The Free Electric Band

{{short description|1973 Albert Hammond song}} {{Infobox song | name = The Free Electric Band | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = [[Albert Hammond]] | album = [[The Free Electric Band (album)|The Free Electric Band]] | B-side = You Taught Me to Sing the Blues | released = April 1973 | format = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = [[Pop rock]], [[soft rock]] | length = {{Duration|m=3|s=15}} | label = [[Columbia Records|Mums Records]] 6009 | writer = [[Albert Hammond]], [[Mike Hazlewood]] | producer = Albert Hammond | prev_title = If You've Got to Break Another Heart | prev_year = 1973 | next_title = The Peacemaker | next_year = 1973 }}

"'''The Free Electric Band'''" is a song written by [[Albert Hammond]] and [[Mike Hazlewood]] and performed by Hammond. It was produced by Hammond and arranged by [[Michael Omartian]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Albert-Hammond-The-Free-Electric-Band/release/2232938 |title=Albert Hammond - The Free Electric Band (Vinyl) |website=Discogs |year=1973 |accessdate=2016-01-13}}</ref> and is from Hammond's 1973 [[The Free Electric Band (album)|album of the same name]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicvf.com/album.php?artist=Albert+Hammond&album=The+Free+Electric+Band |title=The Free Electric Band • Album • Albert Hammond • Music VF, US & UK hits charts |website=Musicvf.com |date= |accessdate=2016-01-13}}</ref>

The song reached No. 48 on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], No. 19 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], No. 11 in South Africa, No. 4 in Germany, No. 3 in the Netherlands and was most successful in Norway, where it reached No. 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicvf.com/song.php?id=1625 |title=The Free Electric Band (song by Albert Hammond) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts |website=Musicvf.com |date= |accessdate=2016-01-13}}</ref>

==Charts== {|class="wikitable sortable" !Charts (1973) !Peak<br/>position |- |align="left"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=132}}</ref> | {{center|38}} |- |Canada ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4849&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4849.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4849|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1973-07-14 |accessdate=2020-10-17}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|28 |- |Canada ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Top Singles<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4844&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4844.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4844|title=Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada |website=Collectionscanada.gc.ca |date=1973-07-07 |accessdate=2020-10-07}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|44 |- |Netherlands ([[Single Top 100]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=albert%20hammond&cat=s|access-date=2021-07-02|website=dutchcharts.nl}}</ref> |align="center"|3 |- |Norway ([[VG-lista]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal|url=https://norwegiancharts.com/search.asp?search=albert+hammond&cat=s|access-date=2021-07-02|website=norwegiancharts.com}}</ref> |align="center"|1 |- |South Africa ([[Springbok Radio|Springbok]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(H).html|accessdate=30 September 2020}}</ref> |align="center"|11 |- |Sweden ([[Tio i topp]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(H).html|accessdate=30 September 2020}}</ref> |align="center"|1 |- |[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=1973-06-30 |title=THE FREE ELECTRIC BAND |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/albert-hammond-the-free-electric-band/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Official Charts |language=en}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|19 |- |U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]]<ref>''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' - {{ISBN|0-89820-089-X}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|48 |- |U.S. [[Cash Box (magazine)|''Cash Box'']] Top 100<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19730630.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 30, 1973 |access-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019192611/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19730630.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> |align="center"|41 |- |West Germany ([[GfK Entertainment charts|GfK]])<ref>{{Cite web|title=Suche - Offizielle Deutsche Charts|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/titel-details-281|access-date=2021-07-01|website=www.offiziellecharts.de}}</ref> |align="center"|4 |}

==Other recordings== [[Lalla Hansson]] recorded the song in Swedish, as "{{lang|sv|Han gav upp alltihop (för att spela med sitt band)}}"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://smdb.kb.se/catalog/id/001549550|title=Svenska hits|publisher=Svensk mediedtabas|language=Swedish|date=2002|accessdate=31 October 2014}}</ref> ("{{lang|en|He gave it all up (to play with his band)}}").

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Electric Band, The}} [[Category:1973 songs]] [[Category:1973 singles]] [[Category:Albert Hammond songs]] [[Category:Number-one singles in Norway]] [[Category:Songs written by Albert Hammond]] [[Category:Songs written by Mike Hazlewood]] [[Category:Fictional musical groups]]