Freewill (track)
by Rush
Freewill appears on the following album(s) by Rush:
- Permanent Waves (track #2) (this album) (1980)
- The Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987 (track #7) (compilation) (2003)
- Different Stages · Live (track #19) (1998)
- Exit... Stage Left (track #11) (1981)
- Chronicles (track #13) (compilation) (1990)
- Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland (track #9) (2011)
- Rush In Rio (track #11) (2003)
- Retrospective I 1974-1980 (track #4) (compilation) (1997)
- Snakes & Arrows Live (track #5) (2008)
- Run From The Fans (track #5) (1992)
Upcoming concerts
Listen to Freewill on YouTube
Freewill ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 205 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/11/2026 09:59 | Gedster | 384 | 72/100 | |
| 01/06/2026 23:05 | djbauer99 | 761 | 90/100 | |
| 11/11/2025 14:16 | Exist-en-ciel | 79,628 | 70/100 | |
| 08/23/2025 23:09 | machiaj | 9,053 | 74/100 | |
| 08/16/2025 03:02 |  ExTeaSea | 12,459 | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 86.7/100, a mean average of 86.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.2/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.4.
Freewill favourites
Showing all 11 members who have added this track as a favourite
Freewill comments
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Squonk007 06/12/2022 12:15 | #286277
A middling Rush track, the musicality isn't fully there on this although Geddy's basswork shines through as the high point.
Great track with stellar musicianship and strong message. I like the instrumental part.
Fischman 01/17/2017 17:02 | #183012
The first of Neil's many overtly anti-religious songs remains one of his best. This one is also lifted by stellar musicianship, even by Rush's insanely high standards.
AAL2014 06/25/2016 03:04 | #169698
The instrumental section in Freewill is one of the greatest in rock history. Lee, Lifeson, and Peart go crazy but in such a musical way. They sound like a flat out fusion band at this point in the song.
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