The song was the first single to be released in the United States under their contract with Hollywood Records on January 14th, 1991. The cover of one of the CD singles is inspired by Grandville illustrations, as are all of the others from the album.
"Headlong" charted on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks at #3. The line "And you're rushin' Headlong" from the chorus is somewhat lifted from the second verse of Breakthru, a single from Queen's previous album The Miracle, which contains the lyrics "I wanna rush headlong into this ecstasy".
Interviews with Queen:
Brian May, 1991:
"I was in the studio for a couple of days to get some things out of my system. I thought that maybe I'd be left with a solo album, maybe with a Queen album, I just didn't know and I came up with 'Headlong' and I Can't Live With You - the guys liked them."
Brian May, 1991:
"'Headlong' came from me, at our studio in Montreux, a home recording studio for us that's very state-of-the-art, lovely for creating. The ideas came in a couple of days. At first I thought about it as a song for my solo album ( Back To The Light) but, as always, the band is the best vehicle. As soon as I heard Freddie sing it, I said, 'That's it!' Sometimes it's painful to give the baby away, but what you gain is much more. It became a Queen song."
Headlong
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping and there's nothin'
You can do about it
Nothin' you can do
No there's nothin' you can do about it
No there's nothin' you can, nothin' you can
And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping no there's nothin'
You can do about it
Yeah
Hey, he used to be a man with a stick in his hand
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do
She used to be a woman with a hot dog stand
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do
Now you've got soup in the laundry bag
Now you've got strings, you're gonna lose your rag
You're gettin' in a fight
Then it ain't so groovy when you're screaming in the night
Let me out of this cheap 'B' movie
Headlong down the highway and you're rushing
Headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping and you can't stop rockin'
And there's nothin' you can, nothin' you can
Nothin' you can do about it
When a red hot man meets a white hot lady
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do (ho)
Soon the fire starts a raging gets 'em more than half crazy
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do
Oh, now they start freaking everyway you turn
You can't start walking 'cause your feet got burned
It ain't no time to figure wrong from right
'Cause reasons out the window
Better hold on tight, you're rushing headlong
Headlong out of control, yeah
You think you're so strong
There ain't no stopping and there's nothin' you, nothin' you
Nothin' you can do about it at all
Yeah yeah alright go
And you're rushing headlong down the highway
And you're rushing headlong out of control
And you think you're so strong
But there ain't no stopping
There's nothin', nothin', nothin' you can do about it, yeah
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ha ha
Headlong
Yeah yeah
Headlong
Yeahaw
Headlong
Gnoldaeh gnoldaeh gnoldaeh gnoldaeh
The lyrics of Queen's song Headlong tell a story of someone who is rushing towards a new goal without regard for the consequences. The person believes that they are strong and in control, but they soon realize that they are out of control and there's nothing they can do about it. The lyrics use a mix of metaphors and imagery to convey this idea.
The song's first verse sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics, as the person depicted is "rushing headlong" towards their new goal. They're so convinced of their strength that they believe there's nothing that can stop them. But as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the person is losing control, and they're getting into fights and screaming into the night. The chorus repeats the idea that there's nothing the person can do to stop their headlong rush towards their goal.
The second verse introduces a "red hot man" and a "white hot lady" who start a fire that gets them half crazy. The subsequent lines use a variety of metaphors and imagery to depict the chaos that ensues. The person rushing headlong is compared to a character in a cheap 'B movie', and the lyrics suggest that everything is moving too fast for them to think clearly. In the end, the song suggests that the person is powerless to stop their headlong rush towards their goal.
Line by Line Meaning
And you're rushing headlong you've got a new goal
You're moving quickly towards a new objective
And you're rushing headlong out of control
You're moving too fast and can't slow down
And you think you're so strong
You believe you have the power to handle anything
But there ain't no stopping and there's nothin' you can do about it
You're unable to reverse your momentum and you're powerless to change your course
Nothin' you can do
You are stuck in your current path
No there's nothin' you can do about it
There's no way to avoid the situation
No there's nothin' you can, nothin' you can
Absolutely no way to change the outcome
Hey, he used to be a man with a stick in his hand
He used to be a simple person
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do
Nonsense words indicating a shift in the story
She used to be a woman with a hot dog stand
She used to have a small business
Now you've got soup in the laundry bag
Your life is in chaos
Now you've got strings, you're gonna lose your rag
Your life is unraveling quickly
You're gettin' in a fight
You're being pushed to your limit
Then it ain't so groovy when you're screaming in the night
Your dreams have turned into a nightmare
Let me out of this cheap 'B' movie
You wish you could escape your current situation
Headlong down the highway and you're rushing
You're in a hurry driving fast
And there's nothin' you can, nothin' you can
You feel trapped
When a red hot man meets a white hot lady
Two people with intense passion come together
Hoop diddy diddy hoop diddy do (ho)
Nonsense words indicating a shift in the story
Soon the fire starts a raging gets 'em more than half crazy
Their passion has consumed them
Oh, now they start freaking everyway you turn
They're acting uncontrollably
You can't start walking 'cause your feet got burned
Their passion has hurt them and they can't escape
It ain't no time to figure wrong from right
They're not thinking clearly
'Cause reasons out the window
Rational thought has disappeared
Better hold on tight, you're rushing headlong
Hold on tight, you're going too fast
There ain't no stopping and there's nothin' you, nothin' you
Nothing will stand in your way
Nothin' you can do about it at all
You can't change the outcome
And you're rushing headlong down the highway
You're speeding down the road
There's nothin', nothin', nothin' you can do about it, yeah
You're powerless to change the outcome
Headlong
Going headfirst into a situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MAY, FREDDIE MERCURY, JOHN DEACON, ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vratos
A dying superstar in 1991 sounds better than any artist in 2021
@connorgrice6921
You're right about that
@wolfgangkirchhoff451
Hey guy, you're absolutely corrcet with your comment!!! Love Freddy and Queen
@melaniemclaughlin5744
I'd say that too! Sounds great in 2021 not even a year old. That's how incredible these rock bands from the 70s are incredible talent and Freddie Mercury and Queen well you'll never replace them.
@patriksky3016
You meant Legend Nazerano Anselmi
@VaneLyri
So true ! So much new artists are less good than our old ones
@EmilBoqvist
I love that all of Innuendo is Freddie saying goodbye and then all of a sudden... "HEADLONG!", One last real rocker. Love it!
@tankartist3306
I feel like that Headlong was recorded in '89 or '90, so before Freddie started to get really sick
@tankartist3306
Nevertheless, it sounds so 'Miracle', and I love that
@teresarabelo4774
Headlong