"Someday We'll All Be Free" is a 1973 song by Donny Hathaway from the album Extension of a Man. The song was released on the other side of the single "Love, Love, Love." Even though it did not reach the top of the charts, it is considered a classic in the R&B music genre. Many artists have performed the song over the years.
Background
The lyric was written by Edward Howard for Donny Hathaway, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia when the song was created. It described the mental pain Hathaway was feeling at that time. Edward Howard explained:
Over time, the song became known as a message of hope for African Americans facing racial difficulties, even though the original purpose was to share a personal message about Hathaway’s mental health challenges.
Donny Hathaway greatly enjoyed the song, as Eulalah Hathaway noted:
Although the song did not reach the charts, the B-side of the single, "Love, Love Love," reached #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the R&B charts.
Personnel
- Donny Hathaway – sang lead vocals, played Fender Rhodes piano, helped plan the music
- Cornell Dupree – played guitar
- David Spinozza – played guitar
- Ray Lucas – played drums
- Willie Weeks – played bass
- Marvin Stamm – played trumpet
Covers
- Sérgio Mendes performed the song on his 1975 debut album released by Elektra Records
- Average White Band and Ben E. King included the song on the 1977 album Benny and Us
- Teena Marie performed the song during a concert in Long Beach, California in 1981
- Bobby Womack included the song on his 1985 album with the same name
- Regina Belle included the song on her 1989 album Stay With Me
- James Ingram included the song on his 1989 album It's Real
- Aretha Franklin performed the song in the 1992 film Malcolm X; her version was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994
- Tom Browne included the song on his 1999 compilation album R 'N' Browne; Dianne Reeves provided vocals
- Charlie Hunter performed the song as a solo instrumental on his 2000 Blue Note album with the same name
- Alicia Keys performed the song during the America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon after the September 11 attacks
- Take 6 included the song on their 2002 album Beautiful World; this version was a duet with Lalah Hathaway, the daughter of Donny Hathaway
- Deniece Williams included the song on her 2007 album Love, Niecy Style
- George Benson included the song on his 2009 album Songs and Stories
- Kirk Whalum included the song on his 2010 album Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway
- Ben Allison included the song on his 2011 album Action-Refraction
- Cory Henry included the song on his 2012 album Gotcha Now Doc
- Stéphane Belmondo included the song on his 2013 album Ever After
- Bilal performed the song during the Grand Performances series in Los Angeles with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble
- Helen Baylor performed the song; it was used in the season 2 finale of the TV show Martin, titled Martin's on the Move, and appeared in the closing credits of earlier seasons
- Jay-Z used a part of the song in his track Legacy from his 2017 album 4:44
- John Legend performed a version of the song with Victor Solomon during The Voice Season 20 finale
- Kanye West used a part of Hathaway’s version in a 2022 song released on Alex Jones’ InfoWars website
- Kenny Garrett included the song on the 1990 album African Exchange Student by Atlantic Records
In popular culture
Hathaway's version was used in an episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, specifically in the final episode of the seventh season called "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," when the character Sasha takes a pill containing cyanide.
Hathaway's version was also used in Showtime's The Chi, during the final episode of the second season titled "The Scorpion and the Frog" (episode #10), as the music that plays at the end of the episode.