Someday We'll All Be Free

"Someday We'll All Be Free" was written by Hathaway, who wrote the music, and Edward Howard, who wrote the lyric. It was the B-side of "Love, Love, Love" in 1973 and is on Extension of a Man, 4:14; it did not chart. Hathaway sings and plays Fender Rhodes and arranged it, with Cornell Dupree and David Spinozza on guitar, Ray Lucas on drums, Willie Weeks on bass and Marvin Stamm on trumpet. Albumism says he conceived it as an inspirational ballad, played a sketch to Howard and asked for lyrics, and that Howard struggled, then was reportedly inspired after nearly slipping in the shower; Howard said there was nothing he could do but write something that might be encouraging for him. Hathaway's notes called it a tune of standard quality. Eulaulah Hathaway said he loved that song, and that he cried hearing the playback of the final mix.

A live version recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1973 at Newport in New York is on These Songs for You, Live!, where PopMatters says a piano solo replaces the studio trumpet solo. Sergio Mendes recorded it in 1975, Ben E. King with Average White Band in 1977, Bobby Womack in 1985, James Ingram in 1989, Aretha Franklin in 1992 for the film Malcolm X, Alicia Keys in 2001 for America: A Tribute to Heroes, Take 6 with Lalah Hathaway in 2002, George Benson in 2009 and Gregory Porter in 2014. Kanye West released a 2022 song of the same title sampling Hathaway's version. It was used in the Walking Dead's season seven finale and The Chi. Our upload is presumably the 1973 studio version.