B-side "When It Comes" Recorded 1972 Label Epic | Released August 1973 Genre Rock | |
Length 3:08 (Album/Single version)
3:24 (Full version) | ||
"Free Ride" is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by The Edgar Winter Group. The single, engineered by Jim Reeves, was a top 20 US hit in 1973, hitting number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Contents
The single 45 version is distinctly different from the LP version. The 45 version contains a significantly brighter guitar track (that opens the song only on the left channel), added harmonics, a fuzz bass added to the bridge, and other changes that contrast sharply with the "dry" LP mix. Most classic rock radio stations play the LP version, and the original 45 mix is much less commonly available online. Both versions clock in at virtually the same length because each was based on the same core "take" and re-mixed with different tracks to the fore as well as added enhancements to the single.
Cover versions
Appearances
The song was featured in the opening scenes of the 1990 movie Air America and in the 1995 film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. It was later used in The Drew Carey Show episode "The Dog and Pony Show". The song also appears in the video games Prey, MLB 11: The Show, Cars, and Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and Damned. The song is featured in the 1993 film, Dazed and Confused. The song is on Rock Band 3 as downloadable content along with "Frankenstein". It also appears in the main setlist of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. This song appeared in a 2015 Ford commercial for a Free Ride sales event.