Liberty!

Album: Syntonic (1990)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A breakup with lots of loose ends plays out in this dance tune, with the guy regretting the day he asked for his liberty, and the girl letting him know it was for the best. It's the lead track and first single from Syntonic, the second album by the Canadian unit Kon Kan, which is producer Barry Harris.

    "'Liberty' was another song that was very European inspired," he told Songfacts. "Once again Pet Shop Boys, Stephen Hague, Erasure, synth-pop inspired. I had the music and the verses melody all mapped out in my head, and once again I met up with Bob Mitchell (my co-writing partner I LOVE to work with now and then), to help me fill in a lot of the blanks In the lyrics."
  • Barry Harris sang the male vocals with Debbe Cole supplying the female voice. On Kon Kan's previous album, Kevin Wynne sang lead on most of the tracks, including the hit "I Beg Your Pardon." Cole is highly respected in the world of dance music; Harris was impressed by her vocals on the Malcolm McLaren song "Madame Butterfly."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.