Free (Ultra Naté song)


"Free" is a song by American recording artist Ultra Naté released on March 31, 1997 by her record label Strictly Rhythm. The song was co-written by Naté, Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone while production was held by both Springsteen and Ciafone. "Free" was served as the lead single from her third studio album, . Musically, the song is a house influenced song that incorporates strong '90s soul, dance-pop, garage and disco.
"Free" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who commended her vocal ability and production. The song has been noted as one of the best dance anthems during the '90s decade. The song became Naté's most successful single to date, charting in many countries around the world. "Free" reached number one in Italy and peaked inside the top ten in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song also managed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 75, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
Ultra Naté performed the song in various TV-shows, like the British music chart television programme Top of the Pops, where she performed several times.

Background and release

Naté displayed her singing talent at an early age. She sang in church and studied medicine at the university in Baltimore. At weekends she went to clubs, where she met house music production team The Basement Boys. They started writing songs together, and released the 1991 album Blue Notes in the Basement. After she was dropped from the label, she signed Strictly Rhythm in New York. They wanted to release a new album with Naté, and she teamed up with producers and songwriters John Clafone and Lem Springsteen in Mood II Swing.
At first, Naté wanted a rock song that would work in clubs, and added the guitar line at the beginning of the song. The famous riff was played by Woody Pak, a friend of Springsteen. The title of the song came up completely random in the process of making a song that everyone could connect to. Naté co-wrote the lyrics and three gospel-singers; Audrey Wheeler, Cindy Mizelle and Khadejia Bass were hired to perform the chorus with Naté. American DJ, Little Louie Vega was the first DJ to play the promotional copy of "Free" in clubs. From there, the single went on becoming a global hit. The gay community saw it as a song about empowerment and made it a huge anthem.

Critical reception

"Free" received positive reviews from most music critics. AllMusic had highlighted three official versions of the song as "AllMusic Track Picks": the Bob Sinclar Remix, Jason Nevins Mix and the original version of the song. The Baltimore Sun described it as a "guitar-driven dance tune". Larry Flick from Billboard stated that the song "shows in excellent vocal form, belting with a level of authority that only comes with time and experience." He noted that "she has a field day with the message of empowerment that fuels "Free," not to mention producers Lem Springsteen and Jon Ciafone's invigorating soul-house groove." Pamela Rivers from Columbia Daily Spectator noted the song as "the high point of the ". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "Don't let this one slip by without a careful listen." A reviewer from the publication Resident Advisor awarded the song four stars out of five. The reviewer said, "This is a solid package from Curvve Recordings. “Free” has already received widespread plays from jocks worldwide, this time around it appears that it may well do the same. An absolute crowd puller, and an essential release for any house DJ that is looking for something to fill up a dance floor in seconds." Dave Fawbert from ShortList stated that the song "remains, forever, an eternal banger."

Chart performance

"Free" reached number-one in Italy and on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It peaked inside the Top-10 in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The song also was a Top 20 hit in Norway and Belgium, where it reached number 17 and 11. In addition, it peaked within the Top 30 in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, the Top 40 in Australia and Austria, and the Top 50 in Germany, where "Free" reached number 42. On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song managed peaking at number 75. It was certified Gold in both France and United Kingdom, with a sale of 250,000 and 400,000.

Music video

The music video of "Free" was directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. It features Naté performing in an empty hospital. There are two different edits of the video, with some different scenes.

Impact and legacy

DJ Magazine ranked it number 5 in their list of the "Top 100 Club Tunes" in 1998.
MTV Dance placed "Free" at number 31 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011.
Mixmag included the song in their list of "The 30 best vocal house anthems ever" in 2018. They wrote: "The opening bars are delicate, but soon enough the bumping production kicks in, underpinning a vocal that burns with the potency of the sun’s surface, encouraging dancers to live by Ultra Naté’s words and be free." In 2019, "Free" was also included in their list of "The 20 best diva house tracks".
British singer-songwriter and actor Will Young chose "Free" as his all-time favorite sunshine track in 2019. He said about the track: "MTV was so big then and this video came along and Ultra Nate had very short hair, dyed yellow and was so different-looking – she paved the way for a different kind of artist."

Track listing

  1. "Free" – 3:41
  2. "Free" – 3:20
  3. "Free" – 12:09
  4. "Free" – 6:50
  5. "Free" – 6:45
  6. "Free" – 6:25
  7. "Free" – 7:42
  8. "Free" – 8:52
  9. "Free" – 6:05

    Remixes

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications