Play it Again, Sam #20b - "I'm Free"

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It's time to get down, get groovy! We are at #20b, the "cover" portion of today's Play it Again, Sam: The Soup Dragons' cover of The Rolling Stones' "I'm Free." In the late 1980's/early 1990's, groove-laden alternative rock bands from the UK, such as The Stone Roses and Jesus Jones, were all the rage. Scotland's Soup Dragons were one of those groups, and they hit big with their 1990 cover of "I'm Free," from their album, Lovegod. Undeniably danceable, the Soup Dragons also threw in some reggae dancehall toasting from former Black Uhuru (my favorite reggae band!) vocalist Junior Reid, and some lovely gospel-style backup vocals to make "I'm Free" one of the most fun, more memorable singles from that year. For the most part, the record buying public agreed. While the song stalled at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100, it did reach #2 on that magazine's Alternative Songs chart, and #20 on their Dance Club Songs chart. Counting a #5 position in the UK, "I'm Free" charted in eight other countries. All of which helped pad Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' already massive bank accounts even more! (Info verified by Wikipedia)