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)
All Dead All Dead
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A babe without a name
So much ado 'bout nothing
Is what she'd try to say
So much ado my lover
So many games we played
Through every fleeted summer
Through every precious day
All dead, all dead
All the dreams we had
And I wonder why I still live on
All dead, all dead
And alone I'm spared
My sweeter half instead
All dead
And gone
All dead...
All dead, all dead
At the rainbow's end
And still I hear her own sweet song
All dead, all dead
Take me back again
You know my little friend's
All dead
And gone
Her ways are always with me
I wander all the while
But please you must forgive me
I am old but still a child
All dead, all dead
But I should not grieve
In time it comes to everyone
All dead, all dead
But in hope I breathe
Of course I don't believe
You're dead
And gone
All dead
And gone.
The song All Dead All Dead by Queen, from their album News of the World, is a melancholic song about mourning the loss of a loved one. The lyrics are deeply personal to Brian May, the band's guitarist, as they are about his childhood cat. The first two verses describe the cat's arrival into their home and the happy times they spent together. The chorus starts with the words "All dead, all dead," which is a direct indication of the sadness the singer is feeling at the loss of his pet. He continues to yearn for her company and wonders how he can live without her.
The following verse shows how the singer carries the memories of his beloved cat with him, even though she is no longer there. He spends his days wandering, trying to escape the pain of her absence. However, he also feels guilty for being consumed by grief and excuses his childish behavior, saying that he is still a child at heart. The final chorus speaks of acceptance and hope, as the singer comes to terms with the inevitability of death, stating that it will come to everyone eventually.
Overall, All Dead All Dead is a poignant tribute to someone who has left an indelible mark on the life of the singer. The lyrics capture the universal feeling of loss, and the inevitability of death that we all must face.
Line by Line Meaning
She came without a farthing
She came without any money
A babe without a name
She was born without a name
So much ado 'bout nothing
She didn't think it was a big deal
Is what she'd try to say
That's what she attempted to convey
So much ado my lover
My lover had so much drama
So many games we played
We played so many games
Through every fleeted summer
We spent every summer together
Through every precious day
We spent every precious day together
All dead, all dead
All the dreams we had are now gone
And I wonder why I still live on
I question why I'm still alive
And alone I'm spared
I'm left alone
My sweeter half instead
She was my better half
At the rainbow's end
At the end of the rainbow
And still I hear her own sweet song
I still can hear her singing
Take me back again
Bring her back to me
You know my little friend's
You know that my little friend is
Her ways are always with me
I always carry her memories with me
I wander all the while
I keep wandering aimlessly
But please you must forgive me
Please forgive me
I am old but still a child
I might be old but I feel young
But I should not grieve
I shouldn't be sad
In time it comes to everyone
Everyone dies eventually
But in hope I breathe
But I still have hope
Of course I don't believe
I don't believe it
You're dead and gone
That you're gone forever
All dead and gone
Everyone who passed away are gone forever
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
Lyrics ~
She came without a farthing
A babe without a name
So much ado about nothing
Is what she'd try to say
So much ado, my lover
So many games we played
Through every fleeted Summer
Through every precious day
All dead, all dead
All the dreams we had
And I wonder why I still live on
All dead, all dead
And alone, I'm spared
My sweeter half instead
All dead and gone
All dead
All dead, all dead
At the rainbow's end
And still, I hear her own sweet song
All dead, all dead
Take me back again
You know my little friend's
All dead and gone
Her ways are always with me
I wander all the while
But, please, you must forgive me
I am old but still a child
All dead, all dead
But I should not grieve
In time it comes to everyone
All dead, all dead
But in hope, I breathe
Of course, I don't believe
You're dead and gone
All dead and gone.
D. Emperor Penguin
Mixing Brian's voice with Freddie's voice is like putting glitter on diamonds.
water
cheff's kiss
Lauren Knight
It's precious!
Hazel Wray
Not sure that analogy works. Adding glitter to something renowned for it's sparkle - sounds Superfluous.
Магнат Мазутовый
Бриллианты самоцветами
Hampus Carlsson
One of my childhood cat's died today at 16 years old and I thought of this song. Don't take your pets for granted and cherish every moment with them
Derek Tweedie
So sorry for your loss.. Remember the good times.. xxx
Mandy A.
♥♥♥♥
Gary Twitchett
I've lost several pets, each one is Heartbreaking... you are right , cherish every moment 🌹
Baby Shark Go Away Dude
I did take them for granted. Hate myself for it everyday.