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Trinidad
& Tobago Panorama 2016 - HOME
‘Young and Free’
sung by Vanessa Alexandra Headley
composed by Vanessa Alexandra Headley
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“Young and Free”
Vanessa Alexandra Headley
Provided with the expressed permission of the composer(s)
Visit When Steel Talks
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“Young and Free”
Vanessa Alexandra Headley
Provided with the expressed permission of the composer(s)
click here for lead sheet
LYRICSVerse 1
Young and
Free
My whole life ahead of me
Free to be
What ah want to be
Music and me will go down in
history
Next to Sharpe and
Bradley
Clear d way
I have no more dues to pay
Trail
ablaze
In my glory days
Watch
how my band will cross d savannah
stage
While d crowd scream my
name
Chorus 1
Tell dem
We young and free
No band
Cah
handle we
Tell dem
We young
and free
Tell dem
We fiery
Tell dem
We coming with fire and
glory
Warn dem
Is trouble in
town
When we touch down
Tell dem
We young and free
No band
Cah
handle we
Tell dem
We young
and free
Tell dem
We fiery
Tell dem
We coming with fire and
glory
And is trouble in town
Verse 2
Artistry
Flowing out of yuh belly
Victory
Is fait accompli
Salute to all
musicians and pan colleagues
Once
yuh young and yuh free
To d
brave
Music is yuh hand grenade
We engaged
And we not afraid
Sound d alarm we staging ah overtake
We culture is at stake
Chorus
Verse 3
Young and
free
Absolutely proud to be
Young and free
And ah born ready
Ready to take on all who say I crazy
A rebel, a rookie
I am
proud
Of my unique heritage
I'm so glad that we reach this stage
Music is me and I am music you see
I am young I am free
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Vanessa Headly
Vanessa Headly
At the age of four, Vanessa became the first member of the renowned Golden Hands (Steel Orchestra), and is currently the radio hostess of Steelpan City on W.A.C.K. 90.1 FM. She is a virtuoso panist, and has won several Steelpan Festival championships. She has been successfully arranging since the age of fourteen and placed first in the Caribbean in the CSEC Music Examinations. She is an honours graduate of The University of The West Indies and is the first panist to have received an academic scholarship by Berklee College of Music. Vanessa was also selected to perform in the College’s Five Week All Star Funk Fusion Band.
In 2015 Vanessa put forward Pan In D Galaxy as her tune for Panorama. For the 2016 Panorama season she is back with Young And Free the track featured here.
Young And Free is more than a Panorama offering. It represents another landmark on a new musical trail being blazed by its composer and singer Vanessa Alexandra Headley and as she puts it her "pan colleagues". The recording was produced with exquisite musical sensitivity by Raf Robertson. It "engaged the brave" - musicians, who, like Vanessa, have not only come out of the proverbial box, but have totally obliterated it with their musical "grenades."
This piece was composed with the youthful, highly-acclaimed steel orchestra, Golden Hands, in mind. It has allowed the meaningful collaboration of world-class, musical generals, Raf Robertson and Frankie McIntosh (Syn. Strings), with extremely talented young musicians such as Daniel Phillip (Drums and Percussion), Clint DeCoteau (Bass), Samuel Jack (Keys), Kazio Paponette (Guitar), Natalie Yorke and Niol Manswell (BGVs), and Anthony Woodroffe Jr. (Flute).
Vanessa again graces the track with her exquisite pan playing on both double seconds and tenor and also does some BGVs. The track was meticulously engineered by Samuel Jack, of Studio 21, and was mastered by the inimitable Martin (Mice) Raymond. The alarm has been sounded. With this, fire and glory, we can be assured, our culture is no longer at stake.
-- Franka Hills-Headley,
Executive Producer.
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