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)
Dog With A Bone
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say you will you can forgive me but I doubt it
You make me high when I talk on the phone
You know I gotta ring up your number when I know you ain't home
Coz you gotta hold on me baby like a dog with a bone
Hey hey
Dog with a bone
Hey you say you won't you can't give me any more love
But you that say you will you can forgive me but I doubt it
You make me high when you talk on the phone
You know I gotta ring up your number when you're never ever home
You gotta hold on me baby, like a dog with a bone, yeah
Dog with a bone
He was telling me
You talk down the phone
Ring up your number when I know you ain't home
You gotta hold on me baby, like a dog with a bone
Yeah
Like a dog with a bone, yeah
Dog with a bone
You say you won't you can't give me any more love
But you say you will you can forgive me but I doubt
You make me high when you talk on the phone
I gotta ring up your number when I know you ain't home
You gotta hold on me baby
Like a dog with a bone
Hold on me baby
I won't let go
Like a dog with a bone
Don't let go
You gotta
Hello fan club. sorry it hasn't got me on it.
Must have ruined it for all of you, but there you go.
Hello, john here. I hope you're having a good time.
And jacky, in return for us doing this musical offering for you,
Is after we've finished she's going to come on and do a strip for you.
Hey, I hope everybody's having a good time (good time good time good time)
I hope everybody's having a having a good time (good time good time good time)
Having a good time, yes, before I heard all this nonsense.
Where's the microphone, which one? hello it's brian here.
Fraid I've lost my voice because I've been bellowing.
God, I wish someone would shut that bloody guitarist up, it's dreadful.
Well actually we'd love to be with you, we're sorry we're not with you but we're too busy
Making silly noises and thinking up new chords like this one and having mid life crises and things.
You see it's all very easy for you but we have a lot of work to do so we're going to play you this song instead.
It does like this.
Dog with a bone
The lyrics of Queen's song "Dog With A Bone" speak of a tumultuous relationship and an individual's desire to hold onto it despite knowing that it may not result in any further love. The singer calls the other person out on their conflicting signals - they claim they cannot give any more love, yet they say that they can forgive. The singer admits that talking to the other person on the phone still gives them a high, and they even call the person's phone when they know they're not home. The chorus likens the other person's hold on the singer to that of a dog with a bone, indicating persistence and refusal to let go.
The song's bridge has a playful tone, with John jokingly apologizing to the fan club for not being present and promising a strip show from Jacky. The musicians then engage in some lighthearted banter with one another and with the audience, poking fun at their own work and acknowledging the hard work that goes into it.
Overall, "Dog With A Bone" tackles the theme of lovesickness and the struggle to let go of a relationship, even when it may not be healthy for the individuals involved. The lyrics and tone of the song convey a sense of both frustration and addiction, with the singer unable to resist reaching out to the other person despite knowing that it may not lead to anything fruitful.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, you say you won't you can't give me any more love
You claim that you are incapable of giving me any more love
You say you will you can forgive me but I doubt it
You claim that you will forgive me, but I am skeptical
You make me high when I talk on the phone
You make me feel euphoric when I converse with you on the phone
You know I gotta ring up your number when I know you ain't home
I am compelled to call your number when I am aware that you're not at home
Coz you gotta hold on me baby like a dog with a bone
You have an unrelenting grip on me, similar to how a dog refuses to let go of a bone
Hey hey
An expression of excitement or enthusiasm
One more time yeah
An encouragement for another performance or repetition
You talk down the phone
You speak on the phone
Ring up your number when I know you ain't home
Call your number when I am aware that you are not present
Like a dog with a bone, yeah
Similar to a dog that refuses to let go of a bone
He was telling me
Referring to an unidentified person who was speaking to the singer
You gotta hold on me baby, like a dog with a bone
You possess an unbreakable hold on me, like a dog that refuses to release a bone
Hold on me baby
You have a grip on me
I won't let go
I will not relinquish my attachment to you
Don't let go
Please continue to hold on
Hello fan club. sorry it hasn't got me on it.
A greeting to a fan club with regret for not being present
Must have ruined it for all of you, but there you go.
Acknowledging that the absence of the singer may have disrupted the event
Hello, john here. I hope you're having a good time.
A greeting from the singer John, who expresses hope that the audience is enjoying themselves
And jacky, in return for us doing this musical offering for you,
Jacky has offered something in exchange for the band's performance
Is after we've finished she's going to come on and do a strip for you.
Jacky will perform a striptease after the band's musical offering
Having a good time, yes, before I heard all this nonsense.
John remarks that he was having a good time before hearing the chatter around him
Where's the microphone, which one? hello it's brian here.
One of the band members, Brian, is inquiring about the location of the microphone, then greets the audience
Fraid I've lost my voice because I've been bellowing.
Brian has lost his voice due to excessive shouting or yelling
God, I wish someone would shut that bloody guitarist up, it's dreadful.
Brian expresses disdain for the guitarist's playing, hoping that someone would silence him
Well actually we'd love to be with you, we're sorry we're not with you but we're too busy
The band admits that they would love to be with the audience, but they are occupied with other activities
Making silly noises and thinking up new chords like this one and having mid life crises and things.
The band is spending their time making new music and experiencing midlife crises
You see it's all very easy for you but we have a lot of work to do so we're going to play you this song instead.
The band acknowledges that their work is laborious, but they will still play a song for the audience
It does like this.
The band begins to play the song
Dog with a bone
Repeating the title of the song
Hey, I hope everybody's having a good time (good time good time good time)
Another greeting and hope that the audience is enjoying themselves
I hope everybody's having a having a good time (good time good time good time)
Repeating the previous sentiment
Contributed by Sophie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.