(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Elton John - "Philadelphia Freedom"
Hit Number 1: April 12, 1975
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
One of the biggest historical events of the '70s was the tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, better known as the "Battle of the Sexes." This was the first time a woman ever went up against a man in a tennis match, and though Riggs was 55 years old, he still felt he could easily beat King because he felt it was a man's game. But that's not what happened, of course. King beat Riggs in the match, and ever since then, it hasn't been forgotten any more than when it first happened. Also since then, King became a major celebrity, and she became an advocate for not only equal rights for men and women, but also LGBT rights. One of King's biggest fans, even before her victory against Riggs, was Elton John. John would often be a regular at King's tennis matches, and would always be cheering her on from the sidelines. After seeing her victory against Riggs, John thought it would be fitting to get ahold of his songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, and write a song in her honor.
"Philadelphia Freedom" obviously has nothing to do with tennis, and it also has nothing to do with any ounce of freedom. The connection it has with King is that King played for a women's professional team out of Philadelphia that were called the Philadelphia Freedoms. John and Taupin would both admit later on that most of the songs they wrote were written down on the spot, and there was rarely anything that inspired them. "Philadelphia Freedom" was clearly different, and both John and Taupin wanted to honor King in a memorable manner. So they wrote a song about some patriotic feelings towards Philadelphia, and adding the freedom part at the end to honor King's team. In a way, "Philadelphia Freedom" really isn't about anything. It's just homage to the team of Billie Jean King, with some words placed in the order to make sentences that just sound fun and exciting. Because obviously it's hard to make a good song about tennis. I'm not sure how one would even approach writing a song about tennis. But maybe there is some kind of hidden meaning to "Philadelphia Freedom." There's a lyric in the song that says "Gave me piece of mind my daddy never had," which could mean how things were starting to change for John's generation that the previous generation didn't get. But everything I just said is speculation. I have to admit to everyone that I don't have the slightest clue on what "Philadelphia Freedom" is about.
Either way, "Philadelphia Freedom" couldn't have been released at a better time for John. For one, anything he put out was destined to become a hit, and two, the bicentennial was going to happen on July 4, 1976, just one year after "Philadelphia Freedom" was released. Also a reminder that the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, further adding to the easy patriotic vibes of the song. Which is really the best way to describe this song: patriotic. John doesn't sing with his usual glamourous touch, and there isn't much of a child-like falsetto either, which we've seen before from him. Instead, he sounds more matter-of-fact on "Philadelphia Freedom," like he truly means what he's saying and he's commanding your attention. It's also easy to picture some flag-waving, all-American images in your head if you close your eyes and just listen. There's strings, horns and a flute that flutters around in the instrumentation, which might not sound that different from anything else popular at the time, but it's all orchestrated to sound patriotic. This might sound weird, but the song just sounds proud. It sounds happy and full of life.
Really no matter what you may think of "Philadelphia Freedom," it's hard to deny that it's a fun song, and it's probably one of the better records that Elton John ever put out. (I still stand by "Bennie & the Jets" being his best #1 though) It was never included on an album though, and it's actually credited as being by the Elton John Band rather than just Elton John himself. That could be part of the reason why it was only available for single release. Again, just like everything else with this song, I can only speculate here. But it's fun speculation. I don't think there's much good that comes out of Philadelphia besides the food and the philly soul that dominated the charts the last couple years. But I guess I can add "Philadelphia Freedom" to that short list. This song always seems to manage to put me in a better mood.
GRADE: 8/10
IN POP CULTURE:
Hall & Oates covered "Philadelphia Freedom" for their 1991 album Two Rooms, which was an album filled of tributes to Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Of course, there's no music video for it, but here's the audio:
(Hall & Oates will eventually appear in this blog a lot of times)
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