Philadelphia Freedom

This was the first song that ever registered in my brain as something to like, to listen to again, to appreciate. I think I was about nine years old, living in Manchester, England. Before this song, my appreciation of music was somewhat disconnected, without much conviction or commitment or emotion. I don't know what it is about this song in particular. I'm sure it was serendipity more than anything else; it just happened to be on the radio at the right place at the right time. But I do know that what got me was the drums, something about the metronomic heavy down beat, that snare sound that was like being hit on the head. I distinctly remember trying to play-act being the drummer. Elton John, it seems, opened up a part of my brain that I never knew existed. After that, it was only a hop-skip-and-jump to the wonderful incredible world of music, music, and more music as an adolescent. Many years (decades) later, when I moved to Philadelphia, I thought about this song. But alas, it was no longer the seventies....

I should add that listening to it now, it's clear what a great pop song it was. It's structurally a complicated song with lots of different passages, an incredible hook, a fantastic chorus, and just a great example of white soul from the seventies. "Philadelphia Freedom" is also a great example of how sixties and seventies rock produced wonderful three-to-four minute long singles that were fantastic and could be enjoyed without any knowledge of the singer or the album, i.e., without any context. This song, in fact, wasn't even on an original album; it was just released as a stand-alone 45. I miss that.