"Free" is a song by American recording artist

Ultra Naté Ultra Naté (born March 20, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter who has achieved success on the pop charts with songs such as "Free (Ultra Naté song), Free", "If You Could Read My Mind" (as part of Stars o ...

, released on March 31, 1997, through record label

Strictly Rhythm Strictly Rhythm is an American house music record label. History The label was founded on May 1, 1989, by Gladys Pizarro and Mark Finkelstein, who were both working as A&R in a label called Spring Records. Working with house music artists ...

. It was co-written by Naté,

Lem Springsteen Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter"The Essential… Mood II Swing"
''Ripple M ...

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

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

-influenced song that incorporates strong 1990s

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

and

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

. The accompanying music video was directed by

Fenton Bailey World of Wonder Productions (WOW) is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in Television documentary, documentary television and Doc ...

and

Randy Barbato World of Wonder Productions (WOW) is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in Television documentary, documentary television and Doc ...

, depicting Naté in an abandoned hospital. "Free" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, who commended Naté's vocal ability and the production, and has received several accolades since its release; it has been noted as one of the best dance anthems during the 1990s decade. It became Naté's most successful single to date, charting in many countries around the world. "Free" reached number-one in Italy, and peaked inside the top ten in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It also charted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 75, but reached number-one on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. Ultra Naté performed the song in various TV-shows, like the British

music chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, ofte ...

television programme ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', where she performed several times. "Free" won her two awards in the categories of Best House/Garage 12-inch and Best Pop 12-inch Dance Record at the 1998 International Dance Music Awards. In 2025, ''Billboard'' magazine ranked "Free" among "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".

Background and release

Naté displayed her singing talent at an early age. She sang in church and studied medicine at the university in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. At weekends she went to clubs, where she met house music production team

The Basement Boys The Basement Boys is an American house music production team that was formed in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The founding members are Jay Steinhour, Teddy Douglas and Thommy Davis. Biography The Basement Boys had all previous experience as ...

. They started writing songs together, the first one was "It's Over Now", which became a top-70 hit in the UK in 1989. In 1991, Naté's debut album, ''

Blue Notes in the Basement ''Blue Notes in the Basement'' is the debut album by the American singer-songwriter Ultra Naté. It was released in 1991 on Warner Bros. Records. It includes the singles "It's Over Now", "Scandal," "Deeper Love (Missing You)", "Rejoicing (I'll Nev ...

'', was released. After she was dropped from the label, she signed

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. They wanted to release a new album with Naté, and she teamed up with producers and songwriters John Clafone and

Lem Springsteen Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter"The Essential… Mood II Swing"
''Ripple M ...

Mood II Swing Mood II Swing was an American house music & all media music production company, consisting of producers John Ciafone and musician Lem Springsteen, based in New York City. Selected Discography Singles 1. "Living In Ecstasy" by: Fonda Rae in 19 ...

. Naté was inspired by "

Losing My Religion "Losing My Religion" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on February 19, 1991 by Warner Bros. as the first single from their seventh album, '' Out of Time'' (1991). It developed from a mandolin riff improvised by the ...

" by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

and wanted a rock song that would work in clubs, adding the guitar line at the beginning of the song. The famous riff was played by Woody Pak, a friend of Springsteen. Naté told ''

DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...

'' in 2024, "The inspirations for approaching 'Free' were from R.E.M., 'Losing My Religion' and from a lot of

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

, a lot of heavy guitar kind of stuff. ..And we all went in 110% from the rock tip, like from the bottom to the top, from drums on up. It was all rock. We didn't decide until after 'Free' was done to then put the Mood II Swing signature groove in there. That's what made it work in both worlds." The title of the song came up randomly in the process of making a song that everyone could connect to. Naté co-wrote the lyrics and had written two different versions with two different verses, B-sections, etc. They then started cutting up the best bits of both versions and in the end, it all was put together as the final version of what would become known as "Free". Three gospel-singers; Audrey Wheeler, Cindy Mizelle and Khadejia Bass were hired to perform the chorus with Naté. Strictly Rhythm sent out test pressings on red vinyl, and American DJ,

Little Louie Vega Luis Ferdinand Vega Jr. (born June 12, 1965), as known as "Little Louie" Vega, is an American DJ, record producer and remixer of Puerto Ricans in the United States, Puerto Rican ancestry. He is one half of the Masters at Work musical production ...

was the first DJ to play the promotional copy of "Free" in clubs. From there, the single went on becoming a global hit. The gay community saw it as a song about empowerment and made it a huge anthem.

Critical reception

"Free" received positive reviews from most music critics. Barry Walters for ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' wrote, "One of

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

's most independent-minded divas creates an anthem celebrating liberty in general and gay pride for those with ears to hear it." Trish Maunder from ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' named it a "joyous dance-floor anthem".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

had highlighted three official versions of the song as "AllMusic Track Picks"; the

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...

Remix,

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

Mix and the original version of the song. J.D. Considine from ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' described it as a "guitar-driven dance tune", noting its "arpeggiated guitar and sly, melancholy melody".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' stated that it "shows atéin excellent vocal form, belting with a level of authority that only comes with time and experience." He remarked that the singer "has a field day with the message of empowerment that fuels "Free", not to mention producers

Lem Springsteen Lem Springsteen is an American songwriter"The Essential… Mood II Swing"
''Ripple M ...

and Jon Ciafone's invigorating

-house groove." Pamela Rivers from ''

Columbia Daily Spectator The ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' (known colloquially as ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the second-oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after '' The Harvard Crimson'', a ...

'' named it the "high point" of the '' Situation: Critical'' album. Richard Wallace from the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'' praised it as a "divine" dance single. Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' commented, "Don't let this one slip by without a careful listen." Caroline Sullivan from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' complimented it as a "piano-led" hit with "sunny house beat propelled by Ultra's paint-blistering voice." Derrick Mathis from ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

'' described it as "infectious", "with Ultra ordering us — above some righteous backup vocals — to be free and "''do whatcha want to do''".

James Hyman James Hyman (born 1970) is a British radio and television presenter, music supervisor, DJ and the owner and founder of HYMAG. Hyman studied Film & Media at London Guildhall University (1989-1992, BA Hons, 1st), whilst working at MTV Europe d ...

from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

s ''RM'' gave "Free" five out of five and named it House Tune of the Week, concluding, "One of this year's Miami club anthems will live up to the hype when released here through its simplicity and strong Mood II Swing production. Sweet, summery 'Woody Pak-ed' guitars wrap themselves around bouncy bass and uplifting ''You're free...to do what you want to do...'' vocals to produce clear catchyness." A reviewer from the publication ''

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...

'' awarded the song four stars out of five, saying, "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." Irish '' Sunday Life'' named it an "anthemic" hit single, remarking that it "overwhelms" the other songs of the album.

Chart performance

"Free" reached number one in Italy, as well as and on the US ''

chart. It peaked inside the top 10 in Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, it reached number four during its second week on the UK Singles Chart, on June 15, 1997. The song also was a top-20 hit in Norway and Belgium, where it reached numbers 17 and 11, respectively. In addition, it peaked within the top 30 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden, the top 40 in Australia and Austria, and the top 50 in Germany. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

, "Free" went to number eight in September 1997. On the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, it peaked at number 75. It was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

gold in France and platinum in the United Kingdom, with respective sales of 250,000 and 600,000. In 2003, various remixes of "Free", published by Curvve Recordings and Peace Bisquit, reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Play chart.

Music video

A music video was produced to promote "Free", directed by American filmmakers

and

. The video features Naté performing the song in an abandoned hospital, among hospital equipments. The idea came from Bailey and Barbato, and Naté would later call it "their madcap idea". She wears a white dress and has a feather boa in her hand. Some scenes also shows the singer wearing a

strait-jacket ''Strait-Jacket'' is a 1964 American psychological horror film directed and produced by William Castle, written by Robert Bloch and starring Joan Crawford. Its plot follows a woman who, having murdered her husband and his lover 20 years prior, ...

. She explained in a 1998 interview, "That's a symbolic situation, a dream sequence, the strait-jacket represents certain limits people put on themselves. In the end, I wake up from that dream." In 2024, Naté told ''

'', "It was their concept of it being more irony than your standard dance music video where everybody's in the club, hands in the air, you know, the DJ and the singer. And it was the sterile lack of freedom in the video, the song speaks to breaking free of that and fighting against that, and fighting against those norms. So all of those references are more metaphorical than anything. You know, some people loved it, some people hated it, but at least they talked about it." There are two different edits of the video, with some different scenes. "Free" was later made available on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

in 2008 via

, and had generated more than 14 million views as of late 2024.

Impact and legacy

"Free" was awarded the prize for Best Dance Track at the 1998

Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...

Awards in April 1998, as well as two awards in the categories of Best House/Garage 12-inch and Best Pop 12-inch Dance Record at the 1998 International Dance Music Awards. Same year, ''

DJ Magazine ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...

'' ranked the song number five in their list of the "Top 100 Club Tunes".

MTV Dance Club MTV, formerly MTV Dance, is a European pay television music channel from Paramount Networks EMEAA that which replaced the British MTV Base on 7 March 2008. The network mainly broadcasts music videos from the electronica and techno genres, a ...

placed "Free" at number 31 in their list of "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time" in November 2011. In "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s" for ''

Attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...

'' in June 2016, the song was ranked at number one. It was voted the top track of 1997 by UK

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

magazine ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...

''. The magazine later included the song on their list of the "30 Best Vocal House Anthems Ever" in 2018, writing, "The opening bars are delicate, but soon enough the bumping production kicks in, underpinning a vocal that burns with the potency of the sun's surface, encouraging dancers to live by Ultra Naté's words and be free." In 2017, ''

'' magazine ranked "Free" number 78 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs of 1997", adding, "Ebullient enough of a

jam to get 1997 confused for 1979 ..and satisfying enough for its

-remixed 12" version to last for

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

lengths without getting annoying." Dave Fawbert from ''

ShortList A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...

'' stated that the song "remains, forever, an eternal banger" same year. In 2019, "Free" was also included in ''Mixmag''s list of "The 20 Best Diva House Tracks". British singer-songwriter and actor

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

chose "Free" as his all-time favorite sunshine track in 2019, saying, "MTV was so big then and this video came along and Ultra Nate had very short hair, dyed yellow and was so different-looking – she paved the way for a different kind of artist."

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Tomorrowland (Disney Parks), a theme land at a number of Disney theme parks around the world * Tomorrowland (festival), an annual electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium * ''Tom ...

voted the song number one in their official list of "The Ibiza 500" in 2021. The year before, it was voted number nine on the same list. In 2022, '' Time Out'' ranked it number 14 in their list of "The 50 Best Gay Songs to Celebrate Pride All Year Long", while ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' featured it in their ranking of "The 30 Best House Tracks of the '90s". In March 2025, ''Billboard'' ranked "Free" number 90 in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time", writing, "Over 20 years later, when dance floors re-opened post-lockdown, "Free" took on new meaning for a new generation of punters ready to reclaim the light. Truly timeless."

Track listings

* US maxi-CD single # "Free" (

radio mix) – 3:24 # "Free" (

Full Intention Full Intention are an English house music duo consisting of Michael Gray and Jon Pearn. They are best known as prolific producers and remixers. They have reworked songs for varied artists such as the Sugababes, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey a ...

radio mix) – 3:30 # "Free" (Mood II Swing live radio mix) – 3:28 # "Free" (Mood II Swing extended vocal mix) – 12:00 # "Free" (Mood II Swing live mix) – 7:30 # "Free" (Full Intention vocal mix) – 6:46 # "Free" (Mood II Swing house dub) – 7:30 # "Free" (Full Intention Sugar Daddy dub) – 6:00 # "Free" ( R.I.P. Up North mix) – 7:00 * US 12-inch single :A1. "Free" ( M&S Philly Klub mix) – 7:30 :A2. "Free" (M&S Philly dub) – 7:30 :A3. "Free" (

Tiefschwarz Tiefschwarz () are a German house group consisting of brothers, Alexander "Ali" (June 7, 1967) and Sebastian "Basti" (December 28, 1969) Schwarz, which formed in Stuttgart in 1996.IMO Records"Tiefschwarz Biography", ''IMO Records''. Retrieved on ...

a cappella) – 3:50 :B1. "Free" (GA's mix) – 8:00 :B2. "Free" (M&S Epic Reprise mix) – 7:56 * European CD single # "Free" (Mood II Swing radio mix) – 3:25 # "Free" (Full Intention radio mix) – 3:15 * UK CD single # "Free" (radio edit) # "Free" (Mood II Swing extended vocal mix) # "Free" (Mood II Swing live vocal mix) # "Free" (Full Intention club mix) # "Free" (Mood II Swing house dub) * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Free" (Mood II Swing extended vocal mix) :AA1. "Free" (Mood II Swing live vocal mix) :AA2. "Free" (Mood II Swing house dub) * UK cassette single # "Free" (radio edit) # "Free" (Full Intention club mix) * Australian CD and cassette single # "Free" (Mood II Swing radio mix) # "Free" (Mood II Swing live edit) # "Free" (Mood II Swing extended vocal mix) # "Free" (Mood II Swing live mix) # "Free" (Mood II Swing house dub)

Remixes

* In 2005, Curvve Recordings & Peace Bisquit released the official remixes of "Free", which peaked on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Chart at number 23. Remixers included: ** "Free" (Oscar G remix) ** "Free" (

Junior Sanchez Eugenio Sanchez Jr., commonly known by his stage name Junior Sanchez, is an American record producer, DJ, remixer and record executive from New Jersey. Early life Junior Sanchez was born in New Jersey, on May 4, 1977, and raised in the Ironb ...

Remix) ** "Free" (Brick City Remix) ** "Free" (Corbett and Vinny Troia remix) ** "Free" (

Remix) * In 2016,

Defected Records Defected Records, or simply Defected, is a British independent record label specialising in house music recordings, compilation albums, events, publishing, artist bookings and management. Defected is one of the longest running independent lab ...

released a

Deep House Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

remix/

mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...

of "Free" made by

Claptone Claptone(born 30 September 1982) is a German DJ and producer who specializes in House music, house and tech house genres. He is recognizable by the Plague doctor costume, plague doctor-style golden masks, which serve to intrigue the public as w ...

, called "The First Time Free (Claptone Remix)". This track includes the

guitar riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based on ...

from "Free", overlaid with the vocals from "The First Time", by

Roland Clark Roland Clark may refer to: * Roland Clark (DJ), American house music DJ, producer, songwriter and vocalist * Roland Clark (painter) Roland Clark (April 2, 1874 – April 13, 1957) was an American painter. His work was part of the painting ...

. * In 2020,

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike (previously Dnm) are a Belgian–Greek DJ duo composed of brothers Dimitri Thivaios and Michael Thivaios. They were ranked No. 1 on ''DJ Magazine, DJ Mag''s Top 100 DJs list in 2015 and 2019, and No. 2 in 2014, 2016 thr ...

released on Smash The House D'Angello & Francis' Future Rave Remix of Free (Live Your Life)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Free (Ultra Nate song) 1997 songs 1997 singles Ultra Naté songs Number-one singles in Italy AM PM Records singles Strictly Rhythm singles fr:Free (chanson)