There’s a specific type of man who talks endlessly about liberty and personal freedom while simultaneously trying to dictate what women do with their lives. You know the type. They post manifestos about individual rights, quote the founding fathers, probably have strong opinions about tyranny, and then lose their goddamn minds when a woman makes a decision without asking permission first. Blythe Baines’s ‘Freedom’ is the alt-pop anthem we need for that exact brand of exhausting hypocrisy.
The Los Angeles-based artist, who grew up in San Francisco, opens with a declaration that cuts through the bullshit immediately: “I’m miss American girl / You say I’m such a doll / But I wanna be seen as an individual / I’m sentient / I have my own mind / Can’t you see I’m alive?” That progression from objectification to demanding recognition as a living, thinking person shouldn’t be revolutionary, yet here we fucking are. The production on this track is crisp alt-pop with an edge that works whether you’re rage-cleaning your apartment or driving with the windows down after walking out of a situation that was never going to improve.
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Baines draws inspiration from spirituality and everyday experiences and channels them into music that feels both personal and universal. The pre-chorus hits hard with this marionette metaphor ” I won’t ever be your little marionette / Pulling all of those strings, trying to mess with my head / I won’t ever be your little marionette / I’m as free as a bird, baby, don’t you forget. “ The imagery is perfect. Controlling people always want to pretend they’re giving you choices while simultaneously pulling every string to manipulate the outcome they want. The song refuses that dynamic entirely.
When the chorus kicks in Baines delivers the thesis with absolute conviction. ” You can’t take away my freedom / Ain’t nothing gonna drag me down / And there’s nothing more that I love / Driving windows down I run this town. “ That confidence is infectious. This is the energy of someone who’s done negotiating with people who see autonomy as a threat. The second verse continues the theme with “Live the American dream / Living wild brave and free / A life of control was never made for me / Escaped my cage / I’ll seek what I find / Can’t you see I’m alive?” “I’m alive” drives the point home. When someone treats you like an object reasserting your humanity becomes radical.
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The backstory here is genuinely unhinged. Baines wrote this after her friend’s experience with a guy who turned out to be a Hitler supporter who literally believed he was the second coming of Jesus. Let that sink in. A man with delusions of messianic grandeur. When she broke things off, he threatened to spread delusional shit about her and her friends. The irony of someone who claims to believe in freedom and liberty while trying to control women is the entire fucking point of this song.
The final verse is where Baines really commits to the mess, the realness, the refusal to be palatable: “Picture perfect plastic princess / I’d rather be messy, unhinged / Free just like an eagle flying / Love or hate me / Just don’t underestimate me / Out here, baby / Free just like an eagle flying.” Hell yes to choosing messy over controlled. Hell yes to being underestimated and then proving exactly who you are. When you’re dealing with someone that dangerous, that delusional, that convinced of their own superiority, saying “you will never control me” becomes an act of survival.
‘Freedom’ works because Baines refuses to make the controlling party comfortable. There’s no hedging or both-sides discussion just a straightforward rejection of anyone who tries to diminish someone else’s autonomy while claiming to value liberty. Stream this when you need a reminder that your independence isn’t up for negotiation especially when dealing with men who mistake manipulation for love and threats for persuasion.
