Songs of the Free is the third studio album by Gang of Four

Gang of Four (band)

Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...

, released in 1982. In 1996, Infinite Zero Archive/American Recordings label issued it on CD

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

, with two bonus tracks, and with a slightly changed song order (swapping the positions of "Muscle for Brains" and "We Live as We Dream, Alone"), and mistitling "I Love a Man in a Uniform" as "I Love a Man in Uniform." EMI reissued the album on CD in 2008 with the original song order and no bonus tracks.

Pitchfork named this album #99 on their list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980's.

Side one

1. "Call Me Up" – 3:35
2. "I Love a Man in a Uniform" – 4:06
3. "Muscle for Brains" – 3:17
4. "It Is Not Enough" – 3:27
5. "Life! It's a Shame" – 5:06

Side two

1. "I Will Be a Good Boy" – 3:52
2. "The History of the World" – 4:40
3. "We Live as We Dream, Alone" – 3:37
4. "Of the Instant" – 4:58

Personnel

• Hugo Burnham
  Hugo Burnham
  Hugo Burnham was the drummer for the English rock group Gang of Four. Creem magazine's Dave DiMartino said in 1980 "Witness Hugo Burnham, a close-cropped, thickset out-and-out scary drummer who looks like his idea of fun might be pushing young American faces into old American brick walls." He...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  
• Andrew Gill
  Andy Gill
  Andy Gill is a founding member and guitarist for the English rock group Gang of Four, considered among the most influential post-punk bands...
  
   – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  , vocals
• Jon King
  Jon King (musician)
  Jon King, born 8 June 1955, London, is a singer, musician and founding member of the Leeds based UK rock band Gang of Four. He attended Sevenoaks School, where he was a member of the 'Art Room' that produced musicians Tom Greenhalgh and Mark White of The Mekons, along with Andy Gill of Gang of...
  
   – vocals, melodica
  Melodica
  The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
  
  
• Sara Lee
  Sara Lee (musician)
  Sara Lee is an English bassist and singer-songwriter, best known for replacing Dave Allen on bass guitar in post-punk band Gang of Four. Lee confirmed in an interview on Rundgrenradio.com that Sara Lee is her birth name.-Biography:...
  
   – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , backing vocals

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1982	Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums	175

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	"I Love a Man in a Uniform"	Billboard Club Play Singles	27
1982	"I Love a Man in a Uniform"	UK Singles Charts	65