THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.
360-Free-All Right Now.
1970-Number 2 single. It was a hit again in 1973, this time reaching Number 15. In 1978 as part of the ‘Free extended play’ (EP) it made Number 11, and in 1992 the Bob Clearmountain remixed version reached Number 8.
Best Bit-At 2.04. In 1970 a Los Angeles DJ called Joe Benson told Paul Rodgers during an on air interview that ‘All Right Now’ is playing on the airwaves somewhere around the world once every 45 seconds.
‘Free’ were formed in London, England, in 1968, they were very young when they first performed together on April 19th, 1968, at the Nags Head, in Battersea, London. Andy Frazer (1952-2015) (bass) was 15, Paul Kossoff, (1950-1976) (lead guitar) was 17, Paul Rodgers (lead singer) was 18, and Simon Kirke (drums) was also 18. Due to internal feuding the band disbanded in 1971, but they did reform in early 1972. Frazer left the band soon after, which led to the introduction of Tetsu Yamauchi, (bass) John ‘Rabbit Bundrick, (keyboards) and Wendell Richardson, (lead guitar) appearing on ‘Heartbreaker,’ the band’s final studio Album. Free finally split for good in 1973, with all members pursuing new projects. The bands name ‘Free’ had been given to them by the Blues musician Alexis Koerner, (1928-1984) (see also best songs 864) who had helped to bring the group together. He named them after a short lived trio he had formed called ‘Free At Last’ in 1966.
The bands lead guitarist Paul Kossoff had been a drug user since the age of 15, on March 19th, 1976 while on a flight from Los Angeles to New York he died from a pulmonary embolism after a blood clot in his leg moved to his lung. After leaving ‘Free’ Andy Frazer formed the Rock band ‘Sharks,’ before going on to many other projects, including the release of four solo studio Albums, he died on March 16th, 2015, of a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis, at the age of 62. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke both went on to form the Rock group ‘Bad Company’ with Mick Ralphs, who had been a member of Mott the Hoople (see also best songs 334.) Kirke is Bad Company’s one constant during the years they have been active, while Rodgers who left when the band first split in 1982 would go on to front the Rock bands ‘The Firm,’ then ‘The Law,’ and eventually ‘Queen,’ (see also best songs 918-615-208-126-47 and 3) where they were known as ‘Queen + Paul Rodgers’ between 2004-2009.
The discography of Free includes six studio Albums released between 1969-1973, and 16 singles (including re-issues) released between 1969-1991, there are also one extended play, (EP) 18 official compilation Albums, and two live Albums available. In the UK ‘All Right Now’ has charted on four separate occasions in differing formats, while they have also had a further three of their singles reach the top 40, with the original release of ‘All Right Now’ in it’s edited form peaking the highest at Number 2 in 1970. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, only the original version of ‘All Right Now’ has made the top 40, peaking at Number 4.
‘All Right Now’ was the only single released from ‘Fire and Water,’ the third studio Album by Free, from June 1970, the song was co-written by Andy Fraser, and Paul Rodgers, with the production credited to Free. The story goes that Free had been playing a gig at ‘Durham Students Union building,’ in England, to a small audience, and when they walked off the stage after the last song they could hear the sound of their own footsteps, and realised that they needed a ‘rocker’ to finish their set. Andy Frazer was sat in the dressing room, and within 10 minutes came up with this song. Frazer has recalled, ‘We’d started work on our third album, Fire and Water and things were going well. The idea for ‘All Right Now’ came about on a rainy Tuesday night in some gods forsaken minor city, I can’t remember where, in England. We were playing a college that could have held 2,000 but had something like 30 people out of their heads on Mandrax bumping into each other in front of us. They didn’t notice when we came on or when we went off. Afterwards there was that horrible silence in the dressing room. To break the intensity, I started singing, ‘All right now…come on baby, all right now.’ As if to say, Hey, tomorrow’s another day. Everyone else started tapping along. That riff was me trying to do my Pete Townshend. We listened to everything, though, The Beatles, Stax and Motown, Gladys Knight And the Pips was one of our main influences then.
Simon Kirke who played the drums on ‘All Right Now’ has said, ‘It became a bit of an albatross around our necks, I have to say. Even though it elevated Free into the big leagues, it became a bit of an albatross because we couldn’t follow it. It became a huge hit all around the world, only because we wanted to have something that people could dance to, but then, of course, we had to follow it up, and Island Records were desperate for us to follow it up. Really it was just a one-off for us, and when the follow-up to ‘All Right Now’ died a death – it was called ‘The Stealer’ – and the album that followed, Fire and Water, from which ‘All Right Now’ was taken, when that didn’t do very well, we took it to heart and the band broke up. So, in an indirect way, ‘All Right Now’ was not very good for the band, I have to say. But, by the same token, it’s been such a durable song. I play it in my solo shows, I played it with Ringo Starr, and I think one of the highlights of my career.’ When Paul Rodgers teamed up with Queen in 2004 to tour as ‘Queen + Paul Rodgers,’ ‘All Right Now’ was a regular part of their set list.
‘All Right Now’ is about a guy seeing a girl in the street who he fancies, and after some persuasion she agrees to go back to his home with him. Once she gets to his place, she starts to have second thoughts, and he tries to put her at ease.
‘There she stood in the street, smiling from her head to her feet. I said hey, what is this, now baby, maybe she’s in need of a kiss.’