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)
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
As if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh
I don't wanna die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo
Gallileo, Gallileo
Gallileo Figaro, magnifico
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go (let him go)
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let him go)
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let me go)
Will not let you go (let me go)
Never, never, never let you go, never let me go
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh, mama mia, mama mia
Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
For me
For me
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby
Can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
(Ooh yeah, ooh yeah)
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows
The lyrics to Queen's iconic song, Bohemian Rhapsody, tell a story of a man who has just committed murder and is grappling with the consequences. The song starts with the singer expressing his guilt to his mother, stating that he has killed a man by putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. He acknowledges that he has thrown his life away and apologizes to his mother for making her cry. He instructs her to carry on as if nothing really matters.
The second verse reveals that it is too late for the singer to change his fate, and he must face the reality of his actions. He says goodbye to everyone he knows, expressing his fear and reluctance to die. The chorus repeats, with the singer begging his mother not to let him die and wishing he had never been born.
The song then enters a surreal, operatic section where the singer sees a "little silhouetto of a man" and hears the names Scaramouche and Galileo. This section describes the chaos and confusion surrounding the singer as he faces the consequences of his actions. The song ends with the singer pleading for escape from his fate and confessing that nothing really matters.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, just killed a man
Mother, I've just killed a man.
Put a gun against his head
I used a gun to shoot him.
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
I pulled the trigger of the gun, and it took the man's life.
Mama, life had just begun
I still had so much to live for.
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
By killing the man, I threw away the future I could have had.
Mama, ooh
Mother, I'm feeling lost and confused.
Didn't mean to make you cry
I didn't intend to hurt you with my actions.
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
If I don't return by tomorrow, something has happened to me.
Carry on, carry on
Keep moving forward even if I'm not there.
As if nothing really matters
Keep going, even if it feels like everything is pointless.
Too late, my time has come
It's too late for me now.
Sends shivers down my spine
I'm terrified of what's going to happen to me.
Body's aching all the time
I'm in constant physical pain.
Goodbye everybody, I've got to go
Farewell, friends. I can't stay any longer.
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
I have to face the consequences of my actions alone.
Mama, ooh
Mother, I'm scared.
I don't wanna die
I'm afraid of dying.
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
Sometimes I wish I'd never existed.
I see a little silhouetto of a man
I'm hallucinating.
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
I'm disoriented and speaking nonsense.
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
I'm frightened by the storm outside.
Gallileo, Gallileo
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
Gallileo, Gallileo
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
Gallileo Figaro, magnifico
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
I feel unloved and alone.
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
I'm no different from others who feel alone and unloved.
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Let him live and be free from this terrible situation.
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
I'm begging for freedom even if it's temporary.
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go (let him go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let him go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let me go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Will not let you go (let me go)
I'm not being allowed to go free.
Never, never, never let you go, never let me go
My captor will never give me the freedom I desire.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I'm hopeless and helpless.
Oh, mama mia, mama mia
I'm calling out for my mother.
Mama mia, let me go
Mother, please help me escape.
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
The devil is preparing a punishment for me.
For me
I will be the one who suffers the devil's wrath.
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
You're being cruel and unjust to me.
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
You're pretending to care about me, but you'll abandon me to suffer alone.
Oh, baby
I'm hurt and confused by your actions.
Can't do this to me, baby
Please don't treat me this way.
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
I need to escape from this situation.
(Ooh yeah, ooh yeah)
I'm feeling relieved and free.
Nothing really matters
In the end, nothing truly matters.
Anyone can see
It's clear to anyone who looks.
Nothing really matters
In the end, nothing truly matters.
Nothing really matters to me
In the end, nothing really matters to me.
Any way the wind blows
I'm not attached to any particular path or outcome.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Queen
Thank you to all our fans across the World for helping us hit ONE BILLION VIEWS. Comment down below your favorite memory of Queen ❤️
@williamdebarros196
Seek God. It's not about religion, it's not about rituals, it's not about hypocrisy, or about a cheap philosophy of life. It is about communion with God Himself, Creator of all existing things, from the smallest atom to the biggest star. Everything has the hand of God. I know that few will read this message, and even fewer people will be impacted by it, but if you've read this far, I heartily advise you to seek the Lord, who died for you, took the guilt of your sins, and is willing to forgive and accept you, regardless of who you are, or what you've done. I say this as someone who is passionate about astronomy and who was once both skeptical and agnostic. It's your decision! You have the free will to do whatever you want!
@benjadominguez9600
Like for the best band EVER. God Bless the Queen
@Jonathan-dave07
All of them
@sharlott9993
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@carlpsalmerzacchaeusdelco6221
No one can beat Queen
@catarinadelevine2720
nobody:
my earphones:
lItTlE hIgH lIttlE lOw
@johannesmarbun6191
Lmao
@antarcticone5633
Me whose headphones just broke
@T-Dawg-lp2sh
@@johannesmarbun6191 nice pfp