Free Urself Prince single

NPG Records

single

Free Urself is a song recorded at Paisley Park Studios in early 2015, and was initially available on the TIDAL streaming service on 28 September as its Purple Pick Of The Week. Two days later it was available  commercially on iTunes.

Early artwork, a water colour by Clémentine Campardou which Prince purchased in 2014 and posted on his Twitter account in late May 2015 in promotion of another track Stare, appearing to depict an album cover that suggested Free Urself was anticipated as the potential title track to a planned full studio album or as a single intended for his then current project HITNRUN Phase Two. Free Urself was omitted from that album as was possibly envisaged for a later, unfinished, project and thereby remained a stand-alone digital audio issue. In its final, chosen, artwork Prince wears a top bearing an illustration Spencer Derry.

There’s so much work to do

From 3 December 2015, Free Urself was available for purchase from TIDAL.com‘s newly launched download store, as was previously a purely streaming service.

Prince died on 21 April 2016 and so Free Urself was not only his final commercially released single but the last original song completed and issued in his lifetime.

Performers

All Instruments

Prince

Data

Producer

Prince

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

NPG Records

Released

10 years ago on 28 September 2015

Running Time

3:47

US Chart Peak

Did not chart

UK Chart Peak

Did not chart

Orig. Format

Tracklist

1. Free Urself [feat. Judith Hill] (3:47)

Free Urself single review

The final original single issued by Prince in his lifetime, Free Urself is a call to arms for the human spirit to go out to the big world and achieve your goals. Free Urself is a call to help the planet. The theme is a longstanding one, freedom. Prince performed the song often on his final tour Piano & A Microphone Tour. The lyrics become poignant when he died in April 2016 just months after the single’s release: “Free yourself, but save a place for me.”

Free Urself is rated 3 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.