Peak
48
Weeks
11
Score
721
Chart Year
1973
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Unlike the Tom Dice song "Me And My Guitar" which was recorded nearly four decades later, Albert Hammond's monster hit "The Free Electric Band" is not about chasing the dream but about playing music just for the hell of it. While written from an American perspective - the privileged upper middle class white kid who drops out much to the amazement (and probably disgust) of his parents - war baby Hammond was actually born in London, although his own parents hailed from Gibraltar, whence they returned shortly. Mike Hazlewood (1941-2001), who co-wrote the song, was also born in England, of native stock. This is not a song about contempt for the system, middle class values, or anything like that, but about knowing what freedom and happiness really mean. Just give me bread and water, put a guitar in my hand 'Cos all I need is music and the free electric band The narrator even gives up his girl because although she appears to share his dream, what she really wants is a house with a garden and a white picket fence, in short everything his parents had, want him to have, and for which he has no time at all. As stated, this is not a song about contempt for middle class values, it is not even one about self-discovery, but about a true vocation and true happiness. In September 2010, the British singer-songwriter George Michael was jailed for eight weeks after pleading guilty to possessing cannabis and driving under the influence of drugs. This was not the first time he had appeared in court due to this deadly mix; his other problems have been well documented by the media. At the time this occurred, Michael was probably worth around a hundred million pounds, and his music has brought him the adulation of millions, but it remains to be seen if he will ever find the happiness of Hammond's free spirited troubadour. Him and so many other talented, successful and wealthy men and women. "The Free Electric Band" was released on the Mums label; the song was arranged and conducted by Michael Omartian, and produced by Hammond. It was backed by "You Taught Me To Sing The Blues." >>
Our father is a doctor, he's a family man My mother works for charity whenever she can And they're both good clean Americans who abide by the law And they both stick up for liberty and they both support the war My happiness was paid for when they laid their money down For summers in a summer camp and winters in the town Our future in the system was talked about and planned But I gave it up for music and the free electric band I went to school in hand-washed shirts with neatly ordered hair And the school was big and newly built and filled with light and air And the teachers taught us values that we had to learn to keep And they'd clip the ear of any idle kid who went to sleep And my father organized for me a college in the east But I went to California, the sunshine and the beach My parents and my lecturers could never understand Why I gave it up for music and the free electric band Well, they used to sit and speculate upon their son's career A lawyer or a doctor or a civil engineer Just give me bread and water, put a guitar in my hand 'Cause all I need is music and the free electric band My father sent me money and I spent it very fast On a girl I met in Berkeley in a social science class Yes, and we learned about her body but her mind we didn't know Until deep-rooted attitudes and morals began to show She wanted to get married even though she never said And I knew her well enough by now to see inside her head She'd settle for suburbia and a little patch of land So I gave her up for music and the free electric band Ooh, the free electric band Da, ba, da, ba, da, da, dee, dee with the free electric band Da, ba, da, ba, da, da, dee, dee with the free electric band Da, ba, da, ba, da, da, dee, dee with the free electric band Da, ba, da, ba, da, da, dee, dee with the free electric band Da, ba, da, ba, da, da, dee, dee with the free electric band
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 28, 1973 | 100 | 26 |
| 2 | May 5, 1973 | 89 | 37 |
| 3 | May 12, 1973 | 75 | 51 |
| 4 | May 19, 1973 | 67 | 59 |
| 5 | May 26, 1973 | 63 | 63 |
| 6 | Jun 2, 1973 | 58 | 68 |
| 7 | Jun 9, 1973 | 50 | 76 |
| 8 | Jun 16, 1973 | 49 | 77 |
| 9 | Jun 23, 1973 | 48 | 78 |
| 10 | Jun 30, 1973 | 55 | 71 |
| 11 | Jul 7, 1973 | 64 | 62 |