Free

Album: 96 Months (2024)
Charted: 35
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Free" is a collaboration between Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding. The song is a euphoric piano-house tune with cascading breaks and waves of warm, glowing synths. Goulding's vocals float above as she sings about the feeling of freedom and liberation, especially when she's with someone special.
  • Calvin Harris released "Free" on July 26, 2024. It arrived more than a decade after the pair's first team-up, the 2013 mega-hit "I Need Your Love." After that, they worked together on "Outside" from Harris' 2014 album Motion and the 2023 single "Miracle."

    "Free" echoes the familiar DNA of their previous work: playful piano stabs, airy pop melodies, and a relentless house beat designed to ignite dancefloors.
  • Harris co-wrote "Free" with Theo Hutchcraft and Chenai Zinyuku.

    Hurts lead singer Theo Hutchcraft's other collaborations with Harris include singing on the Scottish DJ's UK 2013 #1 single "Under Control," co-writing his 2021 song with Tom Greenan, "By Your Side," and appearing in the video for his 2012 track "Thinking About You."

    Chenai Zinyuku is an English singer-songwriter of Zimbabwean descent. She participated in Series 2 of The X Factor UK, finishing in ninth place. Zinyuku previously teamed up with Theo Hutchcraft to pen the Hurts tracks "Spotlights" and "Slave To Your Love."
  • Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding first performed the song together at the Ibiza mega-club Ushuaïa on July 21, 2024.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.