Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)

"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla. It was released in September 1991 as the second single from her album, Everybody's Free. It had been a staple in the clubs in Ibiza and Mallorca that summer, where hordes of recovering ravers were delighted to find “that tune about being free to feel good and stuff” was available to buy back home. The song peaked at number-one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. In Europe, "Everybody's Free" reached number 2 in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. It was also a Top 10 hit in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number 6. And in Zimbabwe, it peaked at number 4. Today, the song is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s and it has been remixed and re-released several times. Rozalla performed the song at the start of The X Factor's companion show, The Xtra Factor, on 21 October 2013.

"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)"
One of variants of the standard artwork
Single by Rozalla
from the album Everybody's Free
B-side"Everybody's Free" (Free Bemba Mix)
ReleasedSeptember 1991
Recorded1991
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Nigel Swanston
  • Tim Cox
Producer(s)Band of Gypsies
Rozalla singles chronology
"Born to Luv Ya"
(1990)		 "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)"
(1991)		 "Faith (In the Power of Love)"
(1991)
Music video
"Everybody's Free" on YouTube

Critical reception

Barry Walters from The Advocate called the song "fabulous".[2] AllMusic editor William Cooper described it as a "catchy, cathartic rave anthem that managed to cross over to the Top 40 pop charts."[3] "Everybody's Free" was ranked at number 2 in The Top 10 Dance Tunes Of The '90s for Attitude in 2016.[4] Larry Flick from Billboard stated that it is "bright and invigorating", and "imbued with anthemic U.S. house vibes and lush Euro-disco execution".[5] He added it as a "brain-embedding anthem" and complimented the singer's "crystalline voice."[1] In 2017, BuzzFeed listed the song at number 47 in their ranking of The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s.[6] Amy Linden from Entertainment Weekly called the song "soaring". She noted that Rozalla "radiates independence" and "seizes the mystical, richly textured, techno-house reins and rides, stating her case with total clarity and power, injecting heart and depth into a genre that is often soulless."[7] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented that "one of the most electrifying tracks around is far from new to audiences around the world. Just think of a country and chances are good that this has been #1 there. Following some lengthy delays on the official U.S. release, here it is ready to explode at Top 40."[8] Pop Rescue wrote that "Everybody's Free" "really showcases Rozalla’s vocal range", adding it as "brilliant".[9] Davydd Chong from Record Mirror called it both "pulsating" and "anthemic".[10] Another editor, James Hamilton described it as a "moodily started then scampering and raving jangly Italo style cheerful galloper".[11] Anita Naik from Smash Hits called it a "ear-splitting rave number". Another editor, Marc Andrews said it "contained one of the most memorable spazz drum "sequences" in recent history".[12] The single won an award in the category for "Best hi-NRG 12-inch Single" on the 1993 WMC International Dance Music Awards.[13]

Chart performances

"Everybody's Free (to Feel Good)" first charted in the United Kingdom in 1991, peaking at number 6.[14] It made the Top 40 best selling UK singles of 1991, at position 40. The success soon crossed over to the rest of Europe, where the single was a number 2 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. It managed to climb into the Top 10 also in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 6. Additionally, "Everybody's Free (to Feel Good)" was a Top 20 hit in Austria and Finland. Outside Europe, it peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in the United States, number 2 on the RPM Dance Chart in Canada, number 11 in Australia and number 14 in New Zealand.

The song was not released in the United States until 1992, when Rozalla was signed to Epic Records after a sought-after bidding war. It performed extremely well on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, climbing to number one. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the track was a top 40 Hit, reaching number 37.

Music video

Various music videos exist for "Everybody's Free (to Feel Good)". One of them was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones.[15] It first aired in September 1991.

Rozalla's original label Pulse 8 promoted the song with a semi-live performance video. In the United States, Epic had Rozalla record a different video (shot in New York City). It was uploaded to YouTube in September 2015.[16] Rozalla also shot a video for her 1996 remix in Africa, and another for the 2002 version with German eurodance group Aquagen. Australian TV network Ten and affiliates used the Global Deejays remix to advertise the 2009 series of So You Think You Can Dance Australia.

Remixes

"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" has been remixed various times. In 1996, a remix reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2000, she re-recorded with Richard 'Humpty' Vission and had a minor US dance hit. In 2002 came the Aquagen remix of the song, which reached number 22 in Germany, followed by a Delerium & Faze remix in 2005. The following year came from Italian Kortezman the new remix of the song. A shortened version of the Aquagen remix was used in the introduction to The Venture Bros. episode, "Powerless in the Face of Death". In 2015, the single received an updated remix, billed as the "Crazy Ibiza Remix," which Rozalla loved, and then commented on her Facebook page thanking the fans and mixers who continue to keep the song alive to this day.

Accolades
Year Publisher Country Accolade Rank
1993 WMC International Dance Music Awards United States "Best hi-NRG 12-inch Single"[17] 1
2011 Max Australia "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time"[18] 580
2011 MTV Dance United Kingdom "The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time"[19] 24
2013 Vibe United States "Before EDM: 30 Dance Tracks From The '90s That Changed The Game"[20] 15
2016 Attitude United Kingdom "The Top 10 Dance Tunes Of The '90s"[4] 2
2017 BuzzFeed United States "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s"[21] 47

(*) indicates the list is unordered.

"Everybody's Free (Ca$ino Mix)"
Single by Rozalla
Released1996
Length3:38
LabelPulse 8
Songwriter(s)
  • Nigel Swanston
  • Tim Cox
Producer(s)
  • Band of Gypsies
  • Ca$ino
Rozalla singles chronology
"Losing My Religion"
(1995)		 "Everybody's Free (Ca$ino Mix)"
(1996)		 "Coming Home"
(1997)

Cover versions

Global Deejays released a version of "Everybody's Free" in 2008 that was credited to Global Deejays featuring Rozalla. It features guitars and strong dance beats. It was used in television promotions for So You Think You Can Dance Australia and debuted at number 33 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[22] It climbed to number 7, which made it Rozalla's highest-charting single in Australia.

Quindon Tarver performed a choir cover for the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. His version was later sampled for Baz Luhrmann's single "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)".

Australian singer Nat Conway released a synthpop cover produced by MNEK on 19 August 2016 as her debut single.[23] In 2015, Conway had performed the track as her audition song on the seventh series of The X Factor Australia. She went on to finish 6th and she signed a record deal with label Sony Music Australia.[24]

Kylie Minogue covered the song for her 2016 album Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition. The cover was used in a Christmas TV advertisement for British pharmacy chain Boots.

In the same year, Chase & Status sampled the track's chorus for their song "Spoken Word", featuring George the Poet.

Blumchen - Ich Bin Wieder Hier (1998) German cover in happy hardcore style.

Track listings

Original version

Charts

Weekly charts

References
  1. "Billboard: NEW & NOTEWORTHY" (PDF). Billboard. 1992-06-27. p. 62. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  2. Walters, Barry (September 20, 1994). "Reviews: Music". The Advocate. p. 68. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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  4. Fussell, Glyn (June 9, 2016). "The Top 10 Dance Tunes Of The '90s". Attitude. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  5. Flick, Larry (September 14, 1991). "Dance Trax: Rozalla Reaches 'Everybody'; Madden Presents 'Facts'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 37. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  6. Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (March 11, 2017). "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  7. "Everybody's Free". Entertainment Weekly. August 21, 1992. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. Sholin, Dave (June 12, 1992). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1909. p. 44. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  9. "REVIEW: "EVERYBODY'S FREE" BY ROZALLA (CD, 1992)". Pop Rescue. March 16, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  10. "DJ Directory: Rozalla" (PDF). Record Mirror. August 31, 1991. p. 5. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  11. "DJ Directory: Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Record Mirror. September 7, 1991. p. 6. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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