"Free World" is a song by British singer and songwriter

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...

, which was released in 1989 as the lead single from her second studio album ''

Kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

''. It was written by MacColl and produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

. "Free World" reached number 43 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.

Background

Speaking to the ''

Evening Times The ''Glasgow Times'' is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Called ''The Evening Times'' from 1876, it was rebranded as the ''Glasgow Times'' on 4 December 2019.New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'': ""Free World" is very direct and simple; hopefully it'll make people think a bit. The subject matter is Thatcherite Britain – you know, grab whatever you can and sod the little guy. That's a fashionable way of looking at things, and I don't agree with it."

Release

MacColl's label,

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, had originally intended to release her version of

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

' "

Days A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two solar ...

" as the lead single from ''Kite'', but MacColl felt the first single had to be one which she wrote. She told James Bennett in 1994, "I was very proud of 'Free World' and was really glad that it became the first single." For its release as a single and improve its suitability for radio, the "shag it" in the line "Got to take it, got to grab it, got to get it up and shag it in this free world" was changed to "wag it".

Music video

The song's music video was directed by

Nick Willing Nick Willing (born 1961) is a British director, producer and writer of films and television series. Early life Willing is the son of Portuguese painter Dame Paula Rego and English artist Victor Willing and was largely brought up in Portugal, ...

Critical reception

On its release, Jerry Smith of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' praised "Free World" as "a short, sharp and totally irresistible slice of effervescent pop" and added that "fairly fizzing, it surely can't fail". Andy Hurt of ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' described it as a song which "commences with gusto with a capital GUST, but somehow manages to get lost in the vicinity of the chorus". He considered it to be "a nifty album track, should one materialise". Andrew Hirst of the ''

Huddersfield Daily Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851, as the ''H ...

'' commented, "Seems ages since we last heard from Kirsty and judging by this frantic bout of acoustic monotony, it could be ages before we hear from her again." In a review of ''Kite'', Steve Hochman of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' felt the song "slams home a warning of women's frustration in the world with U2-like frenzy". Stewart Mason of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described it as one of MacColl's "most combative songs". In the 2003 book ''The Rough Guide to Rock'', authors Peter and Jonathan Buckley said of the song, "'Free World' is an unusually melodic example of an anti-Thatcherite diatribe. It's not the MacColl that casual visitors to the charts would recognize, but then that was her all over." ''The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock'' described the song as having a "full-bodied pop style".

Track listing

7-inch single #"Free World" – 2:35 #"Closer to God?" – 3:55 10-inch single (UK limited edition release) #"Free World" – 2:35 #"Closer to God?" – 3:55 #"The End of a Perfect Day" (Original Demo Version) – 3:13 12-inch single #"Free World" – 2:35 #"You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" – 2:44 #"Closer to God?" – 3:55 CD single #"Free World" – 2:35 #"You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" – 2:44 #"Closer to God?" – 3:55 #"La Forêt De Mimosas" – 3:37 CD single (UK promo) #"Free World" – 2:35

Personnel

– vocals *

Pete Glenister Pete Glenister is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, known for his work with Alison Moyet and Kirsty MacColl. He has also worked with a number of other artists including Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bros, ...

– acoustic guitar, electric guitar * James Eller – double bass * David Palmer – drums *

Paul Crowder Paul Crowder (born 30 December 1962, London, England) is an English people, English musician, who later became a film editor and film director, director. Life and career Crowder's career started as a musician and, in 1980, he joined with Philip ...

– tambourine Production *

– producer * Alan Douglas – engineer * Mark Wallis – mixing Other * Bill Smith Studio, Kirsty MacColl – sleeve design * Charles Dickins – photography * XL Talent – management

Charts

References

{{authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles Kirsty MacColl songs Songs written by Kirsty MacColl Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Virgin Records singles