All Right Now

For other uses, see Alright Now.

"All Right Now"
Single by Free
from the album Fire and Water
B-side"Mouthful of Grass"
Released15 May 1970 (1970-05-15) (UK)[1]
RecordedJanuary 1970
Studio
Genre
Length4:14 (single version)
5:31 (album version)
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Free
Free singles chronology
"Fire and Water"
(1970) 		"All Right Now"
(1970) 		"The Stealer"
(1970)
Live video
"All Right Now" on YouTube

"All Right Now" is a song by English rock band Free, released on their third studio album, Fire and Water (1970). It was released by Island Records, a record label founded by Chris Blackwell. Released as the album's second single, "All Right Now" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[3] In July 1973, the song was re-released, peaking at number 15 on the UK chart. In 1991, a Bob Clearmountain remix of the song was released, reaching number eight on the UK chart.

"All Right Now" was a number-one hit in over 20 countries[citation needed] and was recognised by American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 1990 for accumulating over 1,000,000 radio plays in the U.S. by late 1989. In 2006, the BMI London awards included a Million Air award for 3 million air plays of "All Right Now" in the USA.[4] The song remains as a staple track of classic rock radio.

It was covered by artists such as Mike Oldfield,[5] Witch Queen,[6] Rod Stewart,[7][8] Pepsi & Shirlie (All Right Now),[9] and GNR.[10] A version arranged by the Stanford Band is the de facto fight song of Stanford University athletic teams.[11]

Composition

According to drummer Simon Kirke, "All Right Now" was written by Free bassist Andy Fraser and singer Paul Rodgers in the Durham Students' Union building, Dunelm House.[12] He said: "'All Right Now' was created after a bad gig in Durham. We finished our show and walked off the stage to the sound of our own footsteps. The applause had died before I had even left the drum riser. It was obvious that we needed a rocker to close our shows. All of a sudden the inspiration struck Fraser and he started bopping around singing 'All Right Now'. He sat down and wrote it right there in the dressing room. It couldn't have taken more than ten minutes."[13] Fraser has agreed largely with this history.[14][15]

Reception

Billboard called it a "funky beer blues swinger" that's a "mover from start to finish."[16] Record World said that the song "lays a hunk of heaviness on your head" and "will establish [Free] once and for all."[17]

Chart history

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ^ "Free - All Right Now".
  2. ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 10 March 1973. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Obsolete song title page". Tsort.info. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  4. ^ "2006 BMI London Awards | News". BMI.com. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Rare Tracks". Amarok (Ommadawn.net). Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 282.
  7. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. 15 December 1984. p. 72. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  9. ^ "Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  10. ^ "GNR - Rock In Rio Douro". www.discogs.com. 15 June 1992. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Stanford Football Fan Fest". Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ^ Mckay, Neil (5 November 2008). "All Right Now for Free tribute show". The Journal. Newcastle. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015.
  13. ^ Allsworth, Steve (June 2011), "Free: All Right Now", Guitar Techniques, p. 14
  14. ^ "How I wrote 'All Right Now' by Free's Andy Fraser". 2 December 2013.
  15. ^ Snow, Mat (5 March 1991). "Out Of It". Q Magazine. 55: 15.
  16. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. 15 August 1970. p. 78. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. 11 July 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  18. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^ "Free – All Right Now". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Free – All Right Now" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  21. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 38. September 1970. p. 61. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Free – All Right Now" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  24. ^ "Le Dictionnaires des Tubes". Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  25. ^ "Free – All Right Now" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – All Right Now". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 30, 1970" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  28. ^ "Free – All Right Now" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  29. ^ "Free – All Right Now". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  30. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 82, no. 43. October 1970. p. 68. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  31. ^ "Free – All Right Now". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  33. ^ "Artist Search for "free"". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  34. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 10/31/70". cashboxmagazine.com.
  35. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  36. ^ "All the Number One Singles: 1970". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 26, 1970". Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  39. ^ "British single certifications – Free – All Right Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 April 2024.