Free to Decide explained

Free to Decide
Cover:TheCranberries-FreeToDecide-single.jpg
Type:single
Artist:the Cranberries
Album:To the Faithful Departed
B-Side:The Picture I View
Released:[1]
Label:Island
Producer:Bruce Fairbairn, the Cranberries
Prev Title:Salvation
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:When You're Gone
Next Year:1997

"Free to Decide" is a song by Irish rock band the Cranberries, released as the second single from their third studio album, To the Faithful Departed (1996), on 1 July 1996. The song achieved minor chart success in Europe but became a top-10 hit in Canada, peaking at number two on the RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eight on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic version on the band's Something Else album.[2]

Composition

The song is written in the key of G major with a tempo of 118 beats per minute.[3]

Music video

The music video was directed by Marty Callner and was shot in a desert. Dolores O'Riordan escapes from the press and drives in her jeep as her band performs with yellow walls behind them. Dolores appears in a white outfit singing the song in a birdcage and dancing by a giant picture frame. At the end of the video, the last 30 seconds plays the interlude where the whole video reverses back to the beginning.

Track listings

UK CD1[4]

  1. "Free to Decide"
  2. "Cordell"
  3. "The Picture I View"

UK CD2[5]

  1. "Free to Decide"
  2. "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl)
  3. "Bosnia"

UK cassette single[6]

  1. "Free to Decide"
  2. "Cordell"

European CD single[7]

  1. "Free to Decide" – 4:25
  2. "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl) – 2:22

European maxi-CD single[8]

  1. "Free to Decide"
  2. "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl)
  3. "Sunday" (live at The Point, Dublin)
  4. "Dreaming My Dreams" (live at The Point, Dublin)

Australian and Japanese CD single[9] [10]

  1. "Free to Decide"
  2. "The Picture I View"
  3. "Salvation" (live at Milton Keynes Bowl)
  4. "Ridiculous Thoughts" (live at The Point, Dublin)

US, Canadian, and Japanese maxi-CD single (with "When You're Gone")[11] [12]

  1. "When You're Gone" (edit) – 4:29
  2. "Free to Decide" (album version) – 4:24
  3. "Free to Decide" (live at Pine Knob, Clarkston, Michigan, 18 August 1996) – 3:11
  4. "Cordell" – 3:40
  5. "Zombie" (from MTV Unplugged) – 4:54
  6. "Zombie" (A Camel's Hump remix) – 7:53
  7. Screensaver

US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single (with "When You're Gone")[13] [14] [15]

  1. "When You're Gone" – 4:55
  2. "Free to Decide" – 4:24

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1996)Peak
position
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[16] 9
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[17] 63
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[18] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 29
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[20] 36
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[21] 70
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[22] 55
US Top 40/Mainstream (Billboard)[23] 60
US Triple-A (Billboard)17

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United Kingdom1 July 1996Island[24]
Japan15 August 1996CD[25]

Notes and References

  1. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 29 June 1996. 29 June 2021.
  2. Web site: The Cranberries Announce New Acoustic Album Something Else, Share "Linger": Listen. Pitchfork. March 14, 2017. March 23, 2017.
  3. https://tunebat.com/Info/Free-To-Decide-The-Cranberries/42e1QfTyPYWuoddr0ghc0i https://tunebat.com/Info/Free-To-Decide-The-Cranberries/42e1QfTyPYWuoddr0ghc0i
  4. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. UK CD1 liner notes. Island Records. CID 637, 854 705-2.
  5. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. UK CD2 liner notes. Island Records. CIDX 637, 854 703-2.
  6. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. UK cassette single sleeve. Island Records. CIS 637, 854 704-4.
  7. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. European CD single liner notes. Island Records. 854 700-2.
  8. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. European maxi-CD single liner notes. Island Records. 854 709-2.
  9. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. Australian CD single liner notes. Island Records. 854 701-2.
  10. Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. Japanese CD single liner notes. Island Records. PHCR-8367.
  11. When You're Gone / Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. US & Canadian maxi-CD single liner notes. Island Records. 422-854 825-2.
  12. When You're Gone / Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. Japanese maxi-CD single liner notes. Island Records. PHCR-4765.
  13. When You're Gone / Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. US CD single liner notes. Island Records. 422-854 802-2.
  14. When You're Gone / Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. US 7-inch single vinyl disc. Island Records. 422-854 802-7.
  15. When You're Gone / Free to Decide. The Cranberries. 1996. US cassette single sleeve. Island Records. 422-854 802-4.
  16. Top National Sellers. Music & Media. 13. 41. 18. 12 October 1996. 25 June 2018.
  17. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 13. 31. 14. 3 August 1996. 15 December 2020.
  18. News: Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (17.8. – 23.8. '96). Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 42. 17 August 1996. 2 October 2019.
  19. RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 11 April 2018.
  20. RPM Year End Alternative Top 50. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 11 April 2018.
  21. News: Árslistinn 1996. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 16. 2 January 1997. 30 May 2020.
  22. Airplay Monitor Best of '96. Airplay Monitor. 4. 53. 24. 27 December 1996. 25 December 2023.
  23. Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Top 40/Mainstream Titles. Airplay Monitor. 4. 53. 30. 27 December 1996. 21 January 2024.
  24. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 29 June 1996. 29 June 2021.
  25. Web site: フリー・トゥ・ディサイド ザ・クランベリーズ. Free to Decide The Cranberries. Oricon. ja. 13 December 2023.

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