom 90 Freedom is a hit song by British pop duo Wham It became the group s second number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and reached number three in America 1 It was written and produced by George Michael one half of the duo 2 Freedom Artwork for the UK 7 inch single and continental European release It is identical to North American artwork of the song s parent album Make It Big Single by Wham from the album Make It BigB side Freedom instrumental UK Heartbeat US Released1 October 1984 UK July 1985 US Recorded1984GenrePopLength5 01 album version 5 20 US version LabelCBSSongwriter s George MichaelProducer s George MichaelWham singles chronology Careless Whisper 1984 Freedom 00000004 Last Christmas Everything She Wants 1984 Music video Freedom on YouTube Contents 1 History 2 Track listings 3 Charts 3 1 Weekly charts 3 2 Year end charts 4 Certifications 5 ReferencesHistory EditCash Box said that George Michael s R amp B tinged vocals soar with the tune s catchy refrain 3 Billboard described the song as a Motown tribute 4 Wham had already enjoyed a successful 1984 by the time Freedom was released in October of the year Wake Me Up Before You Go Go had given them their first UK number one and had then reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States George had then gone to number one with a solo single Careless Whisper Freedom was number one in the UK for three weeks 1 and featured on the album Make It Big which was issued at the same time Freedom was the 10th biggest selling single of 1984 5 This song also reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in September 1985 6 The music video coinciding with the 1985 US release features the band touring around Beijing China The melody of the song s chorus was used by George Michael as an introduction to his song Faith played on a church organ A reworked version of the song with altered lyrics but still performed by the duo was used to promote Maxell s line of audio cassettes in 1984 7 When the single was released in the United States the song was remixed and extended an extra 20 seconds The remix involved the vocals being given more reverb and the organ sounds being higher up in the mix The extension involved a new trumpet section and added vocals The section had first been heard in The Big Tour to close the number The American remix was later included on The Final album and later the greatest hits compilation album The Best of Wham If You Were There However the original version was included on the release of Make It Big in the United States Track listings EditAll tracks are written by George Michael 7 inch Epic A 4743 UK No TitleLength1 Freedom 5 082 Freedom instrumental 5 10 Incorrectly labelled as 5 00 in length 7 inch Columbia 38 05409 US No TitleLength1 Freedom 5 202 Heartbeat 4 42 12 inch Epic TA 4743 UK No TitleLength1 Freedom long version 7 142 Freedom instrumental 5 10 Note Long Version is mislabeled as Long Mix 12 inch maxi single Columbia 44 05238 US No TitleLength1 Freedom long mix 6 162 Heartbeat 4 423 Freedom instrumental 5 10Charts EditWeekly charts Edit Weekly chart performance for Freedom Chart 1984 1985 PeakpositionAustralia Kent Music Report 8 3Austria O3 Austria Top 40 9 23Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 10 2Belgium VRT Top 30 Flanders 11 2Canada Top Singles RPM 12 10Canada Adult Contemporary RPM 13 3Canada CHUM 14 5Europe European Hot 100 Singles 15 3Finland Suomen virallinen lista 16 5France SNEP 17 16Germany Official German Charts 18 14Iceland RUV 19 1Ireland IRMA 20 1Italy Musica e dischi 21 5Netherlands Dutch Top 40 22 2Netherlands Single Top 100 23 3New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 24 8Norway VG lista 25 1South Africa Springbok Radio 26 8Sweden Sverigetopplistan 27 9Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 28 5UK Singles OCC 29 1US Billboard Hot 100 6 3US Adult Contemporary Billboard 30 4US Cash Box Top 100 31 10 Year end charts Edit 1984 year end chart performance for Freedom Chart 1984 PositionAustralia Kent Music Report 32 52Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 33 19Netherlands Dutch Top 40 34 11Netherlands Single Top 100 35 15UK Singles OCC 5 101985 year end chart performance for Freedom Chart 1985 PositionUS Billboard Hot 100 36 76US Adult Contemporary Billboard 36 30US Cash Box Top 100 37 84Certifications EditCertifications for Freedom Region Certification Certified units salesNetherlands NVPI 38 Gold 75 000 United Kingdom BPI 40 Gold 700 000 39 Shipments figures based on certification alone References Edit a b Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp 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 Single Releases PDF Cash Box July 27 1985 p 11 Retrieved 2022 07 29 Reviews Billboard July 27 1985 p 64 Retrieved 2022 07 29 a b 1984 in British music Best selling singles a b Wham Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Maxell Cassette Tape Commercial 1984 YouTube Maxell Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 Retrieved 21 December 2020 Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 Illustrated ed St Ives N S W Australian Chart Book p 335 ISBN 0 646 11917 6 Wham Freedom in German O3 Austria Top 40 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Radio 2 Top 30 in Dutch Top 30 Archived from the original on 28 March 2016 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Top RPM Singles Issue 0579 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 13 September 2016 Top RPM Adult Contemporary Issue 9296 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved 13 September 2016 CHART NUMBER 1499 Saturday September 14 1985 CHUM Archived from the original on 7 November 2006 Retrieved 2006 11 07 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles PDF Music amp Media Retrieved 26 June 2021 Pennanen Timo 2021 Wham Sisaltaa hitin 2 laitos Levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1 1 1960 30 6 2021 PDF Helsinki Kustannusosakeyhtio Otava p 280 Retrieved 9 June 2022 Wham Freedom in French Les classement single Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Chart History RUV 22 March 2016 Retrieved 7 November 2018 The Irish Charts Search Results Freedom Irish Singles Chart Retrieved 13 September 2016 Classifiche Musica e dischi in Italian Retrieved 9 June 2022 Set Tipo on Singoli Then in the Artista field search Wham Nederlandse Top 40 week 45 1984 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom Top 40 Singles Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom VG lista Retrieved 13 September 2016 South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 1989 Acts W The South African Rock Encyclopedia Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom Singles Top 100 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Freedom Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved 13 September 2016 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 13 September 2016 Wham Chart History Adult Contemporary Billboard Retrieved 13 September 2016 CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending SEPTEMBER 28 1985 Cash Box Archived from the original on 1 October 2012 Retrieved 2012 09 11 Kent Music Report No 548 31 December 1984 gt National Top 100 Singles for 1984 Kent Music Report Retrieved 12 January 2022 via Imgur com Ultratop Jaaroverzichten 1984 Ultratop 50 in Dutch Archived from the original on 10 July 2014 Retrieved 13 September 2016 Top 100 Jaaroverzicht van 1984 Dutch Top 40 in Dutch Retrieved 13 September 2016 Dutch Charts Jaaroverzichten Single 1984 Single Top 100 in Dutch Archived from the original on 14 October 2016 Retrieved 13 September 2016 a b Volume 97 No 52 DECEMBER 28 1985 PDF Billboard New York NY USA 28 December 1985 p TA 21 TA 28 Retrieved 13 September 2016 The CASH BOX Year End Charts 1985 Cash Box Archived from the original on 1 October 2012 Retrieved 23 April 2017 Dutch single certifications Wham Freedom in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved 28 November 2019 EnterFreedom in the Artiest of titel box Select 1984 in the drop down menu saying Alle statussen George Michael on the charts Music Week Intent Media 11 January 2017 Retrieved 12 January 2017 British single certifications Wham Freedom British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 29 March 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Freedom Wham song amp oldid 1129176801, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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