Free Ride (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Free Ride

| cover = Free Ride Edgar Winter.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Edgar Winter Group

| album = They Only Come Out at Night

| B-side = When It Comes

| released = August 1973

| recorded = 1972

| studio =

| genre = Rock{{cite web |last1=Greenwald |first1=Matthew |title=Free Ride by The Edgar Winter Group - Track Info {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/free-ride-mt0006428194 |website=allmusic |access-date=26 March 2023 |language=en}}

| length = 3:05 (single version)
3:20 (full version)

| label = Epic

| writer = Dan Hartman

| producer = Rick Derringer

| prev_title = Frankenstein

| prev_year = 1973

| next_title = Hangin' Around

| next_year = 1973

| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|JAFyvePcR_o|"Free Ride"}}}}

}}

"Free Ride" is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by the Edgar Winter Group from their 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night, produced by Rick Derringer. The single was a top 15 U.S. hit in 1973, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}} and number 10 on Cash Box. In Canada, it peaked at number 8.

{{cite journal| url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4924&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4924.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4924| title= RPM100 Singles|volume=34|number=2|date=October 20, 1973| journal = RPM| publisher = Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada| access-date = November 8, 2015}}

Personnel

Edgar Winter – clavinet, electric piano, ARP 2600 synthesizer, backing vocals
Ronnie Montrose – lead guitar, backing vocals
Dan Hartman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion
Rick Derringer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, producer
Randy Jo Hobbs – bass guitar
Johnny Badanjek – drums

Other versions

Tavares recorded a version of the song for their 1975 album, In the City. Their version peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 8 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Hartman himself re-recorded the song and released it on his 1979 album Relight My Fire. Audio Adrenaline recorded the song and released it on their 1996 album ''Bloom.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

Charts

=Weekly charts=

;Edgar Winter Group

Chart (1973) !Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
scope="row" \|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book\|last=Kent\|first=David\|author-link=David Kent (historian)\|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992\|edition=illustrated\|publisher=Australian Chart Book\|location=St Ives, N.S.W.\|year=1993\|isbn=0-646-11917-6\|page=341}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|84
scope="row" \| Canada 100 (RPM) \|align="center"\|8
{{singlechart\|Billboardhot100\|14\|artist=The Edgar Winter Group\|song=Free Ride\|access-date=November 8, 2015\|rowheader=true\|refname="Billboardhot100"}}
scope="row" \|US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web \|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19731020.html \|title=Cash Box Top 100 10/20/73 \|access-date=2016-12-29 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609225628/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19731020.html \|archive-date=2015-06-09 \|url-status=dead }} \|align="center"\|10

;Tavares

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (1975–76) !Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles \| style="text-align:center;"\|71
US Billboard Hot 100 \| style="text-align:center;"\|52
US Billboard R&B \| style="text-align:center;"\|8
US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web \|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19760110.html \|title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 10, 1976 \|access-date=March 10, 2019 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018175620/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19760110.html \|archive-date=October 18, 2018 \|url-status=dead }} \|align="center"\|56

class="wikitable sortable"

Chart (1975–76)

!Peak
position

Canada RPM Top Singles

| style="text-align:center;"|71

US Billboard Hot 100

| style="text-align:center;"|52

US Billboard R&B

| style="text-align:center;"|8

US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19760110.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 10, 1976 |access-date=March 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018175620/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19760110.html |archive-date=October 18, 2018 |url-status=dead }}

|align="center"|56

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
align="left"\|Chart (1973) ! style="text-align:center;"\|Rank
Canada{{Cite web\|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9481&\|title=Item\|first=Library and Archives\|last=Canada\|date=17 July 2013\|website=Bac-lac.gc.ca\|access-date=7 June 2021}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|109
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual){{cite book \|last=Whitburn \|first=Joel \|date=1999 \|title=Pop Annual \|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin \|publisher=Record Research Inc. \|isbn=0-89820-142-X}} \| style="text-align:center;"\|115
US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web \|url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html \|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973 \|access-date=2016-12-29 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715135835/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html \|archive-date=2014-07-15 \|url-status=dead }} \| style="text-align:center;"\|65

class="wikitable sortable"

align="left"|Chart (1973)

! style="text-align:center;"|Rank

Canada{{Cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=9481&|title=Item|first=Library and Archives|last=Canada|date=17 July 2013|website=Bac-lac.gc.ca|access-date=7 June 2021}}

| style="text-align:center;"|109

US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual){{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |date=1999 |title=Pop Annual |location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin |publisher=Record Research Inc. |isbn=0-89820-142-X}}

| style="text-align:center;"|115

US Cash Box Top 100{{Cite web |url=http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html |title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973 |access-date=2016-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715135835/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html |archive-date=2014-07-15 |url-status=dead }}

| style="text-align:center;"|65

In popular culture

The song was featured in the 1990 film Air America and in The Drew Carey Show episode "The Dog and Pony Show".{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/hello-monty-drew-drops-drawers-111662193/|title=Hello, 'Monty': Drew drops drawers|last=Archerd|first=Army|date=October 16, 1997|work=Variety|access-date=January 19, 2014}} The song is featured in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, while Hartman's recording appeared in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and on its soundtrack album.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106677/soundtrack?ref_=tt_trv_snd|title=Dazed and Confused (1993) |website=IMDb.com}} It was also featured as a song in the video game tie-in for the 2006 film Cars,{{Citation |title=Cars (Video Game 2006) - Soundtracks - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814044/soundtrack/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |language=en-US}} and is also used in the Disney California Adventure ride, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout!{{Cite web |last=Tuttle |first=Brittani |date=2017-04-26 |title=Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! to have its own Awesome Mix |url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-ride-soundtrack/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Attractions Magazine}} It was sampled on the Girl Talk mash-up album Feed the Animals (2008).

References

External links

{{YouTube|XJ-dW2BcbpE|Edgar Winter Group – Free Ride}}

Category:1972 songs

Category:1973 singles

Category:1975 singles

Category:1979 singles

Category:The Edgar Winter Group songs

Category:Tavares (group) songs

Category:Songs written by Dan Hartman

Category:Epic Records singles

Category:Capitol Records singles