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)
Let Me Entertain You
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me welcome you Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to say hello
Are you ready for some entertainment?
Are you ready for a show?
Gonna rock you gonna roll you
Get you dancing in the aisles
Jazz you, razzmatazz you
C'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
I've come here to sell you my body
I can show you some good merchandise
I'll pull you and I'll pill you
I'll crueladeville you
And to thrill you I'll use any device
A ha ha ha haa
We'll give you crazy performance
We'll give you grounds for divorce
We'll give you piece de resistance
And a tour de force of course
We found the right location
Got a lot of pretty lights
The sound and the amplification listen
Hey if you need a fix if you want a high
Stickells I'll see to that
With Electra and EMI
We'll show you where it's at
So c'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Just take a look at the menu
We give you rock a la carte
We'll breakfast at Tiffany's
We'll sing to you in Japanese
We're only here to entertain you
If you want to see some action
You get nothing but the best
The 'S' and 'M' attraction
We've got the pleasure chest
Chicago down to New Orleans
We get you on the line
If you dig the New York scene
We'll have a son of a bitch of a time
C'mon
Let me entertain, let me entertain
Let me entertain you tonight
Hey where's my backstage pass ?
Hey that Brian May he's outta sight man
Hey that was a bit of alright wasn't it
Outrageous costumes
Not many not many
And I always wanted to be in opera
Oh man I could give you lessons if you like
In Queen's song Let Me Entertain You, the lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, addresses the audience and presents himself as an entertainer. He starts out by expressing his excitement for the sold-out show, then goes on to ask the audience if they are ready for some entertainment. He promises to rock and roll them, get them dancing and dazzle them in style. He repeatedly tells the audience that he is here to entertain them and that's what he intends to do.
In the second verse, he takes his showmanship a step further by offering to sell his body and merchandise. He tells the audience that he will use any device at his disposal to thrill them. He and his bandmates will give them a crazy performance, grounds for divorce, piece de resistance, and a tour de force, all at the right location, with pretty lights, and fantastic amplification. He tells the audience that if they want a fix or a high, he'll make sure they get it. He promises to entertain them in several ways, with rock, Japanese songs, SM attractions, and anything else that they might desire.
Overall, through this song, Freddie Mercury and Queen present themselves as ultimate entertainers, who are there to thrill the audience in any way possible. The song can be interpreted as a musical performance or a metaphor for the entertainment business, where entertainers do whatever it takes to sell their products.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey it's a sell out - hey
The show is completely sold out
Let me welcome you Ladies and Gentlemen
The performer wants to welcome everyone
I would like to say hello
The performer is greeting the audience
Are you ready for some entertainment?
The performer is asking if the audience is ready for the show
Are you ready for a show?
The performer is asking if the audience is ready for the show
Gonna rock you gonna roll you
The performer is going to entertain the audience with rock music
Get you dancing in the aisles
The performer wants the audience to dance in their seats
Jazz you, razzmatazz you
The performer will use jazz music and exaggerated showmanship to entertain
With a little bit of style
The performer will entertain with a touch of style
C'mon let me entertain you
The performer is asking the audience to let them entertain
I've come here to sell you my body
The performer is selling their performance for the entertainment of the audience
I can show you some good merchandise
The performer promises to put on a good show
I'll pull you and I'll pill you
The performer will put on a show that is strong and exciting
I'll crueladeville you
The performer will put on a show with cruel and exciting elements
And to thrill you I'll use any device
The performer will do whatever it takes to thrill the audience
We'll give you crazy performance
The performers will put on a wild show
We'll give you grounds for divorce
The performers will put on a wild show that could lead to divorce
We'll give you piece de resistance
The performers will have an amazing highlight
And a tour de force of course
The performers will have an incredibly impressive performance
We found the right location
The performers have found the perfect venue
Got a lot of pretty lights
The stage will be very visually appealing
The sound and the amplification listen
The performer wants the audience to hear the amazing sound quality
Hey if you need a fix if you want a high
The performer can provide an amazing high through their performance
Stickells I'll see to that
Stickells, the sound engineer, will ensure great sound quality
With Electra and EMI
Electra records and EMI records will help promote and distribute music
We'll show you where it's at
The performers will show the audience where the best entertainment is
Just take a look at the menu
The performers offer many different styles of entertainment
We give you rock a la carte
The performers offer rock music in a variety of ways
We'll breakfast at Tiffany's
The performers will sing Breakfast at Tiffany's
We'll sing to you in Japanese
The performers will sing in Japanese for the audience
We're only here to entertain you
The performers are only there to provide entertainment to the audience
If you want to see some action
If the audience wants an exciting show
You get nothing but the best
The performers promise to provide only the best entertainment
The 'S' and 'M' attraction
The performers have an S&M-themed show
We've got the pleasure chest
The performers will have an incredibly impressive performance
Chicago down to New Orleans
The performers will sing about America
We get you on the line
The performers will hook the audience in
If you dig the New York scene
If the audience likes New York
We'll have a son of a bitch of a time
The performers will have a lot of fun
C'mon
The performers are urging the audience to engage with them
Let me entertain, let me entertain
The performers want to entertain the audience
Let me entertain you tonight
The performer will entertain the audience for the night
Hey where's my backstage pass ?
The performer is asking for their backstage pass
Hey that Brian May he's outta sight man
The performer thinks Brian May is amazing
Hey that was a bit of alright wasn't it
The performer is asking the audience if they enjoyed the show
Outrageous costumes
The performers wear outrageous costumes
Not many not many
There aren't very many costumes
And I always wanted to be in opera
The performer has always wanted to sing opera
Oh man I could give you lessons if you like
The performer can give lessons if anyone is interested
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: FREDDIE MERCURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aidyndahustl3r528
I started getting into Queen after I watched the movie Bohemian Rhapsody movie so far the albums I've listened to are
1. Forever
2. News of the World
3. The Jazz
4. The Game
5. The Works
So far the Queen documentaries I've watched are
1. Bohemian Rhapsody
2. Show must go on
@docadams2012
This song is so difficult to sing. I doubt even one of the singers today can even sing this. His vocal ranges are amazing.
@user-ju6hh3ef8p
Oh adams thanks for your comment
@danlc95
I think Dave Coutts from Talk Show could do it justice.
@rupikasuriapperuma2283
And the accent is hard to do lol
@SebastianGonzalez-vc8rj
This song is almost hard
@ginnakv4929
We’ll see.
@rubygail349
I can just imagine a Queen concert starting with this song.
@carolegreenall1919
They did .....
@bhm1712
I’m not aware of any live show in the era where they played it live where this song was the opener. This was normally song number 2 after the fast version of we will rock you.
@hi-ok4zh
Live at Montreal I think was the first song