The first two albums of the rock band Free received rave reviews from critics, but sold poorly. But the third disc, called Fire and Water (“Fire and Water”), rose high in the charts and was commercially successful.
The worldwide fame for the band was brought by the song All Right Now (“Now everything is in order”), which became the main hit in his discography.
All Right Now song history
The track was written by bassist Andy Fraser and vocalist Paul Rogers.
Andy spoke in an interview with Song Writing magazine about the history leading up to the song All Right Now:
Basically, All Right Now was written because of our terrible performance at Durham College. We arrived there on a rainy Tuesday. It was cold, unpleasant, and to be honest, we got there in a rather lousy mood. And when we saw the public… It was an establishment that could accommodate two thousand people, but there were only about thirty. And these thirty were clearly under Mandrax [запрещённое в РФ снотворное средством метаквалон – примета Blimey]… It was rather gloomy. But of course we started.
Usually we could go up on stage and it didn’t matter who was watching or how they reacted… We just played for ourselves and had a great time. But that night it just didn’t happen… We totally screwed up. And the audience was so “killed” that they didn’t even notice it, which only made the situation even more painful.
SongWritingMagazine.co.uk
The musicians took the failure very hard:
Later, a terrible silence hung in the dressing room … Really creepy atmosphere. To try and ease the tension, I just started to sing… You know, “It’s okay now, baby, it’s okay now,” over and over, like a parent trying to cheer up the kids! But it worked. The rest of the band started stomping to the beat, and I thought we had hit on something worthwhile.
Song Writing
Simon Kirke’s recollection of the track’s history is consistent with Andy’s:
All Right Now was written after a poor performance in Durham, UK. At that time, our repertoire consisted mainly of songs in slow and medium tempo. It’s okay if you’re a student who sits quietly and nods his head to the beat. However, we ended the show in Durham and walked off the stage to the sound of our footsteps. The applause ended before he got behind the drums.
When we entered the dressing room, it became clear that we needed a fast track, a rock song to end our performances with. Suddenly, Frazier had an epiphany and started bebop singing “All right now”. He sat down and wrote it right in the dressing room. It hardly took more than ten minutes.
Molten Gold – An Anthology
Further work on the song All Right Now went like clockwork. Listen to Andy Fraser:
In the chords of the song, I was basically trying to capture my feelings from Pete Townsend… Actually, I wrote the riff on the piano, and then Kossoff (Paul Francis Kossoff) transferred the chords to the guitar, and he had to work a hell of a lot, because it’s not always easy. The chorus, one might say, was written by himself. The chords took me ten or fifteen minutes, and the next day Paul came up with the verses while waiting for the car that was supposed to give him a lift to the concert.
Song Writing
It doesn’t make sense to start arguing about what the song All Right Now is about. We are talking about a guy who picked up a girl on the street and brought her home. What happened next, guess for yourself …
Release and achievements
Members of the rock band Free did not believe that the song All Right Now would become a hit. Andy Frazier said:
We really thought it was something simple, for once. You know, we just thought, “We finally have an uptempo song!” You see, we were very serious guys. We liked to write songs that meant something, while All Right Now is just pure imagination.
And then Chris Blackwell [Chris Blackwell, продюсер из Island Records – примета Blimey], said that he would like to release it as a single. We said, “You must be joking!” It was one of the few fights with Chris that he came out on top of, and of course he was right in the end.
Song Writing
The single All Right Now was released in 1970. It climbed to number two on the UK charts and number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song topped the charts in more than twenty countries. As of 2006, American radio stations aired it more than three million times.
Simon Kirk spoke about how the success of the track influenced the future fate of Free:
I must say, she kind of became a stone around our necks for us. While it took Free to the big leagues, it became a heavy burden because we couldn’t build on the success. It only turned out to be a major international hit because we wanted to create something that people could dance to. Of course, then we were forced to continue in the same spirit, because Island Records desperately demanded that we continue.
In fact, for us it became one of a kind, and when the next composition – it was called The Stealer – failed … we took it to heart, and the group broke up. It turns out that, to some extent, All Right Now went to the group not entirely in favor.
But it must be admitted that this is a very long-lived song. I play it on my solo shows. I played it with Ringo Starr and I consider it one of the highlights of my career.
SongFacts.com
Music video All Right Now – Free
The band did not film a music video for the song. Watch a recording of Free’s performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970. The commemorative event was attended by more than six hundred thousand people.
Cover versions
All Right Now was recorded by Mike Oldfield in 1979. The single was given to Virgin Records, but the company did not release it. The record is considered one of the rarest copies in Oldfield’s discography.
In the winter of 1985, All Right Now was performed by Rod Stewart.
In 2004, Paul Rogers, performing with Queen, sang All Right Now at concerts as part of the Queen + Paul tour.
All Right Now was also sung by Christina Aguilera and many other famous performers.
Interesting Facts
- When the song became a hit, critics claimed that All Right Now’s main riff was taken from the Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women track.
- In 1990, the song returned to the charts after it was used in an advertisement for Wrigley’s chewing gum.
All Right Now Lyrics
There she stood in the street
Smiling from her head to her feet
I said hey, what is this
Now baby, maybe she’s in need of a kiss
I said hey, what’s your name baby
Maybe we can see things the same
Now don’t you wait or hesitate
Let’s move before they raise the parking rate
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
I took her home to my place
Watching every move on her face
She said look what’s your game baby
Are you tryin’ to put me in shame?
I said “slow don’t go so fast,
Don’t you think that love can last?
She said Love, Lord above
Now you’re tryin’ to trick me in love
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
Yeah, it’s all right now
Oh yeah
Let me tell you all about now
Took her home to my place
Watching every move on her face
She said look, what’s your game
Are you tryin’ to put me in shame?
Baby, I said “slow don’t go so fast
Don’t you think that love can last?
She said love, Lord above
Now he’s tryin’ to trick me in love
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, baby, baby it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
All right now baby, it’s all right now
We are so happy together it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright
All right now baby, it’s all right now
Lyrics: ANDY FRASER, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS
Publisher: COHEN AND COHEN
All Right Now Lyrics
She was standing there in the street
Smiling from head to toe.
I said, “Hey, what’s up?”
What a babe, maybe she needs a kiss.
I said, “What’s your name, baby?
Perhaps we look at life the same way.
So what are you waiting for or why are you doubting?
Let’s go before they raise parking fees.”
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
I took her to my house
Pay close attention to her face.
She said, “Listen, baby, what’s going on?
Are you trying to dishonor me?”
I replied, “Slow down, take your time.
Don’t you think that love can last a long time?
She said, “Love, Lord Supreme,
Now you want to lure me into love.”
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
Yes, it’s all right now.
Oh yeah.
Let me tell you everything now.
Took her to my house
Pay close attention to her face.
She said, “Listen, what’s going on?
Are you trying to dishonor me?”
I replied, “Slow down, take your time.
Don’t you think that love can last a long time?
She said, “Love, Lord Supreme,
Now he wants to lure me into love.”
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, baby, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
It’s all right now, baby, it’s all right now.
We’re so happy together, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright
Now it’s all right, baby, it’s all right now.
Song Quotes
When I started writing All Right Now, the words and melody flowed easily. She seemed special and still is special to me and the fans. This is a mandatory number for any of my solo performances.
Paul Rogers, Planet Rock, 2010
I’m still playing this song… I have to. The audience will not let me off the stage until I sing it! Same thing with Paul. He even has to sing it when he plays with Queen.
Andy Frazier, SongWritingMagazine
