One person’s view: “I thought the track was pretty awful and I avoided it at all costs. Still do. It is definitely one of the worst #1 songs of the 80s if not one of the worst songs of the decade in general.” – ArnieNuvo @ PopRedux80
The public’s view: 1.72 / 5.00, the worst #1 hit of 1988
When old-timers chew the fat and talk about ‘80s chart-toppers they hate, Will to Power’s so-called “Free Baby medley” is scarcely ever mentioned. Yet here it is on the Bad #1 Hits blog, flaunting a Rate Your Music score that is the third-worst of any #1 song of the decade. (The two records with lower ratings were both by a certain group who I will be covering soon. Check your supply of ear plugs now.) The retrospective reviews from critics are no kinder than the miserable feedback from RYM’s users. Just as it was a sleeper #1 hit that came out of nowhere in 1988, it’s now a historically anomalous “bad” #1 for us to ponder.
Will to Power consisted of a Miami DJ named Bob Rosenberg, his girlfriend Suzi Carr, and various session musicians. Rosenberg somehow determined that a 1975 Peter Frampton song and a 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd song had common traits and ought to be sewn together into a duet. I would never have noticed a similarity between these two classic rock oldies, but Rosenberg is a DJ who mixes songs professionally and I am a guy who sits at a computer and types dumb stuff. If he ever decides to merge a Carpenters tune with something by Judas Priest, I will just have to respect his genius.
“Baby, I Love Your Way” is (obviously) a love song, and Carr sings that part of the duet. Rosenberg handles the “Free Bird” lines, which consist of a goodbye message from a man who is leaving town and leaving his woman. Despite the opposing sentiments of the two songs, there is no tension or disagreement between the female and male on this track. Rosenberg’s “Free Bird” vocal is so bland and emotionless that there is essentially nothing for Carr to argue with. His lack of passion suggests that he isn’t truly committed to the vagabond lifestyle that the lyrics describe. On the original Skynyrd version, Ronnie Van Zant was a restless dude who needed to see the world and couldn’t be held back by a clingy female or anything else. Rosenberg sounds like someone who made a snap decision to move to Zanesville, Ohio after seeing a documentary about the city on TV, and who will meekly abandon this plan after realizing that Ohio gets kind of cold and he doesn’t own a winter coat.
The singers trade lines in the chorus near the end of the record, which is why I call it a duet despite it being billed as a medley. When the woman sings “Ooh, baby I love your way,” the man responds with “’Cause I’m as free as a bird now.” This couple might be talking to each other, but they aren’t communicating. The guy thinks he’s as free as an eagle or a penguin, but in this smothering relationship he’s about as free as a chicken at Perdue Farms. His girlfriend never reacts to any of his threats to leave, maybe because she knows just how unserious he is. Will to Power may have successfully welded two songs together musically, but there is still an open seam in the lyrics.
I can understand why Skynyrd fans were not happy with Will to Power. The group made a wimpy version of one of Skynyrd’s best loved songs and then took it to #1, obscuring people’s memories of the original. For many rock bands this insult would be the most awful thing that had ever happened to them, but Lynyrd Skynyrd had probably been through worse. Peter Frampton, on the other hand, was pleased with the duet. He was entering the second decade of a career slump that should be ending any day now, and he appreciated both the attention and the royalties.
Despite its flaws, I don’t consider Will to Power’s #1 hit to be an unlistenable torture. But if you’re into unlistenable tortures, don’t go away just yet. We’re coming up on 1989 and 1990, and those might be two of your favorite years.
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