Canadian folk singer/songwriter Dany Horovitz soothes the soul with a touching tale of true romance on his delightfully charming new single, “Free Tonight.”
The latest single from the Toronto-based artist’s debut album, Free Times, out April 8th, 2022, Horovitz draws on his literary inspirations and personal experience to deliver music with meaningful messages easily transmissible across social boundaries. As Horovitz puts it, the album — including “Free Tonight” — “is a carefully curated collection of stories about love, loss, and life.”
Driving Horovitz’s eloquently-told stories are his clever instrumentation and robust compositional style — a mix of familiar melodies fused with new ideas. Brimming with guitars, mandolins, and carefully-considered horn placement, “Free Tonight” livens any atmosphere where the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, like Bob Dylan and Billy Joel, are welcome.
Written in Montreal when he was a 19-year-old literary student, “Free Tonight” is one of Horovitz’ earliest and most enduring songs — an unapologetically romantic track intended to convey a simple message best summed up by Horovitz himself: “It is better to keep one truly great person than chase after all the world.”
The sweet innocence in the lyrics brings us back to another time when finding a genuine human connection was less complex.
“Close your eyes and kiss me sweet
And hold me close beneath the sheet.
That instant spark, that endless glance,
The breathless touch of true romance
Keep you and me free forevermore.”
Horovitz’s overall message on “Free Tonight” was crafted to recount a love story that embraces the romantic implications of being emotionally defenseless “with someone who accepts you for who you are, finding comfort and safety through intimacy and vulnerability.
“It’s the feeling of freedom.”
Born in Montreal, Dany Horovitz is no stranger to the Canadian music scene; with his grandfather owning a record store on St Hubert, Horovitz was exposed early and often to the albums of Canadian music legends like Leonard Cohen and Barenaked Ladies.
“Anyone who graduates from McGill with an aspiration to be a songwriter is forever chasing Leonard Cohen,” Horovitz says, who cites Cohen as his biggest lyrical inspiration. He’s quick to add, “No one’s complaining about it, mind you. Everyone’s chasing somebody, so may so you may as chase the best that ever was.”
A FACTOR artist development grant assisted Horovitz in creating and producing the debut album Free Times — which has seen radio play across Canada, the UK, Germany, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, and more. The latest catchy single is a testament to where Dany Horovitz has been as an artist, and where he’s heading.
