Album: Donavon Frankenreiter (2004)
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Songfacts®:

  • Donavon Frankenreiter wrote this song with Jack Johnson, who produced his self-titled debut album and also performed on this track. In a Songfacts interview, Frankenreiter said, "I wrote that on a boat in Indo when I was around 28-29 years old. It was reworked when I had a chance to record it and re-write it with Jack Johnson - together we came up with the final version of the song. It's one of my favorites for sure."
  • Like Johnson, Frankenreiter is big on surfing - he turned pro when he was 16. He was in his late 20s when Johnson encouraged him to record an album, which kickstarted his music career. "Free" embodies the laid-back spirit of surfing, as he sings about a carefree adventure on the water - when the weather doesn't cooperate, he just grabs another drink (or two) and waits it out. Even if things don't go as planned, you're still free.

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