Songs About Breaking Free, Kanye Review, RIP Lee Scratch Perry
As Sound Opinions celebrates our first year as an independent production, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot share their favorite songs about breaking free. They also review the new album by Kanye West, pay tribute to Lee Scratch Perry and play recent listener comments.
Donda Kanye West
Kanye's tenth studio album, Donda, is named for his late mother and was released after three stadium-sized listening events, the last of which brought out personas non grata DaBaby and Marilyn Manson.
Songs About Breaking Free
To mark our first anniversary as an independent production we’re sharing songs about breaking free from your past.
Jim
- Queen, "I Want To Break Free"
- Bob Marley, "Redemption Song"
- Eric B. and Rakim, "Teach The Children"
Greg
- Janet Jackson, "Control"
- The Velvet Underground, "I’m Set Free"
- Florence + The Machine, "Dog Days Are Over"
Althea Legaspi
- The Rolling Stones, "I’m Free"
Lee "Scratch" Perry
The dub reggae innovator Lee "Scratch" Perry died August 29 at age 85. His impact as a performer and producer can be heard in hip-hop, punk and dance music.
Listener Comments
We hear feedback from listeners on recent episodes, including the Woodstock 99 documentary, Latin music and buried treasures.
Featured Songs
- Teenage Fanclub, "Free Again," Free Again (Single), K, 1992
- Kanye West, "Jail," Donda, Def Jam, 2021
- Kanye West, "Jesus Lord," Donda, Def Jam, 2021
- Kanye West, "Donda," Donda, Def Jam, 2021
- Kanye West, "Off The Grid," Donda, Def Jam, 2021
- Queen, "I Want To Break Free," The Works, EMI, 1984
- Janet Jackson, "Control ," Control, A&M, 1986
- Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Redemption Song," Uprising, Tuff Gong, 1980
- The Velvet Underground, "I'm Set Free," The Velvet Underground, MGM, 1969
- The Rolling Stones, "I'm Free," Out Of Our Heads, London, 1965
- The Rolling Stones, "I'm Free," Stripped, Virgin, 1995
- The Rolling Stones, "I'm Free," Shine A Light, Polydor, 2008
- The Soup Dragons, "I'm Free," Lovegod, Big Life, 1990
- Dua Lipa, "I'm Free," (Unreleased), NA, 2020
- Alex Chilton, "Free Again," Alex Chilton's Lost Decade, Fan Club, 1985
- Eric B. and Rakim, "Teach the Children," Don't Sweat the Technique, MCA, 1992
- Florence + the Machine, "Dog Days Are Over," Lungs, Island, 2009
- Lee "Scratch" Perry, "I Am the Upsetter," Trojan Reggae: Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae Classics 1967-1974, Sanctuary, 1998
- Max Romeo & The Upsetters, "Chase The Devil," War Ina Babylon, Island, 1976
- Venus Skytrip, "Star," Psychlona, Ripple, 2020
- Kali Uchis, "telepatía," Sin Miedo (del Amor Y Otros Demonios) ∞, Interscope, 2020
- Jaimie Branch, "theme 001 (Live)," FLY or DIE LIVE, International Anthem, 2021
- Art d'Ecco, "Tv God," In Standard Definition, Paper Bag, 2021
Dear Listeners,
For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!