"Free" is a song by Vermont-based

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

, released as the first single from their 1996 album ''

Billy Breathes ''Billy Breathes'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Phish, released by Elektra Records on October 15, 1996. The album was credited with connecting the band, known for its jam band concerts and devoted cult following, with a more ...

''. The track reached number 7 on the ''

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Adult Alternative Airplay Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by ''Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radi ...

chart, becoming their first song to reach the top 10 on that (or any) chart. It also reached numbers 11 and 24 on the

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and

Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

charts, respectively, as their highest chart entry on the former and their only chart entry on the latter. It was also the band's first song to chart in

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, peaking at No. 68 in 1997.

Song history

"Free" was debuted at a Voters for Choice benefit concert on May 16, 1995 at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, during which the band debuted several other new songs. The song has been a regular fixture in the band's setlist rotation since its debut with over 200 performances as of 2023. "Free" has also been jammed by the band often, with the longest version, at over 33 minutes in length, played on November 22, 1995 at the USAir Arena in

Landover, Maryland Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998. Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...

Track listing

# "Free" (

Trey Anastasio Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 ...

, Tom Marshall) – 3:49 # "Theme from the Bottom" (Anastasio, Jon Fishman,

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon plays banjo, piano, and guitar. He is a filmmaker ('' Rising Low'', '' Outs ...

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963) is an American multi-instrumentalist, most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. McConnell joined Phish in 1985, and is the only member of its long-standing quartet li ...

, Marshall) – 6:22 # "Strange Design" (Anastasio, Marshall) – 3:14

Personnel

– guitar, vocals *

– bass, vocals * Jon Fishman – drums *

– piano, vocals

Weekly charts

References

{{Phish 1996 songs Phish songs Songs written by Trey Anastasio Songs written by Tom Marshall (singer)