"Born Free" is a
popular song with music by
John Barry and lyrics by
Don Black.
It was written for the
1966 film of the same name and won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Original version
The song's composers, John Barry and Don Black, asked British singer
Matt Monro
Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons, 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career. AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the m ...
, who was managed by Black at the time, to record the song for the film's soundtrack. The producers of the film considered the song uncommercial, however, and deleted it from the print shown at its Royal Command premiere in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. When Monro, who attended the event, made Black aware of the edit, they successfully lobbied the producers to restore it. Monro's interpretation appeared over the closing credits in a shortened version recorded especially for the film, which enabled it to qualify for the Academy Award. Monro's complete commercial recording was released on the film's soundtrack album and became the singer's signature tune for the remainder of his career.
Charted versions
Matt Monro's version never charted. However,
Roger Williams recorded a cover which was noted for its use of a male chorus, heard in the second half of the song after the instrumental section. The song reached number seven on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the
Adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
chart for six non-consecutive weeks in September/October 1966
The r&b group
the Hesitations recorded a cover that peaked at #38 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1968.
[
]
"Born Free" also appeared on the
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mort ...
album ''
I Will Cure You''. Released as a single, this version peaked at #6 in 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 ...
in 1991.
See also
*
List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1966 (U.S.)
References
External links
George Adamson information website with photos, letters and much information and featuring Elsa the Lioness.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Born Free (Song)
1966 songs
1966 singles
1973 singles
1991 singles
Film theme songs
British pop songs
Matt Monro songs
Andy Williams songs
Ike & Tina Turner songs
Frank Sinatra songs
Ed Ames songs
Songs with lyrics by Don Black (lyricist)
Songs with music by John Barry (composer)
Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songs
Capitol Records singles
United Artists Records singles