Free (Ultra Naté song)

"Free"
Single by Ultra Naté
from the album Situation: Critical
Released March 31, 1997
Format CD single, maxi-single
Genre House
Dance-pop
Disco
Speed garage (R.I.P. Up North Mix)
Length 5:52 (album version)
Label Strictly Rhythm
Writer(s) Ultra Naté, Lem Springsteen, John Ciafone
Producer(s) Lem Springsteen, John Ciafone
Ultra Naté singles chronology
"How Long"
(1994)		 "Free"
(1997)		 "Found a Cure"
(1998)
Music video
"Free" on YouTube

"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 Nate, 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, Situation: Critical (1997). Musically, the song is a dance-pop influenced song that incorporates strong 90's house music 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 90's era. The song became Nate's most successful single to date, charting in many countries around the world. The song peaked inside the top forty in countries including United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand. The song managed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seventy-five but peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs.

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 Sinclair Remix, Jason Nevins Mix and the original version of the song.[1] 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."

Track listing

  1. "Free" (Mood II Swing Radio Edit) – 3:41
  2. "Free" (Full Intention Radio Edit) – 3:20
  3. "Free" (Mood II Swing Extended Vocal Mix) – 12:09
  4. "Free" (Full Intention Vocal Mix) – 6:50
  5. "Free" (R.I.P. Up North Mix) – 6:45
  6. "Free" (R.I.P. Down South Dub) – 6:25
  7. "Free" (Mood II Swing Live Mix) – 7:42
  8. "Free" (Mood II Swing Dub Mix) – 8:52
  9. "Free" (Full Intention Sugar Daddy Dub) – 6:05

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[2] 31
Austrian Singles Chart[2] 33
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[2] 22
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[2] 11
Canadian Singles Chart[3] 10
Dutch Singles Chart[2] 28
French Singles Chart[2] 6
German Singles Chart[4] 42
New Zealand Singles Chart[2] 30
Norwegian Singles Chart[2] 17
Swedish Singles Chart[2] 28
Swiss Singles Chart[2] 6
UK Singles Chart[5] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 75
US Hot Dance Club Songs[3] 1
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[3] 1

Certifications

Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
United Kingdom Gold[6]
Preceded by
"It Must Be Love" by Robin S.		 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
July 5, 1997 – July 19, 1997 		Succeeded by
"I Don't Want To" by Toni Braxton

Remixes

In 2005, (Curvve Recordings) released the official remixes of "Free". Remixers included:

References

  1. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ultra-nat%C3%A9-mn0000214869/songs
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Ultra Naté - Free Ultratop. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Situation: Critical - Ultra Naté - Billboard Singles Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  4. ↑ Ultra Naté - Longplay Musicline.de. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  5. ↑ "Ultra Naté - Free". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  6. ↑ "Chart Log UK : U2 – Utopia Love". Zobbel. Retrieved 2010-06-18.