Freedom's Prisoner

After Harley's 1978 debut solo album Hobo with a Grin was met with commercial failure, Harley returned to the UK in late 1978, having spent almost a year living in Los Angeles. He soon started writing and recording his second solo album The Candidate, which was released in September 1979. During that month, "Freedom's Prisoner" was also released as the album's lead single. It reached No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 75 for three weeks, having originally debuted at No. 70 in late October.[3] The limited commercial success of both the single and The Candidate resulted in EMI Records dropping Harley, leaving him without a record deal.[4]

Speaking to Pauline McLeod of the Daily Mirror in 1979, Harley spoke of his predictions for the song, stating: "I reckon the single is a Top Ten record".[5] "Freedom's Prisoner" features backing vocals from Reigate-based choir The English Chorale. Harley had asked Horowitz to find a choir for the plainsong parts, and in turn Horowitz booked the choir. They were directed by Robert Howes. The song was recorded and mastered at Abbey Road Studios, and mixed at Morgan Studios.[6]

"Freedom's Prisoner" was released by EMI Records on 7" vinyl in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands.[1] The B-Side, "One More Time", was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Horowitz. It also appeared on The Candidate.[7] The UK and Netherlands releases came with a colour picture sleeve, featuring a close-up photograph of Harley. In the UK, a promotional 7" vinyl was also released.[8]

Following its original release as a single and on The Candidate, the song has appeared on various Steve Harley compilations, including 1987's Greatest Hits,[9] 1992's Make Me Smile: The Best of Steve Harley, 1999's The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and 2006's The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology.

A music video was filmed to promote the single. Harley also performed the song on Tiswas.[10]

The song has been performed live on numerous occasions. It was performed at Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 1984 concert at the Camden Palace, London, which was filmed for TV and released on the VHS Live from London in 1985.[11][12][13][14] When the band returned to touring in 1989, the song was occasionally included in the set-list.[15]

Upon release, Chris Difford of Squeeze reviewed the single for Smash Hits and commented: "David Essex would turn in his Rolls if he heard this one. A contract filler perhaps".[16] Pauline McLeod of the Daily Mirror described the song as a "raunchy rock 'n' roller with lots of gutsy vocals".[17] Paul Sexton of Record Mirror wrote: "The hook comes before the vocals, with a call out melody. Downhill from there, but Harley's return may still be timely."[18] In his review of "Freedom's Prisoner", Simon Ludgate of Record Mirror described it as a "great single" and added: "Corny but fun, Dr Zhivago-style Russian chorus and danceable melody clicks very nicely. That instant hook is just what Harley needs to get himself noticed again."[19]

In a Smash Hits review of The Candidate, Red Starr highlighted the song as one of the album's best tracks.[20] In a review of Harley's 1979 concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, Kelly Pike of Record Mirror described the show as "a sad, distasteful affair", but added that "Freedom's Prisoner" "scored points for being the only song where any conceivable enthusiasm was shown".[21]

In a retrospective review of The Candidate, Dave Thompson of AllMusic described the song as "Harley's finest 45 in half a decade", and noted the song's "tidal wave of intriguing lyrics", "captivating chorus" and "a dynamic that was pure Psychomodo". He added: "When "Freedom's Prisoner" single hit the airwaves, it would have taken a lot to convince the longtime fan that the man hadn't resparked all his old glories again, and was about to embark upon a musical journey as scintillating, and as fascinating, as that which launched him in the first place. It was also a total fluke, as the accompanying album proved itself to be little more than a clutch of substandard songs, glued together by alluring production alone."[22] In a review of the 2008 compilation The Best of Steve Harley, Thompson described "Freedom's Prisoner" as "an unexpectedly joyful excerpt from his 1979 schedule".[23]

7" Single

1. "Freedom's Prisoner" - 3:51
2. "One More Time" - 4:26

7" Single (promo)

1. "Freedom's Prisoner" - 3:51
2. "One More Time" - 4:26

• Steve Harley - vocals, producer
• Jimmy Horowitz - producer
• Jo Partridge, Phil Palmer, Nico Ramsden - guitar
• John Giblin - bass
• Stuart Elliott - drums
• The English Chorale - choir backing vocals
• Robert Howes - choir director
• Haydn Bendall - engineer
• Tony Clark - engineer
• Chris Blair - mastering
• Mike Hedges - mixing

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics