Freedom cover art

  Studio Album · No. 18

Freedom Songwriting Credits by Neil Young

1989 12 tracks 61 min
Heartland rockHard rockFolk rock
92%
Authorship
Artist

Holds writing credit on 11 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Neil Young carries a lyricist or composer credit.

92%
11 trackswritten by Neil Young 1 trackoutside writers
Neil Young's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist92%
Composer92%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
5
Lyricists
2
Producers
1989
Released
Data Insight

Freedom is framed by two versions of "Rockin' in the Free World," opening with a stark live acoustic reading and closing with the full electric anthem, a structure Neil Young had used to bookend Rust Never Sleeps a decade earlier. Young wrote every song on the record except "On Broadway," the Brill Building standard by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, which he reworked into a brooding electric cover. The album swings between quiet acoustic pieces like "Hangin' on a Limb" and "Too Far Gone" and louder guitar workouts such as "Eldorado" and "No More," with the sprawling "Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)" anchoring the middle. After a run of poorly received and stylistically scattered 1980s releases, Freedom was widely received as Young's critical and commercial comeback.

"Freedom" is the 1989 album by Neil Young, his nineteenth studio record and a blend of heartland rock and hard rock that marked a major commercial recovery after his struggling 1980s output. It is bookended by acoustic and electric versions of "Rockin' in the Free World," a phrase suggested by guitarist Frank Sampedro. Young produced the album with Niko Bolas, with a core band featuring bassist Rick Rosas and drummer Chad Cromwell, plus vocals from Linda Ronstadt and saxophone and pedal steel from Ben Keith. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the US and Canada and silver in the UK. Critics praised it widely, with Rolling Stone's David Fricke awarding five stars.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Rockin' in the Free World #2
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
2
Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
3
Don't Cry
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
4
Hangin' on a Limb
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
5
Eldorado
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
6
The Ways of Love
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
7
Someday
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
8
On Broadway
Barry MannCynthia WeilJerry LeiberMike Stoller Barry MannCynthia WeilJerry LeiberMike Stoller Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
9
Wrecking Ball
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
10
No More #7
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
11
Too Far Gone
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)
12
Rockin' in the Free World #2
Neil Percival Young Neil Percival Young Neil YoungNiko Bolas Neil Young (Lead Vocals, Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 7 contributors

NP
Neil Percival Young
Writer
On this album11 written
BM
Barry Mann
Writer
On this album1 written
CW
Cynthia Weil
Writer
On this album1 written
JL
Jerry Leiber
Writer
On this album1 written
MS
Mike Stoller
Writer
On this album1 written
NY
Neil Young
Producer · Vocals
On this album12 produced
NB
Niko Bolas
Producer
On this album12 produced

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Frequently Asked Questions Freedom

When was Neil Young's Freedom released and on what label?
Freedom was released on October 2, 1989, by Reprise Records. It reached number 35 on the Billboard 200 and is regarded as Neil Young's comeback after a string of poorly received 1980s albums.
Who wrote Rockin' in the Free World?
Neil Young wrote "Rockin' in the Free World" alone. He composed it during February 1989 while touring with his backing band The Restless, and it became the centerpiece of Freedom, appearing twice on the album in acoustic and electric versions.
Why does Freedom open and close with two versions of Rockin' in the Free World?
Neil Young bookended the album with the same song in two arrangements, opening with a live acoustic version and closing with the studio electric one. The two recordings are intentional companions rather than a duplicate, echoing the acoustic-to-electric framing he used on Rust Never Sleeps in 1979.
Is On Broadway on Freedom a Neil Young original?
No. "On Broadway" is a cover of the 1963 Brill Building standard written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller. Young recast it as a dark, distorted electric performance, and it is the only song on Freedom he did not write.
What is Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I) about?
"Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)" is an eight-and-a-half-minute narrative that strings together vignettes of cops, criminals, a record executive, and other urban characters. It is an edited section of a much longer Young composition titled "Sixty to Zero," and it is the longest track on Freedom.
Who wrote the songs on Neil Young's Freedom?
Neil Young wrote all of the songs on Freedom except for "On Broadway." That track is a cover credited to Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, while every other song on the album is a Young original.
How high did Rockin' in the Free World chart?
The electric version of "Rockin' in the Free World" reached number 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1989. It became one of Neil Young's signature songs and remains a fixture of his live sets.
Was Freedom certified Gold?
Yes. Freedom was certified Gold by the RIAA in the United States for shipments of 500,000 copies. It also earned Gold certification in Canada and Silver certification from the BPI in the United Kingdom.
Which singles were released from Freedom?
Three tracks charted on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart: "Rockin' in the Free World" peaked at number 2, "No More" reached number 7, and "Crime in the City" reached number 34.

Sources

Wikipedia: Freedom (Neil Young album) Wikipedia - Rockin' in the Free World MusicBrainz - Freedom release group Cover Art Archive - Freedom front cover Cover Art Archive: Freedom by Neil Young