Australian singles chart:
Philadelphia Freedom entered the Kent Music Report on 14 April 1975 and peaked at #4. It was #56 on the Top 100 of 1975.
Album:
The song made its album debut on Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume II which entered the Kent Music Report album chart on 24 October 1977 and peaked at #46.
Songwriters:
Elton John, Bernie Taupin
Producer:
Gus Dudgeon
Record label of Australian release:
DJM
BONUS SONG BELOW – the B-side of the single was I Saw Her Standing There by John Lennon and Elton John
Songfacts – Phildelphia Freedom:
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics to most of Elton John’s songs, but Elton would occasionally suggest titles. Elton requested a song with the title Philadelphia Freedom in honour of his friend, the tennis player Billie Jean King. At the time, there was a professional tennis league in America called World Team Tennis, and in 1974 King coached a team called the Philadelphia Freedoms, becoming one of the first women ever to coach men. Taupin had no obligation to write lyrics about King, and he didn’t – the song was inspired by the Philadelphia soul sound of groups like The O’Jays and Melvin & The Blue Notes, and also the American bicentennial; in 1976 the US celebrated 200 years of independence.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/elton-john/philadelphia-freedom
Songfacts – the B-side – I Saw Her Standing There:
Elton often put interesting B-sides on his singles, which made them more valuable. On this, the B-side was a live duet of The Beatles hit I Saw Her Standing There that Elton recorded with his friend John Lennon. Elton had previously sung on Lennon’s Whatever Gets You Through The Night and also released a version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, which was written by Lennon.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/elton-john/philadelphia-freedom
Lyrics:
I used to be a rolling stone you know
If a cause was right
I’d leave to find the answer on the road
I used to be a heart beating for someone
But the times have changed
The less I say the more my work gets done
Click for full lyrics
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BONUS SONG
The B-side of Philadelphia Freedom was I Saw Her Standing There by John Lennon and Elton John. See our notes above about this live recording at Madison Square Garden.
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