"I'm Free" by Rolling Stones = I Got A Right?

Joined : 19 May 2008 Posts : 32

With similar subject matter and phrases it seems to me like Iggy possibly based his song on the Rolling Stones one. I know a few other Iggy-penned songs have similar blues influence so perhaps this was in the same vain. Here are both songs' lyrics to compare:

I'm Free (1965)

Im free to do what I want any old time
Im free to do what I want any old time
So love me hold me love me hold me
Im free any old time to get what I want

Im free to sing my song knowing its out of trend
Im free to sing my song knowing its out of trend
So love me hold me love me hold me
cause Im free any old time to get what I want

So love me hold me love me hold me
Im free any old time to get what I want

Im free to choose who I see any old time
Im free to bring who I choose any old time
Love me hold me love me hold me
Im free any old time to get what I want

I Got A Right (1972)

Anytime i want i got a right to move
No matter what they say
Anytime i want i got a right to move
No matter what they say

I got a right, I got a right to move
Anytime I want, anytime
I got a right, I got a right to move
Anytime I want

Anytime I want I got a right to sing
No matter what they say
Anytime I want I got a right to sing
No matter what they say

I got a right, I got a right to sing
Anytime I want
I got a right, I got a right to sing
Anytime I want

*hick from the sticks* Joined : 25 Nov 2007 Posts : 1021

Yah...remarkable and funny!
Really looks the same...in a way.
But definitely a totally different sort of song.

i don't see it as that particular; the stealing and changing of forms/ideas
lot of brilliant ones did that.
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Ron thank you a million for your eternal inspiring music!!

um, interesting theory, and you might have something, but i doubt it considering the difference in the song styles, as zin says, good theory tho

and you're probly right, but i think this came from iggys heart and soul when he was writing it

altho ppl naturally tend to replicate whats around them, consciously or subconsciously, and iggy loves that period stones, so its possible the idea came to while listenin or something
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Away Beyond The Ishkabob
And Over The Propran Sea
You'll Find A Place Called Stoogeland
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Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

interesting thought sweet-sixteen Smile

I agree, similar elements in the conception of both songs

I've long thought this about "I'm Free" and "I Got A Right".

From The Complete Iggy Pop -

"I Got A Right" is basically a powerful and very straightforward statement of intent – ‘Any time I want I got a right to move, anyway I want…’ There’s a large Rolling Stones influence – on their 1969 tour of the USA the Stones reintroduced “I’m Free” into their set, and as huge Stones fans, all the Stooges attended their Detroit gig on 24th November 1969. As “I’m Free” begins with the gentle rallying cry of ‘I’m free, to do what I what I want, any old time’ it’s easy to see the starting point for Iggy’s lyrics. But whereas Jagger’s vocals are casually sung in his trademark mid-Atlantic stoned drawl, Iggy’s delivery is so fierce, so angrily mad that it becomes a huge ‘Fuck You’ to just about anyone who would dare to listen.

Cheers,

Richard

Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

cool, Richard! thanks! Always a pleasure to read something well-expressed and well-judged on this forum.

yeh, great synopsis richard!

i love i got a right, one of the most charged songs ever written, as you say, a big FUCK YOU to just about anyone!

i loved the remastered versions i think it was on godfathers of LA punk, along with gimme some skin, or on that im sick of you EP thing, theyre so amazing, its like raw power 1997 power kinda thing, always gets me pumped
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Away Beyond The Ishkabob
And Over The Propran Sea
You'll Find A Place Called Stoogeland
Where Very Soon You'll Be

Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

Richard - just how much were the Stooges influenced by the Stones, would you say? apart from the obvious fact that the Stones influenced just about everyone, at that time, in a general sense

well, maybe I just answered my own question

Two fantastic classics there. I love 'em both.
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Joined : 16 Oct 2008 Posts : 12

A lot has been written on early (1964?) Stones influence on the Detroit rock sound in general. Bands like MC5 cut their teeth playing in cover bands playing in battles of the bands and teen dances covering much of this material. Black American music covered by Brit covered by American kids.

I'm pretty sure "The Chosen Few" (the band that James, Ron and possibly Dave started out in) covered Rolling Stones songs.
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Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

Ok maybe I'm getting confused. I'm pretty sure James was in The Chosen Few but I could be wrong.
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Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

actually I don't really know about James,I can never remember when exactly Ron et al are first supposed to have met him...but yeh...come to think of it it was early on...so you're probably right that it was in The Chosen Few

ron and james were in the chosen few, and in the dirty shames, no? im not too sure on this either, in fact i completely forgot about the dirty shames - think that was ron and someone else, maybe dave
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Away Beyond The Ishkabob
And Over The Propran Sea
You'll Find A Place Called Stoogeland
Where Very Soon You'll Be

Age : 17 Joined : 13 Feb 2008 Posts : 187

If I remember correctly, the Dirty Shames were Ron, Scott, Dave and Bill Cheatham...
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Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

Immaterial Girl Joined : 17 Dec 2007 Posts : 1303

it wasn't a joke (why would it be) I just read somewhere that she did the vocals, I can't remember where I read it, so it likely wasn't from a very authoritative source. It was a pretty lengthy online bio of both Iggy and The Stooges tho, as I remember
James was definitely not in The Dirty Shames anyway.