All Right Now is a song by the English rock band Free. The song, released in 1970, reached #2 on the UK singles chart and #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the lead single from their third studio album, Fire and Water.
The video below features the band’s legendary performance, showcasing the raw energy and soulful rock sound that defined their career and some of our memories. Still heard today.
Video: Free – All Right Now (Live at Isle of Wight, 1970)
Brief History
“All Right Now” was famously written by bassist Andy Fraser and singer Paul Rodgers in a dressing room after a “terrible” gig in Durham, England. The band had played to a small, indifferent crowd and realized they needed an upbeat anthem to close their sets and lift the audience’s spirits. Fraser reportedly started humming the hook right there to cheer up his bandmates.
The song eventually became one of the most played tracks in British radio history. While Free only stayed together for five years, the song’s legacy lived on through Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke’s next venture, Bad Company, and it remains a permanent staple of classic rock radio worldwide.
This video is widely considered the definitive live performance of the track, showcasing Paul Kossoff’s iconic, sparse guitar style and the powerful, lived-in vocals of a 20-year-old Paul Rodgers.