May had written the song when the band had already been formed several years prior, before John Deacon joined the original trio of Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, and May.
According to an interview with May in a radio special about their 1977 album News of the World, he had penned the lyrics thinking of them as ironic and tongue-in-cheek, but their sense was completely changed when Freddie Mercury sang them.
The newly-formed Queen quickly added "Keep Yourself Alive" to the live set. Mercury commented that the song "was a very good way of telling people what Queen was about in those days" (RAM, 21 May 1976, p 17). Indeed, the number included a drum solo by Roger Taylor and one line sung/spoken by him ("Do you think you're better every day?"), followed by a response line sung/spoken by Brian May. ("No I think I'm two steps nearer to my grave"). Other recordings, and live performances, have May's line performed by Mercury.
"Keep Yourself Alive" was part of the band's live set until the early 1980s. On the 1980 and 1981 tours, the band would play an improvisational jam before the start of the song then after the drum solo, it would morph into Taylor's tympani drum solo followed by May's echo-plexed guitar solo spot before either segueing into the "Brighton Rock" finale or a drum and guitar climax or segued into a Flash Gordon medley (which consisted of "Battle Theme"/"Flash's Theme"/"The Hero"). The band would not play it again until 1984 on The Works tour as part of a medley of older songs (with "Somebody to Love", "Killer Queen", "Seven Seas of Rhye", and "Liar").
In live performances, Mercury would often sing the line "all you people keep yourself alive" (which is sung only two times in the studio version) in place of the more-repeated line "it'll take you all your time and a money honey you'll survive".
The first version of "Keep Yourself Alive" is from summer 1971 at De Lane Lea Studios. It was produced by Louie Austin and includes the intro played on Brian May's Hairfred acoustic guitar. All of the song elements were already present, including call-and-response vocals by Freddie Mercury (verses) and during the break, where Roger Taylor sang a line and Mercury answered it. This demo version remains Brian May's favourite take of the song.
Subsequently they did several attempts to "recapture the magic" when they went on to do the "real" version at Trident Studios. The one mixed by Mike Stone was the only one moderately accepted, and it's the one released as single. It includes Freddie Mercury doing all of the harmony vocals in the chorus (multi-tracking himself) and Brian May singing the "two steps nearer to my grave" line instead of Mercury (who did it live and in earlier versions). This recording does not use acoustic guitar; the printed transcription on EMI Music Publishing's Off the Record' sheet music lists at least seven electric guitar parts, one of which uses a prominent phasing effect. It can also be noted that this recording includes the line "Come on and get it, get it, get it boy, keep yourself alive," which was not in the original version.
It's been suggested by some fans and Queen scholars that Mercury could have helped on the musical songwriting, based on the fact that (as it's been recalled by former bassists and the band themselves) they were in a more collaborative period in the pre-studio days and Mercury was usually the one getting his way with structural ideas. While it's highly possible that he contributed ideas to the song (the modulation types and the expanded form are closer to his style than May's), the bottom line is that even in that case Mercury would be more a co-arranger than a co-writer per-se (like George Martin on The Beatles' songs).
Interviews with Queen:
Brian May - 1983, BBC Radio One:
"The first recording of it ever was in De Lane Lea when we did it ourselves and I’ve still got that recording and I think it’s very good and has something which the single never had. But THEY pressurised us very strongly to redo all the tracks and we redid ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ with Roy and it was pretty awful, actually. I thought it was terrible and I was very unhappy about it and I thought the De Lane Lea one was better and I eventually managed to persuade Roy that it was better as well. So, we went back in and did it again in a way that was a bit more true to the original. But there is no way that you can ever really repeat something. I have this great belief that the magic of the moment can never be recaptured and, although we ended up with something that was technically in the playing and perhaps even in the recording a bit better than the De Lane Lea thing. I still think that the De Lane Lea one had that certain sort of magic, so I was never really happy. As it turned out no one else was ever really happy either and we kept remixing it. We thought that it’s the mix that’s wrong, we kept remixing and there must have been, at least, seven or eight different mixes by different groups of people. Eventually we went in and did a mix with Mike Stone, our engineer, and that’s the one that we were in the end happiest with. That’s the one we put out.
But, to my mind ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ was never really satisfactory. Never had that magic that it should have had."
Keep Yourself Alive
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was told a million times
Of all the troubles in my way
Mind you grow a little wiser
Little better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I startedBread and butter for a smile
Well I sold a million mirrors
In a shopping alley way
But I never saw my face
In any window any day
Now they say your folks are telling you
Be a super star
But I tell you just be satisfied
Stay right where you are
Keep yourself alive, yeah
Keep yourself alive
Ooh, it'll take you all your time and money
Honey you'll survive
Ow
Well I've loved a million women
In a belladonic haze
And I ate a million dinners
Brought to me on silver trays
Give me everything I need
To feed my body and my soul
And I'll grow a little bigger
Maybe that can be my goal
I was told a million timesOf all the people in my way
How I had to keep on trying
And get better every day
But if I crossed a million rivers
And I rode a million miles
Then I'd still be where I started
Same as when I started
Keep yourself alive, come on
Keep yourself alive
Ooh, it'll take you all your time and money honey
You'll survive, shake
Ow
Keep yourself alive, wow
Keep yourself alive
Oh, it'll take you all your time and money
To keep me satisfied
Do you think you're better every day?
No, I just think I'm two steps nearer to my grave
Keep yourself alive, c'mon
Keep yourself alive
Mm, you take your time and take more money
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
C'mon keep yourself alive
All you people keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
C'mon c'mon keep yourself alive
It'll take you all your time and a money
To keep me satisfied
Keep yourself alive
Keep yourself alive
All you people keep yourself alive
Take you all your time and money honey
You will survive
Keep you satisfied
The opening track of Queen's self-titled debut album, Keep Yourself Alive displays Queen's trademark blend of rock and theatrics, with Freddie Mercury's soaring vocals, Brian May's electric guitar playing, and a driving beat provided by Roger Taylor on drums and John Deacon on bass guitar. The song's lyrics seem to address the struggles of an up-and-coming musician, with Mercury singing about being told of "all the troubles in my way" but striving to improve himself every day. He sings about the temptations of fame and excess ("Well I've loved a million women in a belladonic haze / And I ate a million dinners brought to me on silver trays") but ultimately concludes that the key to success is to "keep yourself alive" and stay true to yourself.
Musically, Keep Yourself Alive features May's distinctive guitar riffs and solos, with the chorus featuring a harmony-heavy vocal arrangement that would become a staple of Queen's sound. The song is also notable for its unusual structure, with multiple sections and time signatures shifting throughout. These complex musical arrangements would become a hallmark of the band's style and influence countless subsequent rock musicians.
Since its release, Keep Yourself Alive has become a fan favorite and a staple of Queen's live shows. The song's upbeat energy and message of perseverance have made it a motivational anthem for generations of fans. With its combination of rock, theatrics, and intricate musical arrangements, Keep Yourself Alive is a masterclass in Queen's unique sound and approach to music.
Line by Line Meaning
Take off
To start a journey or an adventure
I was told a million times
Advice and warnings from people about the difficulties and hardships that lie ahead
Of all the troubles in my way
All the obstacles and difficulties that one may face in life
Mind you grow a little wiser
To continuously learn and acquire new knowledge to become smarter every day
Little better every day
To improve and make progress daily
But if I crossed a million rivers
Even after facing many challenges and covering a lot of distance, it does not guarantee progress towards one's goal
And I rode a million miles
Travelling many miles without any progress towards a specific goal
Then I'd still be where I started
Not making any progress despite trying very hard
Bread and butter for a smile
Living a simple life with basic necessities despite not making any progress
Well I sold a million mirrors
Making a lot of money but never seeing oneself reflected in any of the windows
In a shopping alleyway
A metaphorical representation of the materialistic world
But I never saw my face
Losing one's true identity and forgetting who they are
In any window any day
The absence of any physical or personal reflection of oneself despite living a materialistic life
Now they say your folks are telling you
Advice from family members to become a superstar
Be a super star
To achieve great success, fame and fortune
But I tell you just be satisfied
To be content with what you have rather than constantly chasing success and material possessions
Stay right where you are
To be in the present moment and not constantly striving for the future
Keep yourself alive, yeah
To stay alive in the metaphorical sense, to keep on living life despite its difficulties
Keep yourself alive
To survive and thrive despite life's obstacles
Ooh, it'll take you all your time and money
Surviving and thriving requires time and money, perseverance and hard work
Honey you'll survive
To assure the listener that they have what it takes to survive
Well I've loved a million women
A metaphor for the many things one may experience in life
In a belladonic haze
A reference to the poisonous plant Belladonna, as a metaphor for experiencing dangerous or harmful situations in life
And I ate a million dinners
An abundance of food, a metaphor for one's basic needs being met
Brought to me on silver trays
Living a luxurious life where one's needs are taken care of
Give me everything I need
Basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and clothing
To feed my body and my soul
To sustain oneself both physically and spiritually
And I'll grow a little bigger
To mature and develop in all aspects of life
Maybe that can be my goal
To focus on one's self-development rather than purely materialistic desires
How I had to keep on trying
To persevere in the face of obstacles
But if I crossed a million rivers
Even if one tries very hard and overcomes many hurdles, they may still not achieve their goal
How I had to keep on trying
The importance of perseverance despite setbacks and challenges
Take you all your time and money honey
The amount of time, money and effort required to achieve one's goal
You'll survive
To reassure the listener that they will survive despite the challenges
Do you think you're better every day?
A rhetorical question about personal growth and self-improvement
No, I just think I'm two steps nearer to my grave
A response indicating that personal growth is not about feeling superior, but rather the passage of time and getting closer to death
Mm, you take your time and take more money
The cost, both in terms of time and resources, of striving for one's dreams
All you people keep yourself alive
To encourage everyone to persevere and strive towards their goals
Take you all your time and money honey
The importance of perseverance and hard work in achieving success
You will survive
To reassure the listener that they have the strength to overcome life's obstacles and challenges
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Harold May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind