“Free Man in Paris” is Joni Mitchell’s story of music promoter/agent David Geffen’s discontent with the music business.

Thematically the song tackles a desire for a simpler life, and a rejection of the politics and the general smoke and mirrors business of music.

Guyanese-British singer Eddy Grant’s seminal response to the 1981 Brixton riot; riots that were themselves a response to police brutality, racial tension, and the high level of unemployment among the Caribbean immigrant population of Britain at that time.

Throughout the song, Grant goes against the demonized account of rioters popular in the British media, instead painting a picture of poor, jobless “warriors”, struggling to even feed their family.

“Electric Avenue”, the second single from Killer On The Rampage, was an international smash hit around the world, reaching the top 10 in at least a dozen countries, including a #1 peak in Canada. In the US, it reached #2 in the summer of 1983 – held from the top spot by “Flashdance…What A Feeling” and “Every Breath You Take”. The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B song, but lost to “Billie Jean”.

While sometimes called a one-hit wonder, this is not the case. Grant had another top 40 in the US the following year with the title track to the film Romancing The Stone. In the UK, Grant had already had five top 40 solo hits prior to this song.

In 2020, President Trump used the song without authorization in a video during his failed re-election campaign, leading Grant to issue a cease-and-desist letter and sue the Trump campaign.

A poem about the london riots, written in late 2011/early 2012.