An Album/Song A Week: "Philadelphia Freedom" - Elton John

 The Summer of '75.  After moving from North Carolina to Germany, we moved back to the U.S. My Dad's Military days were winding down.  He had the choice of Colorado or California to relocate too, and chose California.  But before we headed there in June of '75, we stopped by my Aunt & Uncle's place in New York City.  Queens to be exact.  This wasn't my first visit there, as we visited them when we lived in North Carolina.  

  One of the first things I did when we arrived in New York was find a Top 40 radio station.  "Philadelphia Freedom" was just peaking (from it's #1 perch) when I got to New York.  By this time Elton John was the biggest Pop star in the world.  Everything he released was a hit.  "Philadelphia Freedom" was a single-only release.  Didn't appear on any of his studio albums.  It's a wonderful hit.  Using his love Philly Soul as a starting point, Elton made the R&B hit he was always looking for.  It's ubiquity in June '75 was such that I heard it a bunch of times during our visit.  It will always define my return to the States.