"Free to Decide" is a song by Irish
rock band
the Cranberries, released the second single from their third studio album, ''
To the Faithful Departed'' (1996), on 1 July 1996. The song achieved minor chart success in Europe but became a top-10 hit in Canada, peaking at number two on the ''
RPM'' 100 Hit Tracks chart. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number eight on the
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic version on the band's ''
Something Else'' album.
Composition
The song is written in the key of
G major with a tempo of 118 beats per minute.
Music video
The music video was directed by
Marty Callner
Marty Callner (born 1950 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American television director, who has made music videos, comedy specials, concert specials, and television shows, in a career spanning from 1977 to present day. He is the creator of HBO's '' Ha ...
and was shot in a desert. Dolores O'Riordan escapes from the press and drives in her jeep as her band performs with yellow walls behind them. Dolores appears in a white outfit singing the song in a birdcage and dancing by a giant picture frame. At the end of the video, the last 30 seconds plays the interlude where the whole video reverses back to the beginning.
Track listings
UK CD1
# "Free to Decide"
# "Cordell"
# "The Picture I View"
UK CD2
# "Free to Decide"
# "
Salvation" (live at
Milton Keynes Bowl
The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil ex ...
)
# "Bosnia"
UK cassette single
# "Free to Decide"
# "Cordell"
European CD single
# "Free to Decide" – 4:25
# "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl) – 2:22
European maxi-CD single
# "Free to Decide"
# "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl)
# "Sunday" (live at
The Point, Dublin)
# "Dreaming My Dreams" (live at The Point, Dublin)
Australian CD single
# "Free to Decide"
# "The Picture I View"
# "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl)
# "
Ridiculous Thoughts" (live at The Point, Dublin)
US, Canadian, and Japanese maxi-CD single
# "
When You're Gone" (edit) – 4:29
# "Free to Decide" (album version) – 4:24
# "Free to Decide" (live at Pine Knob, Clarkston, Michigan, 18 August 1996) – 3:11
# "Cordell" – 3:40
# "Zombie" (from ''
MTV Unplugged'') – 4:54
# "Zombie" (A Camel's Hump remix) – 7:53
# Screensaver
US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single
# "When You're Gone" – 4:55
# "Free to Decide" – 4:24
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
1996 singles
1996 songs
The Cranberries songs
Island Records singles
Music videos directed by Marty Callner
Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn
Songs written by Dolores O'Riordan