Context

This line is from the song "Come Together" sung by The Beatles, from their album Abbey Road (1969).

Beatlemania swept the world in the 60s. Literally the whole world loved these guys. This song, recorded in 1969, was the last song all four Beatles recorded together. Lennon was into some… interesting stuff, politically and otherwise (it was the 60s, after all), and this song sprang from the idea that Lennon should write a campaign song for a politician friend of his. In the end, it wasn't used for the campaign, but Lennon put his brilliant mind to use as he threw together some really cool, pun-filled lyrics.

People in the 60s were worried about Communism and war and all kinds of stuff, so the line "You got to be free," spoken by a guy described as kind of a hippie, was Lennon pointing his finger at the establishment and telling them that freedom is what matters most, and being petty never got anybody anywhere.

Where you've heard it

This one's on a few best song ever lists, and has been covered by a ton of bands throughout the years, from the Arctic Monkeys to Aerosmith to Michael Jackson.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

The feeling towards freedom hasn't changed much. We all want it. We all need it. Hopefully, we appreciate it.