Freed from Desire

"Freed from Desire" is a Eurodance song by Italian singer and songwriter Gala. Produced by Maurizio Molella and Phil Jay, it was released in 1996 as the first single from her debut album, Come into My Life (1997). It was a hit in many European countries, reaching number one in France and Belgium. The track was released in the UK in July 1997, peaking at number two and spending eight weeks inside the top 10 and 14 weeks in total in the top 75. Gala achieved a diamond recording certification in France, and a double-platinum certification in Belgium, United Kingdom and Italy.

"Freed from Desire"
Single by Gala
from the album Come into My Life
Released1996
GenreEurodance[1]
Length
  • 3:50 (album version)
  • 3:27 (single)
Label
  • ZYX (Germany)
  • Fact (Netherlands)
  • Nitelite (Italy)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Maurizio Molella
  • Phil Jay
Gala singles chronology
"Everyone Has Inside"
(1996)		 "Freed from Desire"
(1996)		 "Let a Boy Cry"
(1997)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Alternative cover
Music video
"Freed from Desire" on YouTube

Critical reception

In a list of "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s" for Attitude in 2016, "Freed from Desire" was ranked at number three.[2] Melody Maker complimented its "driller-killer Europop irresistibility".[3] A reviewer from Music Week gave the song four out of five, writing, "A chart topper across Europe, this has similar appeal to Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman". That reached number two and, with the right exposure, this could, too."[4] Pop Rescue called it a "great" song, noting "the handclaps, the beats, drum fills, whirling synths and that bassline, and of course that catchy 'ner ner ner ner-ner ner her' section." They added it as "a fine specimen" of "90s dance".[5] Dave Fawbert from ShortList described it as an "absolute, total banger", and "a song that the Beatles would have been proud to have written."[6]

Chart performance

"Freed from Desire" went on to become a huge hit all over Europe, becoming the singer's most successful single. It peaked at number one in Belgium (in both Flanders and Wallonia) and France, and entered the top 10 also in Denmark (7), Iceland (9), Ireland (2), Italy (2), the Netherlands (5), Scotland (3), and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart on August 3, 1997.[7] It spent 8 weeks inside the top 10 and 14 weeks in total in the top 75, while peaking at number four on the UK Dance Singles Chart in the same period. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Freed from Desire" also peaked within the top 10, reaching its best position as number four in December 1996. Additionally, it was a top 20 hit in Austria (16), Finland (17), Germany (14) and Switzerland (13).

The single was awarded a diamond recording certification in France, a double-platinum certification in Belgium and the United Kingdom, and a gold certification in Italy.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Freed from Desire" was filmed in Hamburg at the Speicherstadt[8] under the direction of German director and photographer Nina Bittel.[9] It was shot in a sepia tone filter while Gala is chased around by several different men. Other scenes feature the singer driving a 1962 Austin-Healey 3000.[8]

Other versions

In 2016, Gala recorded an acoustic version of "Freed from Desire" at Les Studios Saint Germain in Paris, for the movie Un homme à la hauteur directed by Laurent Tirard with Jean Dujardin.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications for "Freed from Desire"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[42] 2× Platinum 100,000*
France (SNEP)[43] Diamond 750,000*
Germany (BVMI)[44] Gold 250,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[45]
sales since 2009 		2× Platinum 200,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[47] Gold 1,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Drenchill and Indiiana version
"Freed from Desire"
Single by Drenchill featuring Indiiana
Released2018
GenreDance
Length3:39
LabelSony Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Drenchill
Drenchill singles chronology
"Hey Hey"
(2018)		 "Freed from Desire"
(2018)		 "Allumé Allumé"
(2019)
Music video
"Freed from Desire" on YouTube

In 2018, Drenchill released a cover of "Freed from Desire". It reached number 1 in Poland[48] and number 4 in the Commonwealth of Independent States.[49]

Weekly charts
Weekly chart performance for "Freed from Desire" by Drenchill
Chart (2018–2019) Peak
position
CIS (TopHit)[49] 4
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[48] 1
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[50] 4
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[51] 4

Year-end charts
2019 year-end chart performance for "Freed from Desire" by Drenchill
Chart (2019) Position
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[52] 17
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[53] 29
2020 year-end chart performance for "Freed from Desire" by Drenchill
Chart (2020) Position
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[54] 98
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[55] 77
2021 year-end chart performance for "Freed from Desire" by Drenchill
Chart (2021) Position
CIS (TopHit)[56] 164
Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[57] 145

Certifications
Certifications for "Freed from Desire" by Drenchill
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Poland (ZPAV)[58] 3× Platinum 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Usage in football

The song has been used as a football chant by fans of Bohemian FC as far back as April 2011, where at a game away to Sligo Rovers it was sung with the lyrics amended to "The Bohs have got no money, we've got a bag of E's." (Ecstasy) Reference was made to the chant in the Irish Independent at the time, who wrote "For 45 minutes the visiting fans -- who clearly planned around dry Good Friday -- roared out 1990s dance classic 'Freed From Desire' seemingly oblivious to their team being dismantled on the park"[59] and was recorded by Sligo Rovers fans in the opposite stand. [60]

The chorus was used for a football chant in 2012 by Stevenage F.C. fans for winger Luke Freeman as: "Freeman's on fire, your right back is terrified!"[61] Following that, in early 2016, Newcastle United supporters adapted the song for their striker Aleksandar Mitrović, the refrain being: "Mitro's on fire, your defence is terrified", which has also been used by fans of Fulham FC after his transfer there.[62] However, Mitrović suffered poor form; the chant went viral in May of that year, as Wigan Athletic supporter Sean Kennedy uploaded on YouTube his version of "Freed from Desire" titled "Will Grigg's on Fire", in recognition of the recent goal-scoring feats of Will Grigg, a Wigan player.[63][64] This version was recorded by dance producers Blonde under the alias DJ Kenno, and it reached No. 76 on the UK single chart.[65][66] Fans from Northern Ireland also sang "Will Grigg's on Fire", notably during UEFA Euro 2016, as he played for Northern Ireland.[67][68] Fans of Ireland, Wales, England, and France made their own versions of the song for their players, such as "Vardy's on Fire" and "Grizi's on Fire".[69][70] It was later seen as the unofficial song of UEFA Euro 2016.[71]

Fans of West Ham United chant "Bowen's on fire" for Jarrod Bowen, who scored the winning goal against Fiorentina in the 2023 Europa Conference League final to win the club their first major trophy in 43 years.[72]

This goes to the same to both fans and players of Manchester City. During their win against Manchester United F.C. during the 2023 FA Cup final, players gathered around and chant “Gundo’s on fire” for İlkay Gündoğan, after he scored two volleys from outside the box. A week later on the 2023 UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan, the song was chanted again, this time round is for Rodri, who scored the only winning goal in the game. [73]

"Freed from Desire" itself was used as the unofficial anthem for the Belgian team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[74]

From January 2022, "Freed from Desire" was chosen via a fan poll as the post-match victory song of Melbourne Victory FC; the song will be played over AAMI Park's loudspeakers after every Melbourne Victory home win.[75]

France, England, Switzerland and Poland's national football associations chose Freed from Desire to be played as their goal music at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[76]

France, New Zealand, and Switzerland chose Freed from Desire to be played as their goal music at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Gala herself has expressed support for the use of the song as a sports anthem, stating that "it’s such a beautiful thing that a song has an energy by itself":

Music and sport both gather people of different backgrounds together – a rich guy and a poor guy, they both love the same song, they both cheer for the same football team. It really brings people together from different backgrounds and countries.[77]

In October 2022, a video of fans singing about Will Griggs was re-captioned “Kerch Bridge on fire. Your defence is terrified” in the aftermath of the 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion.[78] The video gained further traction in mid-2023, with at least one news channel mistaking it for Ukrainians celebrating.[78]

See also

References
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  2. Fussell, Glyn (9 June 2016). "The Top 10 Dance Tunes of the '90s". Attitude. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. "'Come Into My Life' review". Melody Maker. 1 August 1998.
  4. "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 May 1997. p. 40. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  5. "Review: "Come Into My Life" by Gala (CD, 1997)". Pop Rescue. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. Fawbert, Dave (19 July 2017). "29 classic songs that are somehow 20 years old this year". ShortList. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
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  60. Bohs fans in Sligo, retrieved 28 November 2022
  61. @StevenageFC (30 May 2012). "Freeman's on fire, your right back is terrified! #inmyhead Any songs for the new boys Dunne, Tansey and Arnold? #stevenagefc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  62. Zed, Row (23 March 2016). "Newcastle supporters' Aleksandar Mitrovic chant is almost as cool as Aleksandar Mitrovic himself". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  63. Davis, Callum (17 May 2016). "'Will Grigg's on Fire!' Fan behind the cult chant given a free Wigan season ticket". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  64. "Watch Hibs fans serenade Anthony Stokes with a chant ... before the Scottish Cup hero joins in". Daily Record. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
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  72. "Bowen: My Missus has heard my song about a hundred times now!". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  73. "WATCH: 'Rodri's on fire!' - Man City match-winner leads crazy dressing room celebrations after Champions League final victory | Goal.com Singapore". www.goal.com. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  74. "The Latest: Beckham-Ibrahimovic have friendly World Cup bet". The Washington Post. 6 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  75. "We have a winner!! 🎶 Warm up your vocal cords for Freed from Desire after wins at AAMI Park!". Melbourne Victory FC. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022 – via Facebook.
  76. "Sound of success: England, Poland and Switzerland pick same goal music". The Guardian. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  77. "Will Grigg's on Fire: the song behind the song". Palatinate. 20 October 2016.
  78. Mccarthy, Bill (20 July 2023). "Famous football chant misrepresented as Ukrainians celebrating Crimea bridge blast". AFP Factcheck. Retrieved 15 September 2023. 
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