In 1975, Elton John had a number-one hit with “Philadelphia Freedom.” Fifty years later, it's considered an anthem for the U.S.A. and its freedoms — even though it didn't start that way.
Written by the music legend and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, the piano-driven song featured pop, rock, and soul elements, and a catchy chorus about waving a freedom flag.
Released as a standalone single, “Philadelphia Freedom” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 12, 1975, amid a 21-week chart stay. The song received renewed interest the following year, most notably at the home of the Liberty Bell, as Americans celebrated the country’s Bicentennial birthday on July 4, 1976.
Decades later, Ultimate Classic Rock ranked “Philadelphia Freedom” among the Top 10 patriotic songs but also noted it didn’t start that way. The song was actually written as a tribute to Elton John’s friend, tennis pro Billie Jean King, who played on the Philadelphia Freedoms tennis team.
“But the uplifting message of the track's chorus got simplified during the countdown to America's 200th birthday celebration in 1976, and that's exactly the takeaway that remains cemented in music lovers' minds to this day,” the outlet noted.
King once shared the song’s origin story in an interview posted on Elton John’s website. The tennis legend recalled her longtime friend telling her he wanted to write her a song.
“In the summer of 1974, we were driving to one of his concerts and he looked over at me in the back of the car… and he said, 'I want to write a song for you,’” King shared. “Of course, I didn’t think I heard him right … And he goes, “No, I want to write a song, what are we gonna call it?' ...Then he went, 'How about ‘Philadelphia Freedom'?' Because I played for the [World TeamTennis] Philadelphia Freedoms and he used to come to watch our matches.”
King admitted she was “thrilled” and considered the song to be for all Philadelphians.
“I said, 'That’s great. It will be a great gift to the people of Philadelphia,’” she added. “And the timing was perfect because of the Bicentennial being just the following year [from the song’s release]. And I love the word 'freedom.' I would say it is one of my all-time favorite words since I was a child.”
King also clarified that she never wanted the song to be anything about tennis.
“It’s a feeling,” she said. “It’s a great song for a team. It’s a great song if you’re not a team.”
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John also shared why he decided to record the song.
“Billie Jean King, a friend of mine, she had the team The Philadelphia Freedom at the start of World Team Tennis. I said, ‘I shall write a song for you,’” he once said. “At the time, we were making so many albums, but we liked to make separate singles, too.”
“It was at the same time of all those great O’Jays, Billy Paul, the MSFB records were coming out of Philadelphia,” he added. “Philadelphia Freedom was a tribute to that music, and from a one-off single point-of-view, I don’t think we’ve ever bettered it.”
Related: 1976 Soft Rock Hit, a Bicentennial Summer Breakthrough, Remains a Career-Defining Classic 50 Years Later
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