How time can change your views on a song... When I first heard the Sugababes' Freedom ages ago, a little snippet of it soundtracking a Nokia advert, I thought it was lazy, tacky; a quick jumping on the dubstep bandwagon.
But seeing the 'babes play the track live at Sainsbury's Super Saturday, sandwiched as it was amongst the band's unparralled pop back catalogue, it felt like it deserved its place there. Like quite a few other tracks, it's one of those songs that needs to be heard in a live setting to be appreciated for all it is. The chorus is every bit as epic as you'd hope for from a Sugababes single, and seems almost even more poignant now that Freedom looks like it might be the beginning of the end for the group.
'So raise your hand, one fist in the air' - could you have any better anthem to standing strong against adversity? And against all odds, the Sugababes are still here. Say what you will about Freedom being released as a free download to avoid the shame of a poor chart placing, but that doesn't take away from the track's quality. Freedom might be playing to the most simple of formulas, but My God has it been done well.
Even the single cover seems steeped in the kind of tired sadness of a band that has gone through so many changes, so many twists and turns in the spotlights of the media gaze. It's there in their eyes.
As for the dubstep breakdown? Is it an attempt to claw out some credibility and 'hit' potential from the current musical trends? Perhaps, but what seemed at first rather tacky now just sounds like a dance breakdown that's an awful lot of fun. And sometimes that's all you need. Because not only is Freedom a fantastic pop song, but it's a reminder of every moment, every instant when the Sugababes confirmed their position as one of the best pop groups around.
You can download Freedom for free on Amazon now.
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