  free to beâ¦ you and me, a project of the ms. foundation for women, is a record album and illustrated book first released in november 1972 featuring songs and stories sung or told by celebrities of the day (credited as "marlo thomas and friends") including alan alda, rosey grier, cicely tyson, carol channing, michael jackson, shirley jones, jack cassidy, and diana ross. an abc special using poetry, songs, and sketches, followed two years later in march 1974. the basic concept was to encourage post-1960s gender neutrality, saluting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one's identity. a major thematic message is that anyoneâwhether a boy or a girlâcan achieve anything. == overview == the original idea to create the album was that of thomas, who wanted to teach her then-young niece dionne about life, in particular that it is acceptable to refute or reject the gender stereotypes in children's books of that time. the album was produced by carole hart, with music produced by stephen j. lawrence and bruce hart, with stories and poems directed by alan alda. proceeds went to the ms. foundation for women. the album was originally released on bell records in 1972 and since 1983 has been available on arista records. the album is still in print today. as of 2006 it sold more than 500,000 copies. well-known songs include "it's all right to cry," sung by football hero rosey grier; the title track by the new seekers; "helping," a shel silverstein poem performed by tom smothers; "sisters and brothers" by the voices of east harlem; and "when we grow up" performed by diana ross on the album and by roberta flack and a teenage michael jackson on the special. other sketches, some of them animated in the television special, include "atalanta
1970s_American_television_specials 1972_soundtracks Arista_Records_soundtracks Bell_Records_albums Book_soundtracks Children\'s_music_albums Feminism_and_society Musical_television_specials Peabody_Award_winning_broadcasts Songs_with_feminist_themes Television_soundtracks