I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

Common card · No. 378896

"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" is a jazz piece written by American musician Billy Taylor, originally recorded as an instrumental and later released as a song with lyrics by Dick Dallas. Taylor's original version ("I Wish I Knew") was recorded on November 12, 1963, and released on his Right Here, Right Now! album (Capitol ST-2039) the following year. His 1967 live version, from the album of the same name, was later used as the theme music for the Film... review programme series on BBC Television. Taylor said: "I wrote this song, perhaps my best-known composition, for my daughter Kim." In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.

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