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)
Dead On Time
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fool got my business make your living where you can
Hurry down the highway
Hurry down the road
Hurry past the people starin'
Hurry hurry hurry hurry
Leave on time leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Gonna get your ticket but you leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Put it in your pocket but you never can tell
Leave on time leave on time
Shake that rattle gotta leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Fight your battle but you leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Never got a minute no you never got a minute
No you never never got oh no matter
Fool got no business hangin' round and tellin' lies
Fool you got no reasons but you got no compromise
Stampin' on the ceilin' hammering on the walls
Gotta get out gotta get out gotta get
Oh you know I'm goin' crazy
Leave on time leave on time
Gotta get ahead but you leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Gotta head on ahead but you leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
You're runnin' in the red but you never can tell
Honey honey where's my money where's my money
Want to get away want to get away
Leave ya leave ya leave ya
Leave on time leave on time
Gotta get rich gonna leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
But you can't take it with you when you leave on time
Leave on time leave on time
Got to keep yourself alive gotta leave on time
Gotta leave on time leave on time
Dead on time
You're dead
The lyrics to Queen's song "Dead On Time" speak to the idea of the constant rush and pressure of modern life. The opening lines describe a "fool" who is always jumping but never satisfied, and who is focused on making a living rather than finding fulfillment. The song then moves into the idea of hurrying down the highway and past staring people as a way of escaping the pressures of life. The chorus uses the repetition of "leave on time" to convey a sense of urgency and the need to always be moving, even when it feels impossible to keep up.
The middle section of the song takes on a darker tone, with the lyrics describing a person who is "stampin' on the ceilin'" and "hammering on the walls" in an effort to escape their own mind. The repetition of "gotta get out" underscores the feeling of being trapped and unable to find a way forward. The final verse brings a sense of finality, with the lyrics stating "you're dead" and emphasizing that even those who rush through life and accumulate wealth cannot take it with them when they leave.
Overall, "Dead On Time" is a powerful statement about the pressures of modern life and the need to find balance and fulfillment rather than simply rushing blindly forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Fool always jumpin' never happy where you land
You keep moving in a rush and are unsatisfied with wherever you end up.
Fool got my business make your living where you can
You don't have any involvement with my life, so you do whatever you can to make a living.
Hurry down the highway
You rush through life, just like traveling quickly on a highway.
Hurry down the road
You're always in a hurry, like constantly traveling on a road.
Hurry past the people starin'
You're always rushing past people, regardless of how they're looking at you or what they're doing.
Hurry hurry hurry hurry
You repeat the word 'hurry' four times to emphasize how uncontrollably fast you live life.
Leave on time leave on time
It's important for you to depart at the scheduled time, no delays.
Never got your ticket but you leave on time
You're able to leave at the scheduled time, without prearranged plans or reservations.
Gonna get your ticket but you leave on time
You'll purchase a ticket and still leave at the scheduled time.
Put it in your pocket but you never can tell
You never know what will happen for sure, even if you have the ticket saved in your pocket.
Shake that rattle gotta leave on time
You're so eager to leave that you're shaking and making noise.
Fight your battle but you leave on time
You may have some obstacles or conflicts, but you're leaving when planned anyway
Never got a minute no you never got a minute
You're always in a rush and never have time to rest or take a break.
No you never never got oh no matter
No matter how hard you try, it's impossible to slow yourself down or relax.
Fool got no business hangin' round and tellin' lies
You shouldn't be wasting time loitering and making bogus statements.
Fool you got no reasons but you got no compromise
You don't have any justifications, yet you don't show any flexibility.
Stampin' on the ceilin' hammering on the walls
You're frustrated, agitated, and temperamental. You keep making noise by stamping and hammering on everything in your surroundings.
Gotta get out gotta get out gotta get
You urgently need to escape from where you are, and this phrase underscores what you feel.
Oh you know I'm goin' crazy
You're losing your mind because of how quickly you're living, and you realize it.
Honey honey where's my money where's my money
You stress out about money and repeatedly ask for it.
Want to get away want to get away
You want to escape from everything that's causing you stress or frustration.
Leave ya leave ya leave ya
You're leaving everything behind and going away.
Gotta get rich gonna leave on time
You plan to get rich and then leave right on time.
But you can't take it with you when you leave on time
You won't be able to carry your wealth or possessions with you when you leave.
Got to keep yourself alive gotta leave on time
It's crucial to ensure your survival and leave when you're scheduled to.
Dead on time
You will die because you're living at an uncontrollable, speedy pace, and this phrase signifies your acknowledgement of this fact.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind