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)
Cool Cat (take
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're taking all the sunshine away
Making out like you're the main line (I knew that)
'Cause you're a cool cat
Tapping on the toe with a new hat
Ooh just cruising
Driving along like the swing king
Feeling the beat of my heart, huh!
Ooh you're a cool cat
Coming on strong with all the chit chat
Ooh you're alright
Hanging out and stealing all the limelight
Ooh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!
Ooh you used to be a mean kid
Ooh making such a deal of life
Ooh you were wishing and hoping and waiting
To really hit the big time
But did it happen? Happen, no!
You're speeding too fast, slow down
Slow down, you'd better slow down, slow down
You really know how to set the mood
And you really get inside the groove
Cool cat tapping on the toe with a new hat
Ooh just cruising
Driving along like the swing king
Feeling the beat of my heart
Feeling the beat of my heart, yeah!
Feeling the beat of my heart
Can you feel it?
Feeling the beat of my heart
Feeling the beat of my heart
Ooh feeling, feeling, feeling
Feeling every feeling.
The song "Cool Cat" by Queen was written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon and released as part of their album "Hot Space" in 1982. The song is a celebration of a person's cool demeanor and confidence, with the opening lines pointing out that this person is taking all the sunshine away and making out like they are the mainline. The person is referred to as a "cool cat" who is tapping their toe with a new hat, cruising along like a swing king and feeling the beat of their heart. Later on in the song, it's revealed that this person used to be a mean kid, but now they know how to set the mood, get inside the groove and steal all the limelight.
As with many of Queen's songs, there are multiple interpretations of the lyrics of "Cool Cat", such as that it can be seen as a celebration of the band's own cool identity and confidence. Some believe it could be an ode to a friend or even a stranger they passed by, while others see it as a commentary on the music industry itself.
The song was originally going to feature guest vocals from David Bowie, but the collaboration didn't pan out due to scheduling conflicts. Nonetheless, the song was a fan favorite and reached No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart, while the album "Hot Space" itself received mixed reviews from critics.
Line by Line Meaning
You're taking all the sunshine away
You are being selfish and taking away all the positivity from the situation.
Making out like you're the main line (I knew that)
You are acting as if you are the most important aspect of the situation, which is not new information to me.
'Cause you're a cool cat
You are acting confidently and coolly, hence the term 'cool cat'.
Tapping on the toe with a new hat
You are nonchalantly enjoying yourself with your new added accessory (the hat).
Ooh just cruising
You are living life carefree and enjoying the journey.
Driving along like the swing king
You are driving as if you are unbeatable and in control of everything - like a swing king (someone who has mastered and is well-respected in the jazz/swing music community).
Feeling the beat of my heart, huh!
You are immersing yourself in the moment and appreciating the music.
Coming on strong with all the chit chat
You are being extremely talkative and dominating the conversation.
Hanging out and stealing all the limelight
You are taking all of the attention away from others and making yourself the center of attention.
Ooh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!
Your behavior is affecting me emotionally and disturbing my sense of rhythm/peace.
You used to be a mean kid
You used to be unkind and unpleasant.
Making such a deal of life
You were overly dramatic and blowing things out of proportion.
You were wishing and hoping and waiting
You were waiting for your big break and dreaming of success.
To really hit the big time
To achieve great success and notoriety.
But did it happen? Happen, no!
You did not achieve the level of success you were hoping for.
You're speeding too fast, slow down
You are moving too quickly and should slow down to avoid unwanted consequences.
You really know how to set the mood
You have a talent for creating a certain atmosphere or feeling.
And you really get inside the groove
You are fully immersing yourself in the music and feeling the rhythm.
Can you feel it?
Asking if the listener also feels the same emotional connection to the music.
Feeling the beat of my heart
Fully experiencing and connecting with the music and the feelings it evokes.
Feeling every feeling.
Fully immersing oneself in the emotional experience of the music.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FREDDIE MERCURY, JOHN DEACON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cil__
I keep discovering new Queen songs like they're still dropping them
@pearl_cove07
sameee theres too many
@liquidconfusion
@@pearl_cove07 no such thing as too many Queen songs.
@ravenm3511
Because Queen is magic!❤
@judah1926
Back Chat and Staying Power are pretty dope. The whole Hot Space album is a banger
@judah1926
@@ravenm3511 the song Its a Kind of Magic is also very good!
@becklee94
I know this is on Queen's like most hated album but this song is the grooviest shit and very underrated
@pollyanne1418
This is the first time I listening to it and I love this song
@erikacruz6059
I love this song need to download it!..
@karlaruiz3616
The albim wasn't even that bad, it was different from what they were used