“FREEDOM” is the tenth track on Jon Batiste’s 2021 studio album ‘WE ARE.’ The song acts as an anthem for Black power and freedom. The singer feels something in the air that his people did not get to enjoy some time back. There is a certain air of happiness in the song.
The Louisiana-based Jazz/Soul/R&B singer Jonathan Michael Batiste was a familiar name in certain niche groups of music. He is a 35-year-old singer and songwriter, who gained a much deserving spotlight during the 2022 Grammy nominations. Jon Batiste secured 11 nominations, the highest of the event, surpassing other commercially successful artists such as Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, and more.
Jon Batiste explained the meaning behind “Freedom” on Apple Music; “If you think about movies back in the day, you wouldn’t show a Black man with a white woman, or you wouldn’t show a Black relationship, or you wouldn’t show a woman in a certain role. That is our sexuality and how people are represented. That’s what people like James Brown, or when we saw Elvis with the twist in the hips, did. They were unlocking something in people that they were trying to hold in. These people became beacons of freedom, and you look at the way they move and the way that they express who they are onstage. That becomes the way that you want to be in life.”
“Freedom” earned Jon Batiste nominations for Grammy awards for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Music Video.’
Watch “FREEDOM” Music Video by Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste “Freedom” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
In the hook of the song, Jon Batiste tries to pen down his feelings. Today feels like freedom. It might be flawed freedom (considering what happens around the US right now), but it is freer today than ever. The singer wishes to express this freedom in this song.
I don’t know why
But I feel like freedom
Jon talks about those songs from the past that takes him back to a time that was much different. Those songs make Jon feel something. They hit differently. As he mentioned with Apple Music, these songs unlock something that people keep bottled inside them.
Whatever the singer wants to do, he has the freedom to do so now.
In the first verse of the song, Jon Batiste talks to his idols. He adores how they walk, talk, sing, perform and carry themselves. These people broke the barriers of racial discrimination throughout the past decades. These idols created the change they wanted to see in the world and Jon is grateful for this. He wishes to carry on the torch from them.
Now it’s your time…
You can shine
The torch has been passed on to the listeners. People bring real change to the world. Artists like Jon can only show them the way.
In the second verse of the song, Jon Batiste sings how it can be challenging to bring change to the world. When people get knocked down, they get up. This is how human progress has been made forever. Humans cannot stand still — we constantly move, progress, and grow. The world, certainly, has progressed throughout the past decades. However, nothing is close to perfection. Humanity is a constant work-in-progress. But everyone has to stay hopeful and act on the good.
I’m stuck to the dance floor
Jon Batiste feels freer when he is breaking away on the dance floor. The songs from the past make him feel free. What songs make you move? Let us hear in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.