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)
Las Palabras de Amor (The Word
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't hold me now
Don't break the spell, darling
Now you are near
Look in my eyes and speak to me
The special promises I long to hear
Las palabras de amor
Despacito, mi amor
Love me slow and gently
One foolish world, so many souls
Senselessly hurled through
The never ending cold
And all for fear and all for greed
Speak any tongue
But for God's sake we need
Las palabras de amor
Let me hear the words of love
Despacito, mi amor
Let me know this night and evermore
This room is bare
This night is cold
We're far apart, and I'm growing old
But while we live
We'll meet again
So then, my love
We may whisper once more
It's you I adore
Las palabras de amor
Let me hear the words of love
Despacito, mi amor
Touch me now
Las palabras de amor
Let us share the words of love
For evermore, evermore
For evermore
The lyrics of "Las Palabras de Amor" by Queen reflect on the power and importance of love, particularly the words used to express it. The song emphasizes the need for tenderness and patience in love, with lines like "Love me slow and gently." The first stanza emphasizes the singer's desire for their lover's attention and affirmation, urging them not to break the spell of their proximity. The second stanza takes a more cynical view of the world, observing the ways in which fear and greed can drive people apart. Despite this, the singer believes in the power of love to bring people together and transcend these divisions.
The title is Spanish for "The Words of Love," and the lyrics include Spanish phrases like "Despacito, mi amor" ("Slowly, my love"). The song has a gentle, romantic feel that is emphasized by the use of strings and a melodic guitar solo. It was written by Queen's lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, who was known for his flamboyant style and powerful stage presence.
One interesting fact about "Las Palabras de Amor" is that it was not a commercial success, despite being a fan favorite and praised by critics. It was released as a single in 1982, and it failed to chart in the UK or the US. However, it was well-received in other countries like Germany and Belgium. Another interesting fact is that it was one of the few songs that Queen wrote specifically for their live shows, and it remained a popular concert staple throughout their career.
The chords for "Las Palabras de Amor" are A, D, A7, G, C, F, E, and Dm.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't touch me now
Please don't touch me at this moment
Don't hold me now
Please don't hold me at this moment
Don't break the spell, darling
Please let this moment linger, my dear
Now you are near
Now that you are close to me
Look in my eyes and speak to me
Look into my eyes and tell me what I long to hear
The special promises I long to hear
The words of love and commitment I have been waiting to hear
Las palabras de amor
The words of love
Let me hear the words of love
Please speak the words of love to me
Despacito, mi amor
Slowly, my love
Love me slow and gently
Please show me love tenderly and gradually
One foolish world, so many souls
Our world, filled with countless individuals
Senselessly hurled through
Thrown without direction through
The never ending cold
Life's challenges, which appear to have no end
And all for fear and all for greed
Motivated by either fear or greed
Speak any tongue
We can speak any language
But for God's sake we need
However, what we truly require is
Let me know this night and evermore
Please promise me your love tonight and forever
This room is bare
This space is empty
This night is cold
This evening feels cold
We're far apart, and I'm growing old
We are separated by distance, and time is moving quickly
But while we live
However, as long as we are alive
We'll meet again
We will reunite
So then, my love
At that time, my beloved
We may whisper once more
We can speak softly again
It's you I adore
My admiration is for you
Touch me now
Please touch me at this moment
Let us share the words of love
Let us express our love with words
For evermore, evermore
Forever and ever
For evermore
Eternally
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN MAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Grady Geiger
My personal top 10 queen songs for funs
1.sail away sweet sister
2.all dead all dead
3.friends will be friends
4.the prophets song
5.Lazing on a Sunday afternoon
6.a kind of magic
7.las palabras de amor
8.death on two legs
9.march of the black queen
10. don't try suicide
Vorn Field
I think the most underrated Queen song. A real gem
Filipe Graça
The problem is now people got used to one hit wonders... Queen where making masterpieces for 20 years, at least, 4 or 5 per album...well that's the minimum because to me there are albums that they have 50 minutes of masterpieces
martin
But it’s still very good :)
martin
This is in the greatest hits, which includes the most 51 popular songs of Queen ( The Platinum Collection ) So it’s not really underrated.
jessica antonopulos
no no yo la escuche es muy bonita
Maude Mathilde H
Beautiful song!
jessica antonopulos
QUEEN no tiene canciones malas ni feas son muy lindas un regalo para los oidos y el alma
Mwdobelix
Queen is timeless! it will be loved for many years!
cutest. dixie
I was 6 when I heard of queen I'm now 14 and I still love queen
Vale
El unico Despasito que es musica para mis oidos!!!! Obviamente por Freddie Mercury!!!!!!!