Janda Lane takes a closer look at the lyrics and surprising history of "Philadelphia Freedom" by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Written in 1975 as a tribute to John’s friend, tennis legend and fellow equality icon, Billie Jean King, this funky hit song plugged into the spirit of America when it was released before the Bicentennial. Watch the full video episode on the Behind The Song Youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2DBF4wJ | 97.1 The Drive

It’s Independence Day in the United States, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share this incredible performance of Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Here’s the story of the song’s origin: When I played for the Philadelphia Freedoms, Elton, who is a longtime friend and a huge tennis fan would come to matches and sit on the team bench. I asked Ted Tinling to make Elton a uniform that matched the ones worn by the male Freedoms players. One day we were hea