Who remembers Free to Be…You and Me? Originally written in 1972 as a project of the Ms. Foundation, it was a children’s album that sang these truths: no matter where you came from, what gender you were or what your parents did, you were free to do and to be anything! I loved this album when I was young and now I sing it with my own little girl.
A few weeks back, I was attending a soccer game and had brought some books and toys for my younger 3 year-old to play with. She likes hearing the stories and singing the songs from my Free to Be songbook and so I took that one out of the bag and we started going through it. Well, sitting there on our blanket on the grass, we were quietly singing “William Wants a Doll” and suddenly I had not one but several moms come up to me and say “Is that Free to Be You and Me? I remember that album! I had that record when I was a girl!”
Some may want to dismiss Free to Be as a post-60’s radical piece, but I think they’re wrong, because the themes of individuality, family and acceptance are just as relevant and important now, nearly 40 years later.
So, how about you?
Do you remember the songs and stories?
Has it gone through the generations in your own family?
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