WCSX Classic Cuts
Free: “All Right Now”
The Hook: Its co-writer calls it the “most superficial song we ever did,” but it’s the one we all remember.
Album: Fire and Water
Year: 1970
Writers: Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers
Stats: Peaked at number-4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Background: Free bassist Andy Fraser says the band didn’t think that much of “All Right Now.” He recalls that learning Island Records was releasing it as a single led them to confront label head Chris Blackwell.
Free bassist Andy Fraser on how the band argued with Island Records president Chris Blackwell over releasing “All Right Now” as a single. OC:…Blackwell win. :21
“It’s a strange song, ‘cause it was the most unlike us. It was the most superficial song we ever did. It was a throwaway. In fact, we tried to talk Island out of releasing it as a single. We really did. ‘Whoa, we said, you can’t be serious. It’s like a two-chord trick with some teenage lyrics in there.’ And it was really a very mature band. This was one of the few arguments we let Blackwell win.”
