Album · Gang of Four
Songs of the Free by Gang of Four
Songs of the Free is an album by Gang of Four, released in 1982. 4 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 8 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “I Love A Man In A Uniform”, on 5 lists with a best position of #139.
Songs of the Free, Gang of Four's third album, arrived on Warner Bros. in 1982 with Mike Howlett producing, and it's the one where the barbed wire comes down a little. Sara Lee steps in on bass for Dave Allen, her first record with the band, and the whole thing tilts toward R&B and funk, away from the scouring abrasion of the early albums. Andy Gill's guitar still slashes and stutters, Hugo Burnham's drums still hit like a factory press, and Jon King still sings like a man arguing with the evening news, but now you can dance to it without feeling guilty.
"I Love a Man in a Uniform" is the proof, a sleek, chilly groove built for the floor. The record has kept its standing, too: it placed 99th on one critics' list of the best albums of the 1980s, and got a limited splatter-vinyl reissue for Record Store Day in 2015.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Songs of the Free on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Love A Man In A Uniform | 5 | #139 | – | 2002–2023 | |
| 2 | I Love a Man in a Uniform (Steve Sinclair/Hugo Burnham Remix) | 1 | #61 | – | 2003 | |
| 3 | I will be a Good Boy | 1 | #1227 | – | 2003 | |
| 4 | Call me up | 1 | #2017 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.