Set You Free (N-Trance song)
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"Set You Free" is a song written and recorded by English rave band
N-Trance N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1991. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and " Electronic Pleasure", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs ...
, featuring vocals from English singer
Kelly Llorenna Kelly Llorenna (born 1975) is an English dance music singer, who was born in Slough, Berkshire and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the dance group N-Trance in the 1990s. Their biggest hit ...
. It was first released as a
white label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...
record in 1992, then officially released as a single in April 1994, just making the UK top 40 at No. 39. A re-release in January 1995 was much more successful, peaking at No. 2 in the UK. Same year, it was included on the band's debut album, '' Electronic Pleasure'' (1995). Later, it was remixed and re-released in 2001, this time reaching No. 4.


Background

The song was inspired by a night out in
the Haçienda The Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, North West England, which became famous during the Manchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. It was run by the record label Factory Records. The club opened in 1982, eventually ...
in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
that N-Trance's Kevin O'Toole had in 1989. "They used to pass round pints of water, and a woman came up to me and I felt her heartbeat through her top," he said. "The songs created a diary of what was happening at the time." Llorenna was only 16 when she recorded the vocals in 1992. She told ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...
'' that she "Kevin 'Tooleand Dale ongworth, the other member of N-Trancecame into my college and asked if anyone sung, and everyone replied 'Kelly sings!'" They later headed to O'Toole's bedroom studio to do a vocal demo. For Llorenna, her vocals "captured that childhood moment in time. It was just me and five lads in a transit van going up to
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
or
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
every week, playing the song for petrol money." She claims that when people hear the opening of the song, which features thunder, lightning and rain, "their faces light up, and they're transported back to where they were."


Critical reception

Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' described the song as a "lively
Euro-NRG Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. Thi ...
romp". In December 1994, ''
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 ...
'' wrote, "This record is now on its third release simply because retail and club reaction has demanded it. With 50,000 copies already sold, this very Euro dance-style tune could finally make the big time thanks to a strong chorus and less of the normal quota of Euro cheese." In his UK chart commentary, James Masterton said, "I would personally argue that this is a terrible record. It starts promisingly, with a strong melody powerfully sung. Thirty seconds in though this is all but swamped by a frantic rave beat, ..N-Trance have been making inroads on the chart for over a year now but this is the first major hit for them. It is, as I said, a terrible record, but it has made No.6 first week out so what do I know?"


Chart performance

The 1995 version of "Set You Free" was successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number two on 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 ...
. It peaked at that position during its fifth week on the chart. It was held off the top spot by
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
's " Think Twice". The single made it into the top 10 also in Ireland and the Netherlands, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine. Additionally, "Set You Free" was a top 20 hit in Sweden and Switzerland, and went to number 44 in Germany. Outside Europe, it was a hit in Australia, where it reached number 11. It earned a
gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
there, with a sale of 35,000 singles and a platinum record in the UK, after 600,000 singles were sold.


Music video

The accompanying
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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Set You Free" was directed by prolific music video director Steve Price and shot in various locations in County Durham and
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
. The video comprises scenes of fireworks, the band dancing and singing in a
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
, in front of Cliffords Tower in
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, England and travelling in a stretched
limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a pr ...
. The scene at Cliffords Tower was fortuitously or coincidentally shot on 3 November 1994, which coincided with an annual Guy Fawkes Night
Fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...
display organised by York City Council. The nightclub scenes were shot at Bianco's, Stockton-on-Tees. It is claimed that the video cost around £5,000 to make. "Set You Free" was later published on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
in June 2008. The video had generated more than 9.4 million views as of January 2023. In 2001, the video was reedited for the Rob Searle Radio Edit.


Track listings

* 12-inch single, UK (1994) # "Set You Free" (Original Mix) # "Set You Free" (Liberation Mix) # "Set You Free" (Lost Soul Version) * CD single, UK (1994) # "Set You Free" (Lost Soul Version) — 4:13 # "Set You Free" (Pop Mix) — 4:05 # "Set You Free" (Original Edit) — 4:15 # "Set You Free" (Original Version) — 7:01 # "Set You Free" (TTF Remix) — 4:53 # "Set You Free" (Liberation Mix) — 6:39 # "Set You Free" (Kleptomania Mix) — 5:52 * CD single, Australia & New Zealand (1995) # "Set You Free" (Original Radio Edit) — 4:22 # "Set You Free" (Original Mix) — 7:16 # "Set You Free" (Amsterdam Mix) — 5:28 # "Set You Free" (Lost Soul Mix) — 4:12 # "Set You Free" (Shades Of Rhythm Remix) — 6:10 # "Set You Free" (Liberation Remix) — 6:39 # "Set You Free" (Acapella (N-Trance Unplugged)) — 1:54 * CD maxi, UK (1995) # "Set You Free" (Original Radio Edit) — 4:22 # "Set You Free" (Original Mix) — 7:16 # "Set You Free" (Amsterdam Mix) — 5:28 # "Set You Free" (Lost Soul Mix) — 4:12 # "Set You Free" (Shades Of Rhythm Remix) — 6:10 # "Set You Free" (Liberation Remix) — 6:39 # "Set You Free" (N-Trance Unplugged) — 1:54


Personnel

* N-Trance: production, writing *
Kelly Llorenna Kelly Llorenna (born 1975) is an English dance music singer, who was born in Slough, Berkshire and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the dance group N-Trance in the 1990s. Their biggest hit ...
: vocals * T-1K: raps (Lost Soul and Pop Mix) * Tim Russell: engineering


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts

Original version Remix


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Cover versions

The Scottish band Frightened Rabbit included a cover of the song in its 2008 single Head Rolls Off. In September 2021, English singer Kyla La Grange covered the song, saying "I wanted to re-work it in a way that brought out the sadness".


References

{{Authority control 1992 songs 1994 debut singles 1995 singles 2001 singles All Around the World Productions singles Breakbeat hardcore songs N-Trance songs