Freed from Desire

"Freed from Desire" is a song written and recorded by the Italian singer and songwriter Gala. It was released in 1996 as the first single from her first album Come into My Life. "Freed from Desire" was a hit in many European countries, reaching number 1 in France and Belgium. The track was released in the UK in July 1997 and peaked at number 2 and spent 8 weeks inside the top 10 and 14 weeks in total in the top 75. Gala achieved a diamond recording award in France, a platinum record in Benelux and a gold record in the United Kingdom.

"Freed from Desire"
Single by Gala
from the album Come into My Life
B-side"Freed from Desire" (mixes/remixes)
Released1996
GenreEurodance[1]
Length
  • 3:50 (album version)
  • 3:27 (single)
Label
  • ZYX (Germany)
  • Fact (Netherlands)
  • Nitelite (Italy)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Maurizio Molella
  • Phil Jay
Gala singles chronology
"Everyone Has Inside"
(1996)		 "Freed from Desire"
(1996)		 "Let a Boy Cry"
(1997)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Alternative cover
Music video
"Freed from Desire" on YouTube

The song was written and composed by Gala, and produced by Filippo Andrea Carmeni and Maurizio Molella.

Other versions

In 2016, Gala recorded an acoustic version of "Freed from Desire" at Les Studios Saint Germain in Paris, for the movie Un homme à la hauteur directed by Laurent Tirard with Jean Dujardin.

The chorus was adapted in 2012 by Stevenage F.C. fans for winger Luke Freeman as: "Freeman's on fire, your right back is terrified!"[2] Following that, in early 2016, Newcastle United supporters adapted the song for their striker Aleksandar Mitrović, the refrain being: "Mitro's on fire, your defence is terrified", which has also been used by fans of Fulham FC.[3] However, Mitrović suffered poor form; the chant came into greater prominence in May of that year, as Wigan Athletic supporter Sean Kennedy uploaded on YouTube his version of "Freed from Desire" titled "Will Grigg's on Fire", in recognition of the recent goal-scoring feats of Will Grigg, a Wigan player.[4] Since it was uploaded, the song has become a viral football chant.[4][5] This version was recorded by dance producers Blonde under the alias DJ Kenno, and it reached No. 76 on the UK single chart.[6][7]

Fans from Northern Ireland also sang "Will Grigg's on Fire", notably during UEFA Euro 2016, as he played for Northern Ireland.[8][9] Fans of Ireland, Wales, England, and France made their own versions of the song for their players, such as "Vardy's on Fire" and "Grizi's on Fire".[10][11] It was later seen as the unofficial song of UEFA Euro 2016.[12] "Freed from Desire" itself was used as the unofficial anthem for the Belgian team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[13]

Critical reception

In a list of "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s" for Attitude in 2016, "Freed from Desire" was ranked at number 3.[14] Pop Rescue called it a "great" song, noting "the handclaps, the beats, drum fills, whirling synths and that bassline, and of course that catchy 'ner ner ner ner-ner ner her' section." They added it as "a fine specimen" of "90s dance".[15] Dave Fawbert from ShortList described it as a "absolute, total banger", adding it as "a song that the Beatles would have been proud to have written."[16]

Chart performance

"Freed from Desire" went on to become a huge hit all over Europe, becoming the singers most successful single to date. It peaked at number-one in Belgium and France, and managed to climb into the top 10 in Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the song reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart on August 3, 1997.[17] It spent 8 weeks inside the top 10 and 14 weeks in total in the top 75. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Freed from Desire" also peaked within the top 10, reaching its best position as number 4. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Austria, Finland, Germany and Switzerland. The single was awarded a diamond recording award in France, a platinum record in Benelux and a gold record in Italy and the United Kingdom.

Music video

The music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube in 2013. As of October 2020, the video has received more than 94 million views.[18]

Track listings
CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Edit Mix)"3:21
2."Freed from Desire (Full Vocals Mixx)"4:13
CD maxi / Europe
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Radio Mix)"3:30
2."Freed from Desire (Solid Base Remix)"5:30
3."Freed from Desire (The Paradise Mix)"8:35
4."Freed from Desire (Full Vocal Extended Mix)"4:17
CD maxi / Australia
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Radio Mix)"3:32
2."Freed from Desire (The Paradise Mix)"8:37
3."Freed from Desire (Full Vocal Mix)"4:17
4."Freed from Desire (Whistle Remix)"6:06
5."Freed from Desire (The Soundlovers Remix)"5:57
12" maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Full Vocals Mixx)"4:13
2."Freed from Desire (Edit Mix)"3:21
3."Freed from Desire (The Paradise Mix)"8:35
CD maxi – Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Short Mix)"3:35
2."Freed from Desire (The Soundlovers Remix)"6:01
3."Freed from Desire (Whistle Remix)"6:09
12" maxi – Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (The Soundlovers Remix)"5:52
2."Freed from Desire (Whistle Remix)"6:00
3."Freed from Desire (Video Mix)"3:28
12" maxi – Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Mr. Jack Club Mix)"7:33
2."Freed from Desire (Full Vocal Mix)"4:13
3."Freed from Desire (Mr. Jack deja vu Dub)"5:01
12" maxi – Remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Mr. Jack Club Mix)"7:33
2."Freed from Desire (Full Vocal Mix)"4:13
3."Freed from Desire (Mr. Jack Deja Vu Dub)"5:01
12" maxi – U.K. Remixes[19]
No.TitleLength
1."Freed from Desire (Allisters Full Vocal Mix)"7:05
2."Freed from Desire (Mr. Jack Club Mix)"8:15
3."Freed from Desire (Dillon & Dickins Mix)"8:41
4."Freed from Desire (Original Mix)"4:13

Charts and sales

Drenchill and Indiiana version
"Freed from Desire"
Single by Drenchill featuring Indiiana
Released2018
Length3:39
LabelSony Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Drenchill
Drenchill singles chronology
"Hey Hey"
(2018)		 "Freed from Desire"
(2018)		 "Allumé Allumé"
(2019)
Music video
"Freed from Desire" on YouTube

In 2018, Drenchill released a cover of "Freed from Desire". It reached number 1 in Poland[55] and number 4 in the Commonwealth of Independent States.[56]

Charts
Chart (2018–2019) Rank
CIS (Tophit)[56] 4
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[55] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Poland (ZPAV)[57] 3× Platinum 60,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. "Premiere: Gala – Freed From Desire (Torus Coolstep Mix)". Dummy Mag. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
  2. @StevenageFC (30 May 2012). "Freeman's on fire, your right back is terrified! #inmyhead Any songs for the new boys Dunne, Tansey and Arnold? #stevenagefc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. Zed, Row (23 March 2016). "Newcastle supporters' Aleksandar Mitrovic chant is almost as cool as Aleksandar Mitrovic himself". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  4. Davis, Callum (17 May 2016). "'Will Grigg's on Fire!' Fan behind the cult chant given a free Wigan season ticket". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  5. "Watch Hibs fans serenade Anthony Stokes with a chant ... before the Scottish Cup hero joins in". Daily Record. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 03 June 2016 – 09 June 2016". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. "WATCH: Club version of 'Will Grigg's On Fire' hits iTunes chart". Sky Sports. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  8. Ducker, James (26 January 2018). "Will Grigg: 'The song was fine, but I just wanted to get out onto that pitch'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. "Video: Euro 2016 - Northern Ireland fans keep the songs coming as 'Will Griggs on fire' echoes around an empty Parc des Princes stadium". Belfast Telegraph. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  10. Whaling, James (12 June 2016). "Vardy's on fire! Watch England fans adapt Will Grigg chant for Leicester striker". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  11. Vely, Yannick (26 June 2016). "Euro 2016: "Griezmann's on Fire ..."". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  12. "This is what Freed from Desire's Gala really thinks of the Will Grigg version". Irish Examiner. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  13. "The Latest: Beckham-Ibrahimovic have friendly World Cup bet". The Washington Post. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  14. Fussell, Glyn (9 June 2016). "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s". Attitude. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  15. "Review: "Come Into My Life" by Gala (CD, 1997)". Pop Rescue. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  16. Fawbert, Dave (19 July 2017). "29 classic songs that are somehow 20 years old this year". ShortList. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  18. "GALA – Freed from desire [Official video HD]". YouTube. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  19. "Gala – Freed From Desire (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Gala – Freed from Desire" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Gala – Freed from Desire" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Gala – Freed from Desire" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  23. "Ultratop Dance: 18/01/1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  24. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 23. 7 June 1997. p. 65. ISSN 0006-2510.
  25. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 108 no. 52. 28 December 1996. p. 51. ISSN 0006-2510.
  26. "Gala: Freed from Desire" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  27. "Lescharts.com – Gala – Freed from Desire" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  28. "Offiziellecharts.de – Gala – Freed from Desire". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  29. "Íslenski Listinn: Topp 40: Nr. 236 vikuna 28.8. '97. – 4.9. '97" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 29 August 1997. p. 22. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  30. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Freed from Desire". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  31. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 108 no. 34. 24 August 1996. p. 58. ISSN 0006-2510.
  32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Gala - Freed From Desire" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  33. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gala – Freed from Desire" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  34. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  35. "Swedishcharts.com – Gala – Freed from Desire". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  36. "Swisscharts.com – Gala – Freed from Desire". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  37. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  38. "Jaaroverzichten 1996" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  39. "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  40. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1996" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13 no. 51/52. 21 December 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  41. "Classement Singles – année 1996" (in French). SNEP. Disque en France. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
  42. "Chart Watch > Top-Selling Singles of 1996". Billboard. Vol. 109 no. 24. 14 June 1997. p. 58. ISSN 0006-2510.
  43. "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  44. "Rapports annuels 1997" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  45. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1997" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  46. "Classement Singles – année 1997" (in French). SNEP. Disque en France. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
  47. "Jahrescharts – 1997" (in German). Offiziellecharts.de. GfK Entertainment Charts. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015.
  48. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  49. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  50. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1997". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  51. "Certifications Singles Diamant – année 1997" (in French). Snepmusique.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2012.
  52. "Les Meilleures Ventes "Tout Temps" de 45 T. / Singles / Téléchargement" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  53. "Italian single certifications – Gala – Freed From Desire" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 17 August 2020. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Freed From Desire" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
  54. "British single certifications – Gala – Freed from Desire". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Freed from Desire in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  55. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  56. Drenchill feat. Indiiana — Freed from Desire. Tophit. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  57. "Polish single certifications – Drenchill – Freed from Desire" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.