The song is about May's feelings during his divorce, and the choice one must make between two women that one loves equally.
In 1992, Brian May performed it at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. It also was on his solo album Back to the Light in the same year and released as a single charting in the top 10 in the UK at #5.
A different version of the song with Freddie Mercury on lead vocals appeared on the 1995 Queen album "Made in Heaven", released four years after Mercury's death. Queen's version made it to #15 on the UK singles chart in 1996.
Brian May, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers won an Ivor Novello award for this song, and May said later that if there was one song that he would have wanted to win an award for, it was "Too Much Love Will Kill You."
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Brian May Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone
For much too long
Oh, I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
Where I went wrong
Too much love will kill you
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover
And the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster
'Cos you never read the signs
Too much love will kill you - every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
Ooh, how would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I'm bound to lose
Oh yes,
Too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you - every time
Yes, too much love will kill you
It'll make your life a lie
Yes, too much love will kill you
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life, you'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too much love will kill you
In the end
In the end
The song "Too Much Love Will Kill You" by Brian May speaks of an individual who is trying to make sense of the consequences of too much love. The first two stanzas explain his past and how he faces his struggles alone. He regrets having no guidance as he grew up and acknowledging how complex, confusing and painful it is to navigate the complicated nature of love. He reflects on the fact that he has become a mere fragment of a man that he used to be.
The chorus explains his inability to decide between two lovers, as it eventually leads to his downfall. He explains how too much love leads to disastrous consequences and will eventually take its toll on one's life. The lyrics in the third stanza carry on with the struggles that the singer faces. He admits to how much he was better before and how people would feel if they’re in his shoes. He is being torn in between his old and new self and finds it impossible to choose. The last stanza ends with the realization that the victim of his crime is himself, and the weight of his choices — mostly guided by how much he loves others — will kill him in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
I feel broken and incomplete compared to my past self.
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm crying a lot and feeling a lot of pain.
I'm far away from home
I'm in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place.
And I've been facing this alone
I'm dealing with my struggles by myself.
For much too long
I've been in this difficult situation for a while.
Oh, I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
I feel like I've been lied to about what growing up is really like.
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
I was never fully prepared for the challenges of adulthood.
In my tangled state of mind
My thoughts and emotions are complicated and difficult to sort through.
I've been looking back to find
I'm trying to understand where I went wrong.
Where I went wrong
I made a mistake and I'm trying to figure out what it was.
Too much love will kill you
Being overwhelmed by love can be damaging.
If you can't make up your mind
If you're indecisive about what you want, it can cause problems.
Torn between the lover
Feeling pulled in different directions by your feelings for someone.
And the love you leave behind
Choosing to move on from someone you still have feelings for can be difficult.
You're headed for disaster
You're on a path towards a negative outcome.
'Cos you never read the signs
You're not paying attention to warning signals about your situation.
Just as sure as none at all
Having too much love or too little love can both have negative consequences.
It'll drain the power that's in you
Being overwhelmed by love can leave you feeling depleted and weak.
Make you plead and scream and crawl
The pain caused by love can be so intense that it affects you physically and emotionally.
And the pain will make you crazy
The emotional pain caused by love can cause you to feel like you're losing your mind.
You're the victim of your crime
You're responsible for your own heartbreak and suffering.
Yes, too much love will kill you
Being overwhelmed by love can be incredibly destructive.
It'll make your life a lie
The intense feelings of love can distort your perception of reality, leading you to make poor decisions.
And you won't understand why
It can be difficult to comprehend how love can cause so much pain.
You'd give your life, you'd sell your soul
You'll do anything for the person you love, even if it's detrimental to your own well-being.
But here it comes again
The cycle of love and heartbreak can be difficult to break out of.
In the end
Ultimately, the pain caused by love can have long-lasting effects.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Elizabeth Lamers, Brian May, Frank Musker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Maty Ez3
----LYRICS----I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone for much too long
Oh, I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find where I went wrong
Too much love will kill you
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster 'cos you never read the signs
Too much love will kill you every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down, oooh
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I'm bound to lose, oh yeah
Too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you bleed and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you every time
Yeah too much love will kill you
It'll make your life a lie
Yes too much love will kill you
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life you'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too much love will kill you
In the end
In the end
Thiago Bandeira
Fredie Mercury's version is very beautiful but Brian's version touches the soul❤
Eloísa Salamanca Fernández
Indeed
Dita Kilsby
Absolutley
Anal0Avenger
We lost a man, he lost a brother.
Angélica Aragón
Es inevitable llorar cada que escucho esta canción en esta versión de Bri
Marion Carla
Toda a sensibilidade de Brian ❤❤
Vašek Lehký
Brian May is one of the best musicians in the world. This is just amazing!!
STRAWYB
Truly amazing truly truly
black shuck the 3rd
You are joking 🤔
Habibi Come2 Dubai Life
He is just singing without effort ✅❤️🛎