Under the Big Machine, in conjunction with the Rockin’ R. label, living legend Reba McEntire released “Freedom” on March 22, 2019, for the liberty-seekers out there. The song was penned by Tommy Cecil, James Brunswick, John Pierce, and Jaida Dreyer as the lead single to McEntire’s 2019 album Stronger than Truth. McEntire took part in producing the song with Buddy Cannon.
Apart from making a one-week run on the Billboard Country Airplay at No. 2, “Freedom” is only one of Reba McEntire’s unfading ballads that garnered a favorable response from critics. Pip Ellwood-Hughes of Entertainment Focus described it as a ‘powerful anthem’ in a 2019 article. MrAustineFine of Album of the Year said, “It’s definitely an uplifting love song” and further complimented the chorus’ sound for its “swelling instrumentation backing it.”
As the host, she performed the song at the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards. Her unique vocal texture and charisma fill the stage while singing the song that evening.
Meaning Behind the Song
At first, one might think that Reba McEntire’s “Freedom” is a patriotic song, but it’s not. McEntire shared on Bobby Bones Show that although the song is, in fact, an anthem, it is an anthem about love.
“It’s a love song,” the country icon revealed. “This woman has been through a lot of bad times. She was looking for love and never found it in the right places, and then she found the perfect person, and it’s a celebration.” In short, it merely compares the woman’s freedom to American pride.
The lyrics stressed that chasing freedom takes great lengths to ‘Fight for it’ and ‘rise for it.” But once truth is achieved, you will have the unstoppable power to protect it no matter what. The line “And when I look into your eyes, I know why people died for it” denotes that the freedom she seeks is found in the person she loves.
For You
During the second verse, the imagery shifts, and the singer compares her lover to the American flag for its strength and tenacity over any challenge. The ‘boots on the floor’ signifies the battle won after an endless search for freedom. In the end, the woman claims that “loving you [her lover] feels like freedom.”
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Ultimately, “Freedom” captures how love and freedom intertwine in a romantic bond. The idea that love is a vehement liberation is a potent interpretation of the song.
Free yourself from your inner shackles and listen to the critically acclaimed song Reba McEntire’s “Freedom.”
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