The music video begins by showing us a tea pot about to blow, a telling representation of his well-known frustrations with his record company and its insistence on trying to control his image. “Well it looks like the road to heaven, but it feels like the road to hell” hints at George’s interior struggle, which-despite his self-proclaimed pride-may have included feelings about his own sexuality. The song’s joyful, upbeat, and funky tempo is mixed with a tinge of lament-a lyrical downer. At one point in the song, Michael desperately pleads, “I won’t let you down / So please don’t give me up / ’Cause I would really really like to stick around, oh yeah.” The restlessness of the human heart has no answer. Instead, Michael’s song reveals the vanity of all our attempts at communion when atomic individualism is the monstrosity behind the curtain, and emptiness is all it can promise. There’s nothing in that thought that recognizes the erotic, nuptial union characteristic of Christianity and Pope St. Let’s go back to my cousin Danny belting out “Freedom.” The lyrics that precede the song’s triumphant (but almost sad) freedom are: “All we have to see / Is that I don’t belong to you/ And you don’t belong to me / Yeah, yeah!” Growing up in England, Michael perhaps soaked in much of the liberal philosophy indebted to English greats, Hobbes and Locke, and the freedom heralded in “Freedom! ’90” encapsulates the heart of the modern world: our essential loneliness and break from the faith of the past, be it real faith or the title of a pop song. George Michael (born Georgious Panayitou) seemed to espouse a vision of freedom that might reflect a Greek prophet’s at Delphi. Each song has a different conception of freedom: one Christian, another secularist and modern. ![]() ![]() They are similar in that both the pop song and the liturgical music were meant to present “good news,” but different in that one connects us to our origins, God, while the other disconnects us from everything but our own desires, casting us into the void. I link these two memories not because of their relation to James Brown-the backing beat of “Freedom! ’90” was inspired by James Brown’s “ Funky Drummer”- but for other similarities and differences. (We grew up on the Blue Brothers, okay?) Parishioners never could get the gospel groove quite right, though, always frustrating the parish music director who was going for a James Brown church revival vibe. My parish near the South Side of Chicago tried to incorporate traditional black gospel music into the liturgy. It brought up another sweet childhood memory: of the Mass. Part of it showed a moment that is one of my earliest memories: dancing with my sisters and cousins in my Uncle Tommy’s house to George Michael’s new hit at the time, “Freedom! ’90.” While everyone danced-it certainly has a catchy beat-my little cousin Danny stood in the middle of the dancing chorus belting out “Freedom! Freedom!” along with the song. We would also like to immensely thank Andy Oxman of Soundworks Studio for his excellent work and patience during the long period of time this project required.My dad recently sent me video footage of when I was a little kid. They both played with the group for many years and participated in the re-recording of Take It To Jesus and Looking For Him, which are included in this project. We would like to dedicate this project, in memory of, our former drummer Jim Mansfield and former Bass guitar player Melvin Riggs. This project features Take It To Jesus, You Were Born To Die, and I Have Set You Free, written by Linda Hosman, Christ Will Come Again, written by Deanna Borne, wife of Allen Borne and Freedom In Jesus, the title track, Looking For Him, Stuck In The Middle, and Talking About Jesus, written by Gary Kohlstaedt.Īlso included are some of our favorite Southern Gospel songs. The current group includes lead singer Bruce Hosman, tenor Rob Saak, baritone and bass guitar player Gary Kohlstaedt, bass singer Allen Kohlstaedt, Soprano and pianist Linda Hosman, lead guitar player Rayīarker, drummer Howard Hennessey, and sound technicians Allen Borne and Danny Armer. Although none of the original quartet is still with the group, Freedom continues the association with Bethel Baptist Church and Southern gospel music. ![]() One of the original musicians, Ray Barker, the lead guitar player, still is with the Later, piano, guitars and drums were added and the name was changed to “Freedom,” founded in 1981 by Paul Weston, was part of the music ministry at Bethel Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri. In the early days, the group was called the Heaven-Bound Quartet and sang with background tapes. ![]() The Freedom Gospel Group with their second project ”Freedom In Jesus”, presents a compilation of Southern gospel music, featuring many songs written by group members. A group of believers dedicated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ Through Music and Song.
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