Freedom (Paul McCartney song)
| "Freedom" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Paul McCartney | ||||
| from the album Driving Rain | ||||
| B-side | "From a Lover to a Friend" | |||
| Released | 5 November 2001 | |||
| Format | CD, 7", cassette | |||
| Recorded | Quad Studios, New York (studio version) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Writer(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
| Producer(s) | David Kahne | |||
| Paul McCartney singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Freedom" is a song written and recorded by Paul McCartney in response to the September 11 attacks in 2001. McCartney was in New York City at the time of the attacks and witnessed the event while sitting in a plane parked on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.[1]
Release
The song was released in two versions: a single, billed as a studio version (recorded in Quad Studios, New York), and an on McCartney's album Driving Rain, single CD of Freedom was available during Super Bowl billed as a live version. Both versions feature Eric Clapton on lead guitar with McCartney's touring band. The live album version also featured studio overdubs from the sessions that produced the single CD version. Sir Paul McCartney wanted Americans to help their fellow citizens by buying "Freedom" and donated all proceeds to 9/11 victims. He also wrote anonymous cheques to several New York police officers to help them with medical recovery.
The song was featured at the Super Bowl XXXVI pregame show with a Statue of Liberty tapestry rising up in the background as a tribute to the victims of 9/11. McCartney performed the song frequently on his 2002 Driving USA Tour, with most of the proceeds from the Driving USA tour going to victims of 9/11. The song also appeared on the live album Back in the U.S.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul McCartney.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Freedom" (studio mix) | 3:34 |
| 2. | "From a Lover to a Friend" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "From a Lover to a Friend" (David Kahne remix 2) | 5:27 |
Total length: |
12:50 | |
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
- Rusty Anderson – rhythm guitar
- Eric Clapton – lead guitar
- Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] | 61 |
| Romania (Romanian Top 100)[3] | 61 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 97 |
References
- ↑ "Second McCartney song for New York". BBC News Online. 2001-11-05. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Paul McCartney – Freedom" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Romanian Top 100".
- ↑ "Paul McCartney – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Paul McCartney. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
