I'm Free (The Who song)
"I'm Free" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the Who on the album "Tommy". The song has since been released as a single, becoming one of the best known tracks from "Tommy." Background. Pete Townshend has claimed that the song was partly inspired by the song "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones. On "I'm Free," drummer Keith Moon only played on the breaks of the song. According to bassist John Entwistle, Moon was unable to perform the intro the way Townshend wanted, resulting in Townshend and Entwistle  having to perform part of the drums. During live performances, Townshend and Entwistle were forced to signal Moon to play the song by making giant steps. Within the plot of the album, "I'm Free" tells of Tommy's vision to spiritually enlighten others due to his sudden and immense popularity. The "Pinball Wizard" riff (earlier on the album) appears at the end of the song during the "How can we follow?" part. Townshend has since noted "I'm Free" and "Pinball Wizard" as "songs of the quiet explosion of divinity. They just rolled off the pen." "I'm Free  was later released as a single in most of Europe (backed with Tommy, Can You Hear Me?") as well as America (where it was backed with "We're Not Gonna Take It"). The single reached number 37 in the US on the "Billboard" Hot 100. It also reached number 20 in the Netherlands, and number 26 in Canada. "Billboard" described the single as an "easy beat rocker" with "much sales potency" that represented a "change of pace" from the Who's previous single "Pinball Wizard." Film and film soundtrack versions. The versions of “I’m Free” recorded for the  1975 film and its soundtrack album feature The Who accompanied by Nicky Hopkins on piano and Kenney Jones playing drums. Live history. This song was used in the 1969-1970 concert classic set list. It is often switched with "Sensation" on setlists, including in the movie and in the Broadway musical as Tommy rejoices at regaining his sight, voice and hearing after the shock provided by his mother. In 1975-1976, the song was reintegrated into The Who's set list. The version played at these shows featured more raucous vocals and a reworked guitar riff. In 2002, The Who  played this for a stretch on their 2002 UK Tour, with a similar arrangement to the versions played on the 1975-1976 tour. However, it was dropped again by the time bassist Entwistle died.