"Free as a Bird"
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.

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.

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

Charts

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
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