"I Want to Be Free" is a song by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in May 1981 by Safari Records. The song promoted Toyah's 1981 studio album ''

Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

'' and was a Top 10 chart hit in the UK and Ireland.

Background

The song was written by Toyah Willcox and

Joel Bogen Joel Bogen (born 3 September 1958) is an English rock and punk guitarist. He worked with Toyah Willcox from the late 1970s to 1983 as the guitar player in her eponymous band and was the co-writer on nearly all of the material they recorded. B ...

, and produced by

Nick Tauber Nick Tauber is a British record producer best known for his work with Thin Lizzy, Toyah and Marillion in the 1970s and 1980s. Nick Tauber continues to manage, produce, and consult with acts/artists/and producers. In the late 1990s, Tauber was in ...

. Willcox explained that it "resonated how I felt about school years which was still very strongly with me even when I was 22". It is about Toyah's frustration as a

dyslexic Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...

teenager when she was, as she said, "being forced not to be myself, my natural self". The lyric originated when Toyah was fourteen and was developed into the final song in 1981. She further explained that the song is "about seeing the individual, it's about hearing and understanding the individual, not wiping them away from a future just because they can't add up or don't write particularly well. Also, it's about us having the choice". The single was released in May 1981 only in the 7" vinyl format. There were two variations of the single artwork – with a black or a white border. The two non-album B-sides, "Walkie-Talkie" and "Alien", were eventually included on the 1999 CD reissue of ''

'' as well as the 2005 compilation ''The Safari Singles Collection Part 2: 1981–1983''. Bolstered by the performance of the previous single, "

It's a Mystery ''It's a Mystery'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). As with his prior album, it is credited to the Silver Bullet Band, though many of the tracks feature a wide array ...

", and backed by an appearance on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'', "I Want to Be Free" entered the UK Top 10 where it would peak at number 8, and helped push the album ''Anthem'' into the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

, where it peaked at number 2. It was also Toyah's second number 1 on the

UK Independent Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

and the band's most internationally successful single, reaching the Top 10 in Ireland and the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

in Australia and New Zealand, among others. It was eventually certified silver in the UK.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was directed by Godley & Creme.

Track listing

* 7" single :A. "I Want to Be Free" ( Toyah Willcox,

) – 3:10 :B1. "Walkie-Talkie" (Willcox, Bogen) – 2:03 :B2. "Alien" (Willcox, Bogen,

Nigel Glockler Nigel Glockler (born 24 January 1953) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer for the heavy metal band Saxon, which he first joined in 1981. Career Glockler began his musical career in 1980 as the drummer for the British band ...

) – 3:15

Personnel

* Toyah Willcox – vocals *

– guitar * Phil Spalding – bass *

– drums *

Adrian Lee Adrian Lee (born 9 September 1957, London, England) is an English musician, known especially for his brass instrumentation work with several well-known acts of the 1980s. Career Lee was first signed to Phonogram Records in the late 1970s as g ...

– keyboards

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

Official audio stream
at

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The official Toyah website
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Want To Be Free 1981 singles 1981 songs Toyah (band) songs Songs written by Toyah Willcox Songs written by Joel Bogen Safari Records singles UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles