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Free as a Bird (Supertramp song)

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"Free as a Bird"
Free as a Bird (Supertramp song).jpg
Single by Supertramp
from the album Free as a Bird
B-side"Thing For You"
ReleasedDecember 1987[1]
GenrePop rock[2]
Length4:20
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Rick Davies
Producer(s)Rick Davies, Supertramp[3]
Supertramp singles chronology
"I'm Beggin' You"
(1987)
"Free as a Bird"
(1987)
"You Win, I Lose"
(1997)
Music video
"Free as a Bird" on YouTube

"Free as a Bird" is the title track from Supertramp's 1987 album of the same name. Released as a single at the end of that year,[1] the song achieved only marginal commercial success, with a top-25 showing on the Polish charts being a relative highlight.

Overview

The music video for "Free as a Bird" was produced by Sue Pemberton and directed by Michael Patterson and Candace Reckenger.[4]

Cash Box said that "Rick Davies sets an easy groove with his patented, bluesy keyboard style, and takes you to a gospel out-chorus."[5]

In 1988 "Free as a Bird" was performed on the Dutch pop music television series, TopPop.[6]

In 2012, Something Else! ranked "Free as a Bird" as the 3rd worst song by Supertramp in their list of the 5 worst Supertramp songs, calling it ..."painful to listen to" and "Utterly uninspired".[7] Although John Helliwell's saxophone solo was noted as being "decent".[7]

It is the only song from the album of the same name that survived the accompanying tour. Live recordings were released on Live '88 and It Was the Best of Times.

"Free as a Bird" also appears on Supertramp's 1992 best-of album The Very Best of Supertramp 2 and the later compilation Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology.

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Music video

Music video

A music video, sometimes abbreviated to M/V, is a video of variable duration that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. These videos are typically shown on music television and on streaming video sites like YouTube, or more rarely shown theatrically. They can be commercially issued on home video, either as video albums or video singles.

TopPop

TopPop

TopPop is the first regular dedicated pop music television series in the Dutch language area. The Netherlands broadcaster AVRO aired the programme weekly, from 22 September 1970, to 27 June 1988. Presenter Ad Visser hosted for its first fifteen years. The creator and original director of TopPop was Rien van Wijk. Many other directors followed: Egbert van Hees, Geert Popma, Henk Renou, Chris Berger, Jessy Winkelman, Wim van der Linden, Bert van der Veer and Charly Noise. Although TopPop was inspired by British music programme Top of the Pops, it had its own character.

John Helliwell

John Helliwell

John Anthony Helliwell is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's concerts, talking and making jokes to the audience between songs.

Saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to produce a sound wave inside the instrument's body. The pitch is controlled by opening and closing holes in the body to change the effective length of the tube. The holes are closed by leather pads attached to keys operated by the player. Saxophones are made in various sizes and are almost always treated as transposing instruments. Saxophone players are called saxophonists.

Live '88 (Supertramp album)

Live '88 (Supertramp album)

Live '88 is the second live album by the English rock band Supertramp released in October 1988 on A&M Records.

It Was the Best of Times

It Was the Best of Times

It Was the Best of Times is the third live album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in April 1999. The album title makes use of the opening line from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

The Very Best of Supertramp 2

The Very Best of Supertramp 2

The Very Best of Supertramp 2 is a best of album by the English rock band Supertramp originally released by A&M Records in November 1992.

Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology

Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology

Retrospectacle – The Supertramp Anthology, also known as Gold in the U.S., is the first comprehensive compilation album by the English rock band Supertramp, released in October 2005.

Track listing

7" vinyl, Cassette

  1. "Free as a Bird" – 4:20
  2. "Thing For You" – 3:59

Personnel

According the Free as a Bird and The Very Best of Supertramp 2 liner notes.[8][9]

Other personnel

  • Supertramp – producer
  • Mark Hart – vocals, guitar and keyboards
  • Marty Walsh – guitar
  • Linda Foot – backing vocals
  • Lise Miller – backing vocals
  • Evan Rogers – backing vocals
  • Karyn White – backing vocals

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Liner notes

Liner notes

Liner notes are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.

Rick Davies

Rick Davies

Richard Davies is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best known songs, including "Rudy", "Bloody Well Right", "Crime of the Century", "From Now On", "Ain't Nobody But Me", "Gone Hollywood", "Goodbye Stranger", "Just Another Nervous Wreck", "Cannonball", and "I'm Beggin' You". He is generally noted for his rhythmic blues piano solos and jazz-tinged progressive rock compositions and cynical lyrics.

John Helliwell

John Helliwell

John Anthony Helliwell is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's concerts, talking and making jokes to the audience between songs.

Dougie Thomson

Dougie Thomson

Douglas 'Doogie' Campbell Thomson is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He was the bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp during much of the seventies and eighties.

Bob Siebenberg

Bob Siebenberg

Robert Layne Siebenberg also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion. He was the sole American in Supertramp's lineup, joining the band in 1973. His son, Jesse, joined Supertramp at the time of the release of the live album It Was the Best of Times.

Mark Hart

Mark Hart

Mark Hart, is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist best known for being a member of both Supertramp and Crowded House. As well as being a group member, touring and session musician for acts such as Ringo Starr, Hart has composed film scores and is a record producer.

Marty Walsh (musician)

Marty Walsh (musician)

Martin Kevin Walsh is an American guitarist, songwriter, arranger, composer and record producer. In 1979 Walsh had the opportunity to play on his first Billboard charting song, "Love Pains", by Yvonne Elliman. During his career as a session musician in the 1980s, Walsh participated as a guitarist on hits "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" by Barbara Mandrell, "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton, "She Works Hard for the Money" by Donna Summer and "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond. Among Walsh's credits on albums of artists such as John Denver, Eddie Kendricks, Seals and Crofts, Julio Iglesias, Kenny Rogers and John Fogerty, he was also a touring musician with Supertramp., and took part in recording the albums Brother Where You Bound in 1985 and Free as a Bird in 1987. Walsh perform in three LeAnn Rimes' albums in the late 1990s, Sittin' on Top of the World (1998), LeAnn Rimes (1999) and I Need You (2001)

Charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[1] 95
Poland (LP3)[10] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 95

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Dutch Single Top 100

Dutch Single Top 100

The Dutch Single Top 100 or Single Top 100 is a Dutch chart, based on official physical single sales, legal downloads and since July 2013 streaming and composed by Dutch Charts. It is one of the three official charts, the other two being the Dutch Top 40 and the Mega Top 30. The difference is that these charts also include airplay data. The list is especially intended for the music industry and those who take an interest in charts. In Dutch TV programmes the Single Top 100 is often cited, although it has not been broadcast since December 2006.

Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego

Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego

Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego is the oldest and the longest-running music chart in Poland. Aired by Polskie Radio Program III, a division of the Polskie Radio public broadcaster, the list has been broadcast weekly since 24 April 1982 until 15 May 2020 after 1998 airings. Initially hosted by Marek Niedźwiecki, since 2010 the hosting duties have been alternated by Niedźwiecki and Piotr Baron.

UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-selling singles in the United Kingdom, based upon physical sales, paid-for downloads and streaming. The Official Chart, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, is the UK music industry's recognised official measure of singles and albums popularity because it is the most comprehensive research panel of its kind, today surveying over 15,000 retailers and digital services daily, capturing 99.9% of all singles consumed in Britain across the week, and over 98% of albums. To be eligible for the chart, a single is currently defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as either a 'single bundle' having no more than four tracks and not lasting longer than 25 minutes or one digital audio track not longer than 15 minutes with a minimum sale price of 40 pence. The rules have changed many times as technology has developed, the most notable being the inclusion of digital downloads in 2005 and streaming in July 2014.

Official Charts Company

Official Charts Company

The Official Charts Company is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.

Source: "Free as a Bird (Supertramp song)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, November 8th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_as_a_Bird_(Supertramp_song).

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References
  1. ^ a b c "Supertramp – Free as a Bird" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Free as a Bird" at AllMusic
  3. ^ "Free as a Bird" (back cover). Supertramp. A&M. 1988. Retrieved 30 January 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "Video Track" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100 #13. United States. 3 March 1988. p. 52. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  5. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. January 30, 1988. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  6. ^ Supertramp - Free As A Bird • TopPop. TopPop (Television production). Netherlands: AVRO. 9 April 1988. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b Perplexio (17 August 2012). "Supertramp Songs That Sucked: Gimme Five". somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  8. ^ Free as a Bird (liner notes). Supertramp. A&M. 2003. Retrieved 5 February 2021.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Haverty, Doug (1992). The Very Best of Supertramp 2 (liner notes). Supertramp. A&M. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  10. ^ "free as a bird" (in Polish). LP3. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2021.

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