The year is 1968. Four enormously talented young men, all in their teens, form a band called Free. Paul Rodgers is the frontman with the growly croon, Paul Kossoff the prodigy rock guitarist. Andy Fraser is on bass and percussion chores are handled by Simon Kirke. They begin life as a soft-edged, bluesy band, perfectly listenable but not memorable.
Early in their tenure, they have a particularly dispiriting gig in Durham, England. Kirke describes the demoralization of playing to a tiny, checked-out audience.
“… we finished our show in Durham and walked off the stage to the sound of our own footsteps. The applause had died before I had even left the drum riser.”
Backstage, the members of Free pondered their future options and decided they needed to come up with a powerful uptempo number that would keep audiences on their feet. Bassist Andy Fraser began singing “All right now…”, comforting his mates to keep them focused and hopeful. He established the track right then and there, while Paul Rodgers conjured up some snappy lyrics. In a matter of minutes, musical magic was born. “All Right Now” appeared on their Fire and Water album and shot to the top of the charts in the U.S. and the U.K.
While Free never made a successful song after “All Right Now,” they could all have retired in glory on the basis of this track alone. It’s a fierce tune that’s brought joy to generations and made history during a live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, where it electrified 600,000 attendees. It’s been covered by such luminaries as Rod Stewart, Christina Aguilera, The Runaways, and Pepsi & Shirlie (formerly of Wham!). It has also been plumbed for mercenary purposes, winding up on TV commercials for Wrigley’s Gum and a foot-odor remedy (the latter very much to lead singer Paul Rodgers’ displeasure).
So why the cult status of this particular song? To sum up, it’s old-school rock and roll perfection. Rodgers, who has had a long career as a revered solo artist and subsequent member of Bad Company and latter-day Queen, has total command here. His charismatic vocals contain grit and extraordinary power, he can carry a tune and we can even make out the catchy lyrics. Back-up musicians Kossoff, Fraser, and Kirke are all at the top of their respective games. It seems mind-boggling that these blokes were all in their late teens; they deliver a confidence and world-weariness that would be expected by musicians far older. It’s a telling tribute that Freddie Mercury considered Rodgers his favorite rock singer.
The beats, vocals, and harmonies would have been enough to ensure its ongoing longevity. How about the lyrics? Not Pulitzer Prize material by any stretch, but pretty engaging for Rodgers pulling them together in about 10 minutes. “All Right Now” is a song about a guy spotting an attractive woman and taking her home for sex. His introductory lines to her are corny and slick – hey, who would resist this opening salvo from a stranger?
“I said hey, what’s your name baby
Maybe we can see things the same
Now don’t you wait or hesitate
Let’s move before they raise the parking rate…”
Their vibe-y verbal sparring back at his place gives the woman brief pause at some point, but they presumably have a meeting of the minds and we leave them to their activities.
That’s it! Given that the song came out in 1970, there’s a nostalgic aspect to the celebration of unbridled sexuality and it’s a weirdly endearing snapshot of a fleeting human encounter. Rodgers infuses the situation with enthusiasm and soul.
The virtuoso opening guitar riff, hard-driving beats, and memorable melody has kept “All Right Now” on the airwaves and in our collective hearts.
While all four bandmates continued to make music during their lifetimes, the band Free never got another charting song and the original line-up broke up in 1972, due in large part to genius guitarist Paul Kossoff’s ongoing drug problems. Tragically, he died at the age of 25 in 1976. Bassist Andy Fraser passed in 2015. Rodgers and Kirke remain active, revered musicians in their own right.
All hail the “One Hit Wonder” that has gotten us up, dancing and gleefully head-banging for half a century. Poignantly adding to the perpetuity of this track is the fact that Paul Kossoff’s grave marker reads “All Right Now.”
-Ellen Fagan
Image from Free album cover
They weren’t one-hit wonders if you were in the UK. Solid singles and albums band, played at the Isle of Wight Festival etc. “One-hit wonder” should be reserved for Joe Dolce and Golden Earring, the Edwin Hawkins Singers and Plastic Bertrand.
Nonsense – Free were consistently one of the most popular bands around in the UK. Storming gigs.
After 1970’s “All Rignt Now,” Free reached #49 in the U.S. on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in early 1971 with “Stealer” (A&M 1230), a 45 which also came with a picture sleeve. In England, “All Right Now” was followed by “My Brother Jake” (Island 6100) which reached #4 in June 1971, “Little Bit of Love” (Island 6129) which reached #13 in June 1972, “Wishing Well” (Island 6146) which reached #7 in February 1973 and finally a reissue of “All Right Now” (Island 6082) which reached #15 in August 1973.
that drummer Kirke was playing his___ off!
Fire and Water was (is) even more classic that All Right Now, Get drums, guitar, and, of course, vocals.
I looked up blues rock in the dictionary and there was a picture of Free…and they played Worry, Walk In My Shadow, I’m A Mover, The Hunter, Sweet Tooth, I’ll Be Creepin’, Woman, Trouble On Double Time, Fire And Water, Oh I Wept, Heavy Load, Mr. Big, All Right Now, The Stealer, Be My Friend, Ride On A Pony, Wishing Well, Heartbreaker, Common Mortal Man, Easy On My Soul, Catch A Train, Little Bit Of Love, Soldier Boy Sail On, Guardian Of The Universe…and I was in heaven!
This is presumably a US-centric post. I don’t know how well Free did in the US after “Alright now” but they did well in the UK for years after that and morphed into “Bad Company”. Wishing Well is still one of my favourite songs from that era.
Definitely a US centric article….and I’ve always lived in the US but also was/am a huge Free fan. They were *not* a “one hit wonder”, they had so many good songs. In my high school in the 70s, they were very popular with kids who liked rock. Paul Rodgers voice is exceptional and like honey to my ears.
One hit wonders , your kidding , free were massive , in the UK and here in Australia, I was only 9 in 1970 and I listened to them constantly thanks to my older sister , I’m 62 now and ripping out all right now on guitar as I write this , bloody yanks , think the music world only matters when someone is famous there
John Schubert, I totally agree with you. And same age, but USA born and raised in the south.