Born Free (song)
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"Born Free" is a
popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...
with music by John Barry and lyrics by Don Black. It was written for the
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
film of the same name and won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...
.


Original version

The song's composers, John Barry and Don Black, asked British singer Matt Monro, 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 Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantatio ...
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 The Hesitations are an American R&B group from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1965, they scored several hits in 1967 and 1968, the biggest being their gospel-infused version of the title track to the movie ''Born Free''. After one of the group's sing ...
recorded a cover that peaked at #38 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1968. "Born Free" also appeared on the Vic Reeves album ''
I Will Cure You ''I Will Cure You'' is the only album by English comedian Vic Reeves. It was released in 1991 by Island Records, produced by Steve Beresford, Andy Metcalfe and Philip Oakey and re-released in 1999 by Universal Music's Spectrum label. The alb ...
''. 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