"Set Me Free" by Utopia

Song#:  0068
Date:  02/23/1980
Debut:  76
Peak:  27
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Yet another example of a group that pretty much set aside their original musical direction and headed towards the mainstream. Utopia was formed as an experimental prog rock band born out an itch Todd Rundgren had after the success of his pop/rock opus "Something/Anything?." Their first album was a four-track instrumental that was light-years away from any of his pop tunes. But by the time Utopia's third album came out the sound had shifted to a more straight-ahead rock sound. The 14-minute experiments were replaced by 3-minute radio-friendly rock. As a result, their fourth (and best selling) album, "Adventures in Utopia," produced this chart song.

ReduxReview:  This is Billy Joel, right? It's not? Hmm. Could have sworn this was Billy Joel.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Rundgren wrote the song "Love Is the Answer" for Utopia's 1977 album "Oops! Wrong Planet." It was released as a single but didn't chart. In 1979, England Dan & John Ford Coley covered the song and took it to #10.

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