Someday We'll All Be Free
"Someday We'll All Be Free" | |
---|---|
Single by Donny Hathaway | |
from the album Extension of a Man | |
B-side | "Love, Love, Love" |
Released | 1973 |
Recorded | 1971–1973 |
Genre | Soul |
Length | 4:14 |
Songwriter(s) | Donny Hathaway Edward Howard |
"Someday We'll All Be Free" is a 1973 song by Donny Hathaway from the album Extension of a Man. The song was released as the flipside to the single "Love, Love, Love." Though the song was only released as an uncharted A-side, it is considered an R&B standard, having been covered by many artists over the years.
Background
The lyric was written by Edward Howard, for and about the mental pain that Hathaway, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when the song was written, was experiencing at the time. Edward Howard said:
"What was going through my mind at the time was Donny, because Donny was a very troubled person. I hoped that at some point he would be released from all that he was going through. There was nothing I could do but write something that might be encouraging for him."
Through the years, the song took on a larger role as an anthem of encouragement for the plight of African Americans suffering racial strife, in spite of the fact that the authors original meaning was a personal message to Hathaway relating to his mental health struggles.
Donny Hathaway himself particularly loved the song and as Eulalah Hathaway stated:
"He loved that song. Donny literally sat in the studio and cried when he heard the playback of his final mix. It's pretty special when an artist can create something that wipes them out."
Although the song did not chart, the B-side of the single, "Love, Love Love," peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the R&B charts[1]
Personnel
- Donny Hathaway – lead vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, arrangements
- Cornell Dupree – guitar
- David Spinozza – guitar
- Ray Lucas – drums
- Willie Weeks – bass
- Marvin Stamm – trumpet
Covers
- Sérgio Mendes on his self-titled 1975 debut for Elektra Records
- Average White Band and Ben E. King on the 1977 album Benny and Us
- Bobby Womack covered the song on his 1985 album of the same name
- Regina Belle on her 1989 album Stay With Me
- James Ingram on his 1989 album It's Real
- Aretha Franklin covered the song in the soundtrack for the 1992 film Malcolm X
- Tom Browne on his 1999 compilation album R 'N' Browne also with Dianne Reeves did as vocals
- Charlie Hunter covered this song as a solo instrumental on his self-titled 2000 Blue Note album
- Alicia Keys during the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon following the September 11 attacks
- Take 6 on their 2002 album Beautiful World (this version is a duet with Hathaway's daughter, Lalah Hathaway).
- Deniece Williams on her 2007 album Love, Niecy Style
- George Benson on his 2009 album Songs and Stories
- Kirk Whalum on his 2010 album Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway
- Ben Allison on his 2011 album Action-Refraction
- Cory Henry on his 2012 album Gotcha Now Doc
- Stéphane Belmondo on his 2013 album Ever After
- Bilal during the Grand Performances series in Los Angeles with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble.
- Helen Baylor covers the song which was used in the season 2 finale of the Martin episode, "Martin's on the Move", and the song appears during the closing credits of the previous seasons.
- Jay-Z sampled the song in the track "Legacy" from his album 4:44
- John Legend did a cover of the song with team member Victor Solomon on The Voice Season 20 finale.
- Kanye West sampled Hathaway’s version on a 2022 song he released under the same title.[2]
In popular culture
Hathaway's version was featured in an episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, in the seventh-season finale "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life", as the character Sasha ingests a cyanide pill.[3]
Hathaway's version was also featured in Showtime's The Chi, in the second-season finale "The Scorpion and the Frog" (episode #10) as the closing music.
References
- ^ Charts and Awards for Exenstion of a Man on Allmusic; Retrieved 05-12-2010
- ^ Atkinson, Katie (2022-12-08). "Kanye West Shares First Song Since Antisemitic Interviews & Social Posts". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Warner, Sam (3 April 2017). "This is Sasha's song in the Walking Dead S7 finale". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- v
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- Laughing on the Outside (1963)
- Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington (1964)
- Runnin' Out of Fools (1964)
- Yeah!!! (1965)
- Songs of Faith (1965)
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- I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
- Aretha Arrives (1967)
- Lady Soul (1968)
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- Spirit in the Dark (1970)
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- Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973)
- Let Me in Your Life (1974)
- With Everything I Feel in Me (1974)
- You (1975)
- Sparkle (1976)
- Sweet Passion (1977)
- Almighty Fire (1978)
- La Diva (1979)
- Aretha (1980)
- Love All the Hurt Away (1981)
- Jump to It (1982)
- Get It Right (1983)
- Who's Zoomin' Who? (1985)
- Aretha (1986)
- Through the Storm (1989)
- What You See Is What You Sweat (1991)
- A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998)
- So Damn Happy (2003)
- This Christmas, Aretha (2008)
- A Woman Falling Out of Love (2011)
- Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics (2014)
- Aretha in Paris (1968)
- Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971)
- Amazing Grace (1972)
- One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism (1987)
- Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972 (2007)
albums
- Take a Look (1967)
- Aretha's Gold (1969)
- Aretha's Greatest Hits (1971)
- The Best of Aretha Franklin (1973)
- Aretha Sings the Blues (1980)
- 30 Greatest Hits (1985)
- Queen of Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1992/2014)
- Greatest Hits: 1980–1994 (1994)
- The Very Best of Aretha Franklin, Vol. 1 (1994)
- Greatest Hits (1998)
- Aretha's Best (2001)
- Respect: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin (2002)
- The Queen in Waiting: The Columbia Years (1960–1965) (2002)
- Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul (2007)
- Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with the Queen (2007)
- A Brand New Me (2017)
- The Atlantic Singles Collection 1967–1970 (2018)
- "Precious Lord (Part 1)" (1959)
- "Today I Sing the Blues" (1960)
- "Won't Be Long" (1960)
- "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (1961)
- "Operation Heartbreak" (1961)
- "I Surrender, Dear" (1962)
- "Try a Little Tenderness" (1962)
- "Say It Isn't So" (1963)
- "Skylark" (1963)
- "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (1964)
- "One Step Ahead" (1965)
- "You Made Me Love You" (1965)
- "Mockingbird" (1967)
- "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (1967)
- "Respect" (1967)
- "Baby I Love You" (1967)
- "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (1967)
- "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"
- "Chain of Fools" (1967)
- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1968)
- "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" (1968)
- "Think" (1968)
- "You Send Me" (1968)
- "The House That Jack Built" (1968)
- "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968)
- "See Saw" (1968)
- "My Song" (1968)
- "The Weight" (1969)
- "Tracks of My Tears" (1969)
- "I Can't See Myself Leaving You" (1969)
- "Gentle on My Mind" (1969)
- "Share Your Love with Me" (1969)
- "Eleanor Rigby" (1969)
- "Call Me" (1970)
- "Son of a Preacher Man" (1970)
- "Spirit in the Dark" (1970)
- "The Thrill Is Gone" (1970)
- "Don't Play That Song" (1970)
- "Border Song (Holy Moses)" (1970)
- "You're All I Need to Get By" (1971)
- "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1971)
- "Spanish Harlem" (1971)
- "Rock Steady" (1971)
- "Day Dreaming" (1972)
- "Angel" (1973)
- "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (1973)
- "I'm in Love" (1974)
- "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" (1974)
- "Something He Can Feel" (1976)
- "Break It to Me Gently" (1977)
- "What a Fool Believes" (1981)
- "It's My Turn" (1981)
- "Jump to It" (1982)
- "Get It Right" (1983)
- "Freeway of Love" (1985)
- "Who's Zoomin' Who" (1985)
- "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (1985)
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986)
- "Jimmy Lee" (1986)
- "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987)
- "Rock-A-Lott" (1987)
- "Oh Happy Day" (1988)
- "Gimme Your Love" (1989)
- "Through the Storm" (1989)
- "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" (1989)
- "Everyday People" (1991)
- "Someday We'll All Be Free" (1992)
- "Ever Changing Times" (1992)
- "A Deeper Love" (1993)
- "Willing to Forgive" (1994)
- "A Rose Is Still a Rose" (1998)
- "Here We Go Again" (1998)
- "Put You Up on Game" (2007)
- "Angels We Have Heard on High" (2009)
- "Rolling in the Deep (The Aretha Version)" (2014)
- Awards and nominations
- Discography
- "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)"
- Amazing Grace (2018 film)
- Genius (2021 television series)
- Respect (2021 film)
- Ted White
Category