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)
I Want to Be Free
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
(Do ya do ya)
Gotta gotta
Got got gotta get to hell
(Do ya do ya)
Gotta get to hell
Gotta gotta
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
(Making me go crazy)
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
Free
What's that mean
Gotta get to hell
What's that mean
Gotta get to hell
What's that mean
What's that mean
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making)
(Making)
(Making)
(Ma-ma-making)
I want to be free
I want to be free
I want to be free
(Making me go crazy)
I want to be free
(Do ya)
Free
At first glance, the lyrics to Queen's song "I Want To Be Free" seem to be straightforward - the repeated phrase "Gotta get to hell" suggests the singer's desire to break free from constraints and live life on their own terms, even if it means damnation. However, the chorus complicates things with its repetition of "I wanna be me, I wanna be free, but what's that mean?" This suggests that the singer's desire for freedom may not be as simple as they initially believed. They may not fully understand what it means to be themselves, and how that fits into their quest for freedom.
The repeated phrase "What's that mean?" throughout the chorus adds to this confusion and self-doubt. The singer may feel trapped by societal expectations and norms, unsure of what it truly means to live authentically. The repeated phrase "making me go crazy" implies a sense of desperation and frustration, as if the singer is on the verge of a breakdown. The song ultimately ends with a final repetition of "I wanna be free" - a hopeful insistence that the search for self-discovery and liberation is worth the struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
(Do ya do ya)
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
(Do ya do ya)
Gotta gotta
Got got gotta get to hell
(Do ya do ya)
Gotta get to hell
Got got gotta get to hell
Gotta gotta
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
The singer is feeling trapped and wants to escape to a place where they can be free, even if that means going to hell.
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
What's that mean
The singer desires to be true to themselves, but they are not sure what being free actually entails or what it means to be true to oneself.
(Making me go crazy)
Gotta get to hell
Gotta get to hell
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
I wanna be me
I wanna be free
But what's that mean
What's that mean
The confusion and lack of clarity around what being free means is causing the singer to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and desperate to escape.
Free
What's that mean
Gotta get to hell
What's that mean
Gotta get to hell
What's that mean
What's that mean
The repetition of the question 'what's that mean' emphasizes the artist's lack of understanding and the ambiguous nature of freedom, while their desire to escape to hell is a metaphor for a desire to be free from the constraints of society, expectations, and norms.
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go crazy)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making me go)
(Making)
(Making)
(Making)
(Ma-ma-making)
The repetition of 'making me go crazy' and 'making' suggests that the artist's desire for freedom is consuming them and causing them to lose their mind as they struggle to understand what it means.
I want to be free
I want to be free
I want to be free
(Making me go crazy)
I want to be free
(Do ya)
Free
The repetition of 'I want to be free' shows the singer's obsession with the idea, even as they struggle with what it means. The final 'free' can be seen as an affirmation of this desire or a plea for someone to help them achieve it ('do ya').
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Jesse Banner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ManojKumar-yz7hx
I want to break free, I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self-satisfied I don't need you
I've got to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free
I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time
This time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love, yeah
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love
It's strange but it's true, hey
I can't get over the way you love me like you do
But I have to be sure when I walk out that door
Oh, I want to be free, baby
Oh, how I want to be free
Oh, I want to break free
But life still goes on
I can't get used to living without, living without
Living without you by my side
I don't want to live alone, hey
God knows, got to make it on my own
So, baby, can't you see I've got to break free?
I've got to break free
I want to break free, yeah
I want, I want, I want
I want to break free
@user-jb2mf8jg1g
I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self satisfied, I don't need you
I've got to break free
God knows
God knows I want to break free
I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time
And this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love, yeah
God knows
God knows I've fallen in love
It's strange but it's true
Hey, I can't get over the way you love me like you do
But I have to be sure
When I walk out that door
Oh, how I want to be free, baby
Oh, how I want to be free
Oh, how I want to break free
But life still goes on
I can't get used to living without living without living without you
By my side
I don't want to live alone, hey
God knows
Got to make it on my own
So, baby, can't you see
I've got to break free
I've got to break free
I want to break free, yeah
I want, I want, I want
I want to break free
@714Musicfan
John deacon deserves more credit then what he’s given
Another one bites the dust
Your my Best friend
I want to break free
Friends will be friends (shared credit between him and Freddie)
Spread your wings
All fantastic songs that he wrote
Good on ya John😊
@Crepymodd666
Freddie : the mom
Roger : sexy schoolgirl
Brian : Your aunt
Jhon : The queen of england and your granny
@henry9266
Its john not jhon
@nolerespondanaestacuentapq4995
Lol
@sqeakysqueak2292
Lol
@jack6604
Do u mean
Roger: anime girl
@lil_orbits2658
Let me rephrase
Freddie : your fav aunt
Roger : your sister
Brian : The mom
John : Your grandma
@MemoriesRockMusic
It's been almost 40 years, A message to the future generations: Don't let this beautiful masterpiece die!
@DamienDarkside
Sadly enough, the 55 year olds who were teens at this time are currently promoting laws that restrict LGBT+ people - who would have included Freddy as a target - and wants to pretend they don't exist. You know, the same people who said "the artist formerly known as Prince" instead of "Prince" are suddenly confused at the "sudden rise of LGBT" like they haven't been in your faces since on mainstream since the 70s.
@elliewood7153
Never letting this die
@Theartofheaven8735
@@elliewood7153 what did u do to keep this song alive?