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)
Great King Rat
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Born on the twenty first of May
Died syphilis forty four on his birthday
Every second word he swore
Yes he was the son of a whore
Always wanted by the law
Wouldn't you like to know?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you
Would you like to see?
Now hear this
Where will I be tomorrow?
Will I beg ?, Will I borrow?
I don't care, I don't care anyway
Come on, come on the time is right
The man is evil and that is right
I told you ah yes I told you
And that's no lie, oh no no
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you
Would you like to see?
Show me
Oooh oooh oooh oooh
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know people people?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you
Would you like to see?
Hit it
Now listen all you people
Put out the good and keep the bad
Don't believe all you read in the Bible
You sinners get in line
Saints you leave far behind
Very soon you're gonna be his disciple
Don't listen to what mama says
Not a word not a word mama says
Or else you'll find yourself being the rival
Sure, the great lord before he died
Knelt sinners by his side
And said you're going to realise tomorrow, oh woh oh woh oh woh
No I'm not going to tell you
What you already know
'Cause time and time again
The old man said it all a long time ago
Come on come on the time is right
This evil man will fight
I told you once before
Hear it
No
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Just like I said before
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
The last time I tell you
Would you like to see?
The song "Great King Rat" by Queen tells the story of a man who was born on May 21st and died on his 44th birthday due to syphilis. The lyrics also mention that he was the son of a prostitute and every second word he spoke was a curse. Despite being wanted by the law, Great King Rat was a popular figure among the people, hence the question "Wouldn't you like to know?" throughout the song. The chorus repeats the statement that Great King Rat was a dirty old man, emphasizing his unsavory character.
The song's verses reflect on the fleeting nature of life and the uncertainty that comes with it. The singer wonders where he will be tomorrow and whether he will have to beg or borrow, but ultimately concludes that he doesn't care either way. The lines "Don't believe all you read in the Bible / You sinners get in line / Saints you leave far behind" suggest a rejection of traditional morality and an embrace of one's own sinful nature. The end of the song reveals that the great lord mentioned throughout the lyrics is actually Satan and hints at the singer's eventual transformation into a disciple of evil.
Line by Line Meaning
Great King Rat died today
The King Rat, who was known for his bad behavior, has died today.
Born on the twenty first of May
He was born on 21st May.
Died syphilis forty four on his birthday
He died of syphilis on his 44th birthday.
Every second word he swore
He used to swear every second word he speak.
Yes he was the son of a whore
He was the son of a prostitute.
Always wanted by the law
He was always a wanted person by the law.
Wouldn't you like to know?
This line is a sarcastic way of saying that the listener doesn't need to know something.
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
King Rat was an immoral and dishonest man.
And a dirty old man was he
This line emphasizes that he was a dirty old man.
Now what did I tell you
The singer is reminding the listener of something he said earlier.
Would you like to see?
The singer is asking if the listener wants proof of what he said earlier.
Now hear this
The singer is getting ready to make a new statement.
Where will I be tomorrow?
The singer is questioning what his future holds.
Will I beg ?, Will I borrow?
He wonders whether he will have to beg or borrow money in the future.
I don't care, I don't care anyway
The singer doesn't care about what happens in the future.
Come on, come on the time is right
The singer is encouraging someone to do something at the right time.
The man is evil and that is right
The singer thinks the man is evil and that his assessment is correct.
I told you ah yes I told you
The singer is reiterating that he has already shared this information.
And that's no lie, oh no no
The singer is emphasizing that what he said is true and not a lie.
Oooh oooh oooh oooh
This is a musical interlude and has no specific meaning.
Wouldn't you like to know?
Again, this is a sarcastic way of saying that the listener doesn't need to know something.
Hit it
This is a cue for the band to start playing.
Now listen all you people
The singer is addressing the audience.
Put out the good and keep the bad
The singer is asking the listeners to focus on good things and forget about bad things.
Don't believe all you read in the Bible
The singer is questioning the veracity of everything written in the Bible.
You sinners get in line
The singer is calling sinners to get in line.
Saints you leave far behind
The singer is suggesting that even saints are inferior to sinners in some way.
Very soon you're gonna be his disciple
The singer is implying that everyone will become the man's disciple very soon.
Don't listen to what mama says
The singer is advising the listeners not to listen to what their mothers say.
Not a word not a word mama says
The singer is repeating the previous line.
Or else you'll find yourself being the rival
The singer is warning that if the listener listens to their mother, they will find themselves in trouble.
Sure, the great lord before he died
The singer is referring to the great lord who died.
Knelt sinners by his side
Sinners were beside the great lord when he died.
And said you're going to realise tomorrow, oh woh oh woh oh woh
The great lord said that tomorrow, something would be realized.
No I'm not going to tell you
The singer is not going to disclose any more information.
What you already know
The singer thinks the audience already knows too much information.
'Cause time and time again
The singer is trying to emphasize that he has said what he needed to say already on this topic.
The old man said it all a long time ago
The old man has already shared all the required information a long time ago.
Wouldn't you like to know?
This is a sarcastic way of saying that the listener doesn't need to know something.
Just like I said before
The singer is emphasizing that he said this before.
The last time I tell you
This is the last time the singer will reveal any information.
Would you like to see?
The singer is asking if the listener wants proof of what he previously said.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind