"Freedom" is a song written and recorded by
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
in response to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in 2001. McCartney was in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
at the time of the attacks and witnessed the event while sitting in a plane parked on the tarmac at New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
.
Background
In February 2001, McCartney began recording his twelfth studio album, ''
Driving Rain
''Driving Rain'' is the twelfth solo studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 12 November 2001 as a double LP, a single cassette, and single CD.
Background
Following the example of '' Run Devil Run'' brisk production schedul ...
'', with a set of new musicians he intended to back him on a forthcoming tour, his first since
The New World Tour
In 1993, Paul McCartney and his band embarked upon The New World Tour, spanning almost the entire year and almost the entire globe. This tour featured a controversial pre-concert film (starting in the U.S leg of the tour), which was shown befor ...
in 1993. By September 2001, the album was finished and ready to be released that November, with the song "
From a Lover to a Friend" chosen as the first single for a planned release in October.
On 11 September 2001, McCartney was sitting in a plane parked on the tarmac at
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
in
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
* ...
when the
terrorist attacks
The following is a list of terrorist incidents that were not carried out by a state or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism). Assassinations are presented in List of assassinations and unsuccessful attempts at List o ...
occurred, and was able to witness the events from his seat.
In an immediate response to the tragedy, it was announced that the proceeds from the "From a Lover to a Friend" single would be donated to aid the families of New York firemen.
At the same time, McCartney became heavily involved in organising
The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert that took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11 attacks. Aside from performing for charity, the concert honored the first responders from the New Yor ...
, a massive all star charity show planned to be staged at
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in front of 20,000 people on 20 October. He had also been inspired to quickly write a new song, "Freedom", which he planned to debut at the show.
Release
Due to the strong audience reception after the performance of "Freedom", featuring
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
on lead guitar with McCartney's touring band, a single with re-recorded studio vocals was rush released to radio a week after the concert. A new retail CD single release was planned for 5 November, as part of a two-song disc with "From a Lover to a Friend", with the earlier version of the single recalled.
All proceeds from both singles went to the
Robin Hood Foundation
The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York City. The organization also administers a relief fund for disasters in the New York City area. In 2010, a key supporter gave ...
, which distributed funds to families of the victims and to New York's emergency workers.
Additionally, Capitol Records decided to halt production of the ''Driving Rain'' album in order to include "Freedom" as a bonus track. Due to this last minute change, no mention is made of the song on the CD booklet, as it was too late to reprint it. Instead, it was promoted on a hype sticker affixed to the front of the CD jewel case.
McCartney performed the song at the
Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
pregame show with a
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
tapestry rising up in the background as a tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks. He was joined on stage by 500 children, each representing the 180 countries who televise the event.
McCartney performed the song frequently on his 2002
Driving USA Tour
The Driving World Tour was a concert tour by English musician Paul McCartney. It marked his first tour of the 21st century and of any kind since 1993's New World Tour. For the first time in nearly a decade, McCartney returned to the road follow ...
.
A recording of the song from a show in Dallas appeared on the accompanying live album ''
Back in the U.S.''. However he chose not to perform it on subsequent tours, such as his 2005
The 'US' Tour
The 'US' Tour was a concert tour by English musician Paul McCartney to promote his 2005 album ''Chaos and Creation in the Backyard''. The tour, his second North American venture of the 21st century, began on 16 September 2005 in Miami, United S ...
, as he felt the song had become "hijacked" and acquired a militaristic meaning due to the
George W. Bush administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...
's
War on Terror.
Track listing
Personnel
*
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
– vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
*
Rusty Anderson
Rusty Anderson is an American musician best known for his work as lead guitarist for Paul McCartney's touring band since 2001. He has worked with an extensive list of other artists in addition to his own solo career.
Career
Anderson became a p ...
–
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a guitar technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse (music), pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., d ...
*
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
–
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
*
Abe Laboriel, Jr. – drums
Charts
References
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Paul McCartney songs
2001 singles
Charity singles following the September 11 attacks
Music about the September 11 attacks
Songs written by Paul McCartney
2001 songs
Capitol Records singles
Song recordings produced by David Kahne
Songs about freedom