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)
Keep Passing The Open Windows
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Surround myself around my own fantasy
You just gotta be strong
And believe in yourself
Forget all the sadness
'Cause love is all you need
Love is all you need
To be alone in this world
When you're down and out on your luck
And you're a failure?
Wake up screaming in the middle of the night
You think it's all been a waste of time
It's been a bad year
You start believing
Everything's gonna be alright
Next minute you're down
And you're flat on your back
A brand new day's beginning
Get that sunny feeling
And you're on your way
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Do you know how it feels
When you don't have a friend
Without a job and no money to spend
You're a stranger?
All you think about is suicide
One of these days you're gonna lose the fight
You better keep out of danger, yeah
That same old feeling just keeps burning deep inside
You keep telling yourself it's gonna be the end
Oh, get yourself together
Things are looking better every day
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
This is the only life for me (yeah)
Surround myself around my own fantasy
You just got to be strong
And believe in yourself
Forget all the sadness
'Cause love is all you need
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
You just gotta be strong
And believe in yourself
Forget all the sadness
'Cause love is all you need
Love is all you need
Baby, love is all you need
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Just believe
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
The opening lines of Queen's song "Keep Passing The Open Windows" speak of finding happiness within oneself instead of seeking it from external sources. The singer has created his own world full of imagination and fantasy to escape from the harsh realities of life. The song encourages the listener to be strong and believe in themselves, as love is all that is needed to overcome the challenges of life. A tone of hope and optimism is prevalent throughout the song.
The lyrics also touch on the feelings of loneliness, despair, and hopelessness that can arise in life. The singer describes the struggles of being unemployed and broke, and the thoughts of suicide that can come with it. However, the song takes a positive turn as the singer urges the listener to keep their head up and keep moving forward. It reminds us that despite the setbacks we may face, there is always a chance for a brand new day and a fresh start.
Overall, "Keep Passing The Open Windows" is a song that encourages hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. It is a call to find happiness within oneself and to keep pushing forward towards better things.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the only life for me - yeah
I'm content with how I'm living and I don't want to change anything about it.
Surround myself around my own fantasy
I immerse myself in my own imagination to escape the real world.
You just gotta be strong and believe in yourself
In order to succeed, you need to have confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Forget all the sadness 'cause love is all you need
Don't focus on negative feelings and instead rely on the power of love to overcome them.
Do you know what it's like to be alone in this world
Have you ever experienced the loneliness that comes with feeling isolated and disconnected from others?
When you're down and out on your luck and you're a failure
During times of hardship and disappointment when you feel like nothing is going your way.
Wake up screaming in the middle of the night
Having terrifying nightmares that lead to waking with a start, sometimes in a panicked or agitated state.
You think it's all been a waste of time
Believing that everything you've done up to this point has been pointless and without meaning.
It's been a bad year
This past year has been a difficult one filled with struggle and adversity.
You start believing everything's gonna be alright
You begin to feel optimistic and have faith that things will improve in the future.
Next minute you're down and you're flat on your back
Suddenly and unexpectedly, you find yourself in a difficult and helpless position.
A brand new day is beginning
Each day is a fresh start with new opportunities and possibilities.
Get that sunny feeling and you're on your way (way)
When you're happy and optimistic, you're more likely to succeed and achieve your goals.
Do you know how it feels when you don't have friend
Have you ever experienced the crushing loneliness of having no one to turn to or confide in?
Without a job and no money to spend
Being unemployed and broke with no financial resources to rely on.
You're a stranger
Feeling like an outsider or someone who doesn't fit in with the rest of society.
All you think about is suicide
Being overwhelmed by feelings of despair and hopelessness and contemplating taking your own life.
One of these days you're gonna lose the fight
At some point in your struggles, you will feel defeated and unable to overcome them.
You better keep out of danger - yeah
It's important to take care of yourself and stay safe during times of hardship and adversity.
That same old feeling just keeps burning deep inside (inside)
Continuously experiencing the same negative emotions that weigh heavily on your soul and psyche.
You keep telling yourself it's gonna be the end
Convincing yourself that your struggles will never end and you will never find a way out.
Oh - get yourself together
Pull yourself out of your negative mindset and focus on moving forward and finding a way to overcome your struggles.
Things are looking better everyday (day)
Reminding yourself that with each passing day, there is hope for a brighter future and a resolution to your problems.
Just keep passing the open windows
Keep moving forward and don't let your struggles get in the way of your future success and happiness.
You just gotta be strong and believe in yourselves
Again emphasizing the importance of having confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Love is all you need yeah
Love is the most important thing in life and has the power to overcome even the greatest challenges.
Just keep passing the open windows
Repeating this phrase to reinforce the message of not giving up and persevering through hard times.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ahard-daysnight
Lyrics:
This is the only life for me,
Surround myself around my own fantasy
You just gotta be strong and believe in yourself,
Forget all the sadness, ‘cause love is all you need
Love is all you need
Do you know what it’s like to be alone in this world?
When you’re down and out on your luck, and you’re a failure,
Wake up screaming in the middle of the night?
You think it’s all been a waste of time,
It’s been a bad year
You start believing everything’s gonna be alright,
Next minute you’e down, and you’re flat on your back
A brand new day is beginning,
Get that sunny feeling, and you’re on your way
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Do you know how it feels when you don’t have a friend?
Without a job and no money to spend,
You’re a stranger,
All you think about is suicide
One of these days, you’re gonna lose the fight,
You better keep out of danger — yeah
That same old feeling just keeps burning deep inside,
You keep telling yourself it’s gonna be the end
Oh, get yourself together,
Things are looking better every day
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
This is the only life for me,
Surround myself around my own fantasy
You just gotta be strong and believe in yourself,
Forget all the sadness, ‘cause love is all you need
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
You just gotta be strong and believe in yourself,
Forget all the sadness, ‘cause love is all you need
Love is all you need — baby — love is all you need
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Just believe — just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Just keep passing the open windows
Marcel Versteeg
THANXXX...
Marcel Versteeg
wow...THUMBS UP!
HotSpaceFanatic
This is so underrated