The band formed in London in 1970 after May and Taylor's former band Smile split after having released an album and single. Freddie replaced lead vocalist Tim Staffell, after the latter's departure from the original trio.
There was much deliberation as to what the band's name would be. May and Taylor had settled upon the Grand Dance, derived from a C.S. Lewis Trilogy of books Out Of The Silent Planet.
Ultimately, the band went with Queen, a name that was entirely Freddie's. Originally Roger and, especially, Brian did not like the name, though Mercury would eventually persuade them both that it was "right" for the band.
"Years ago I thought up the name Queen... It's just a name, but it's very regal, and it sounds splendid. It's a strong name, very universal and immediate. It had a lot of visual potential and was open to all sorts of interpretations. I was certainly aware of the gay connotations, but that was just one facet of it. "
- Freddie Mercury.
Queen went through several bass players before a young electronics major by the name of John Deacon arrived on the scene in January of 1971.
"Until John, it had been exploding bass player syndrome. If they musically worked they'd look all wrong, and if they felt all right they couldn't play. - Brian May.
This quite shy guy turned up with his immaculate Rickenbacker bass and immaculate amplifier, plugged in, and as soon as he started playing we realized it was right." - Brian May.
Later that year, the band was secured recording time at the newly built De Lane Lea studio, and used the opportunity to record several songs that would later appear on their debut album - Liar, Keep Yourself Alive, Jesus, and The Night Comes Down. The demo reel was passed around from producer to producer with little success, until a staff member of Trident records by the name of Roy Thomas Baker was introduced to the band by fellow Trident producer John Anthony. Baker dropped in to watch the band at work and, clearly liking what he heard, recommended Queen to his superiors.
It was eventually agreed upon that the fledgling band could record at Trident studios, though after already-established artists had finished their work, such as the likes of Elton John and David Bowie. Relegated to the wee hours of the morning to record the remaining tracks of their first album, the band nonetheless stuck it out until they reached their ultimate goal of "perfection".
Queen's self-titled debut album was released in 1973 and received little attention from the general public. They quickly followed it a year later with a second album, "Queen II" which also failed to generate much interest from music fans in Britain, despite the success of the album's single, Seven Seas of Rhye, which would reach #10 on the charts after the band's mimed appearance on Top of the Pops.
The band's second album was recorded with a higher budget than the first, and the band threw everything they had into recording it. Queen II was somewhat of a "concept album", split into "White Side" vs. "Black Side".
As was in their nature, the band pressed onward after the mediocre success of their first two albums, immersing themselves in a world-wide tour to promote Queen II. Queen played in America for the first time, as a support act for Mott the Hoople.
Sheer Heart Attack would be released later that year, focusing more on being accessible to listeners, than the grand and complex ideas of the previous two albums. The recording of their third album was met with some hardships, as May fell victim to a series of illnesses brought on by an infected inoculation, required for the band's rigorous touring schedule.
Sheer Heart Attack brought even more success for the band, with May's Now I'm Here and the song that would be the band's "turning point", the Mercury-penned Killer Queen, the latter of which would reach #2 on the UK charts.
During this time, the band began developing a huge following in Japan and witnessed their popularity for themselves when they visited the country, mainly in 1975, to promote their fourth and most famous album "A Night At The Opera", featuring the epic "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Queen's popularity grew steadily through the latter half of the 70s as they released hit album after hit album, reaching its peak in the mid-80s after their "Live Aid" appearance, and continuing into the early 90s before Mercury's untimely death on 24th November 1991. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.
Over the course of their 30 year career, the band did sound tracks for two films ("Flash Gordon" and "Highlander"), released a string of live and studio albums, and had many many fans across the world.
In 1995, 4 years after Mercury's death, the band released the album "Made In Heaven". This album saw the surviving band members in the studio completing or reworking unused vocals, unreleased variations of Freddie solo material (a Queen version of "I Was Born To Love You" for example), and tracks where Brian and Roger added lyrics to flesh out a song ("Mother Love").
Queen have been on indefinite hiatus since 1997, when John Deacon decided to retire.
Several "Queen + ..." projects have been developed in the following years, a few of them mere remixes with no artistic involvement from the band. In 1999, a "Greatest Hits III" album was released. This featured, among others, "Queen + Wyclef Jean" on a rap version of "Another One Bites the Dust", a live version of "Somebody to Love" performed by George Michael, and a live version of "The Show Must Go On" performed live in 1997 with Elton John.
Brian May and Roger Taylor have performed together as Queen on several occasions (award ceremonies, charity concerts, and the like), sharing vocals with various guest singers. They have also recorded several covers of Queen's hits with guest vocalists, including "We Will Rock You" (first with Five and later Britney Spears, Beyonce, John Farnham and P!nk) and "We Are the Champions" (with Robbie Williams).
On the 14th of May 2002 the Queen musical 'We Will Rock You' opened in the Dominion theatre in London's 'West End'. A Musical about young people in the distant future who aren't allowed to listen to music not generated by computers. Various Queen songs are used in the story, played by a live band. This live band was supported by Brian May and Roger Taylor on the premiere evening.
At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be 'featured with' Queen as 'Queen + Paul Rodgers', not replacing Mercury. The retired John Deacon would not be participating.
Between 2005 and 2006 Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, the first leg in Europe and the second, Japan and then the US in 2006. On 15 August 2006, Brian May confirmed through his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin producing their first studio album beginning in October, to be recorded at a "secret location". The album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the United States on 28 October 2008. Following the album the band again embarked on a tour through Europe, opening on Kharkiv's Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans. The show in Ukraine was later released on DVD.
Queen and Paul Rodgers officially split up without animosity on 12 May 2009. Rodgers did not rule out the possibility of working together again.
Since 2012, Queen has been touring with Adam Lambert as the frontman.
More information about Queen + Paul Rodgers can be found on their last.fm page.
Official website: www.queenonline.com
Discography:
1.- Queen (1973)
2.- Queen II (1974)
3.- Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
4.- A Night at the Opera (1975)
5.- A Day at the Races (1976)
6.- News of the World (1977)
7.- Jazz (1978)
8.- The Game (1980)
9.- Flash Gordon (1980)
10.- Hot Space (1982)
11.- The Works (1984)
12.- A Kind of Magic (1986)
13.- The Miracle (1989)
14.- Innuendo (1991)
15.- Made in Heaven (1995)
'39
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen
And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey, little darling, we'll away
But my love, this cannot be
Oh, so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away?
Don't you hear me calling you?
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away?
Don't you hear me calling you?
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
For my life
Still ahead
Pity me
'39 is a song by British rock band Queen, written by guitarist Brian May. The song tells an emotionally powerful story about space travel and time dilation. The lyrics describe a group of volunteers departing from Earth in the year of 1939 for a journey across the "milk-seas" to find a new home due to Earth's imminent destruction. After many years, the crew returns to the Earth but the planet has significantly aged. The song ends with the singer calling out to his lover who is "many years away". Despite the difficult circumstances, the song ends with a message of hope, as the singer looks forward to the land that their grandchildren will know.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year of '39, assembled here the volunteers
In the year 1939, the volunteers gathered here to embark on a journey.
In the days when lands were few
During a time when there were not many places left to explore.
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The ship sailed out into a beautiful morning sky.
The sweetest sight ever seen
The view was astonishing and indescribably beautiful.
And the night followed day
Time passed by.
And the story tellers say
According to the tales passed down through generations.
That the score brave souls inside
There were twenty brave souls on board the ship.
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
The journey was long and arduous, taking them across seas that looked like milk under the night sky.
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried
Despite the hardships, they pushed forward with courage and determination.
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Even though it's been years since we've met, can you hear me calling out to you?
Don't you hear me calling you
I long to be reunited with you.
Write your letters in the sand
Please write me letters that I can read when I am alone.
For the day I take your hand
I dream of the day when we can be reunited and hold each other's hand.
In the land that our grandchildren knew
A world where our grandchildren can live and thrive.
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
The year 1939 also had a ship coming home.
The volunteers came home that day
The volunteers returned from their journey.
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
They shared about a world that is just beginning to flourish.
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
Despite their joy, they carry a heavy burden deep inside.
For the earth is old and grey, little darling, we'll away
The Earth is aging and its beauty is fading; we must leave it behind someday.
But my love, this cannot be
I cannot bear the thought of leaving you.
Oh, so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
Time has passed, and I have aged, but it feels like just yesterday that we departed.
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me
When I look into your eyes, I see a reflection of your mother, who I miss deeply.
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
Reading your letters brings me comfort, but nothing compares to the touch of your hand.
For my life
I struggle with loneliness and longing.
Still ahead
I must continue living, despite the pain.
Pity me
My heart aches with loneliness, and I beg for your pity.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@reelgirl8544
My very favourite Brian May song--and that's saying a lot! So lovely to hear him sing it.
@jopisano67
He has a great voice for this song.
@thomasjones9806
My personal favorite Queen song. Completely different from everything else they did.
@jopisano67
I like it because it has that back in the centuries feel to it. Musically , no doubt , its a great tune.
@luigi_garcia
No comments? The rarest, most unconventional folk song in rock history. It serves from relativistic physics concepts to portray the distance between two lovers after a space journey. Sheer brilliance delivered by the one and only Dr. May!
@hectoraguilera9608
Adoro esta canción.
@opstainless
Best Brian May song he gets overshadowed by Freddie so much and more people should know this song
@isoldejaneholland8370
Since it's about interplanetary colonization, I keep hoping Elon Musk or one of those guys will adopt it as the theme song for their space travel programs. This is just as good as We Will Rock You and deserves to be as well known.
@marcelocarvalho4205
this is awesome
@mpgingdl
Such a group of skilled and imaginative musicians should have created more songs such as this. Brian May really hit it into interstellar space, not just out of the park.