"I Feel Free" is a song first recorded by the British rock band

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

. The lyrics were written by

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 Br ...

, with the music by

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

. The song showcases the band's musical diversity, effectively combining

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

with

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included "trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

. "I Feel Free" was released in the UK by

Reaction Records Reaction Records was an independent British record label, run by music executive Robert Stigwood in 1966 and 1967. Although Reaction released only three albums, one EP and eighteen singles in its brief existence, its roster included two of t ...

as the group's second single and reached number 11 on the singles chart. In the US,

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

issued it as their debut single as well as the opening track on the group's first album, '' Fresh Cream'' (1966).

Background

"I Feel Free" was recorded in September 1966 at Ryemuse Studios. The song was recorded on an

Ampex Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff as a spin-off of Dalmo-Victor. The name AMPEX is a portmanteau, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence.AbramsoThe History ...

reel-to-reel audio tape recorder by

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...

and John Timperley. Stigwood made the decision to omit the song on the British release of '' Fresh Cream'', and instead released it as a single.

Charts

"I Feel Free" first entered 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 ...

on 17 December 1966 at number 50, hit its highest position on 28 January 1967 at number 11, and was last seen on 4 March 1967 at number 49; the song spent a total of 12 weeks on the charts. In the US the single reached number 116 on the ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart in December 1967. In Finland it reached number 39.

Personnel

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pi ...

drums, percussion *

lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, piano *

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

guitar

Cover versions

In 1984, a version by Mark King of

Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on th ...

was featured on his solo album ''

Influences ''Influences'' is the debut solo album by English musician Mark King, singer and bass player with Level 42. It was released by Polydor Records in July 1984. The album features a cover of the song "I Feel Free" by Cream, which was released as a ...

''. This was released as a single and reached number 96 in the UK. In 1986, a solo version by

was featured on a

Renault 21 The Renault 21 is a large family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1986 and 1994. It was also sold in North America initially through American Motors dealers as the Renault Medallion and later through Jeep-Eagle dealers as the Ea ...

commercial and became his only solo UK hit, appearing for only one week at 95. In 1987, American singer

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

recorded the song for her second studio album, '' Heaven on Earth'' (1987). The recording was produced by

Rick Nowels Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists''Billboard'' Hot 100. The 7-inch single's B-side was "Should I Let You In?", while the 12-inch single includes an extended mix and a dub version. The extended version of the song was used in the 1988 film ''

License to Drive ''License to Drive'' is a 1988 American teen comedy film written by Neil Tolkin and directed by Greg Beeman in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Heather Graham, Carol Kane, Richard Masur, Michael Manasse ...

''. An accompanying music video using concert footage was produced to promote the single. In 1993, a version by

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

appeared on the album ''

Black Tie White Noise ''Black Tie White Noise'' is the 18th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 5 April 1993 through Savage Records in the United States and Arista Records in the United Kingdom. Conceived following the disbandment of Bowi ...

''. Bowie cited a connection with his step-brother, who was the subject of a different song on the album, as his reason for including the cover on the album.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1966 singles 1986 singles 1988 singles Cream (band) songs Belinda Carlisle songs David Bowie songs Songs written by Jack Bruce Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood Polydor Records singles Atco Records singles Psychedelic pop songs MCA Records singles Reaction Records singles 1966 songs Songs with lyrics by Pete Brown