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)
Love Kills: The Ballad
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love don't give no indication, love just won't stand still
Love kills, drills you through your heart
Love kills, scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime, ruining your Hartline
Stays for a lifetime, won't let you go
'Cause love, love, love won't leave you alone
Love don't give no justification, it strikes like cold steel
Love kills, drills you through your heart
Love kills, scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime, burning your lifeline
Gives you a hard time won't let you go
'Cause love, love, love won't leave you alone
'Cause love, love, love won't leave you alone
Love can play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart
Love can Play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart (love kills)
Love can play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart
Love kills, love kills, love love, love, love
Love kills, drills you through your heart
Love kills, scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime, ruining your lifeline
Won't let you go
Love kills, hey, drills you through your heart
Love kills, tears you right apart
It won't let go, it won't let go
Love kills, yeah
Queen's song Love Kills is an intense and powerful ballad about the dangers of love. The lyrics are written in a way that shows the dark side of love - how it is not always fair, just or compassionate. The opening lines "Love don't give no compensation, love don't pay no bills" is a commentary on how love is not an economic or materialistic transaction, and it cannot be bought or paid for. Love does not give any indication or warning signs and it can just hit you like a ton of bricks.
The chorus is where the message is drilled home - "Love kills, drills you through your heart, love kills, scars you from the start". It highlights how love can be a living pastime that ruins your life, and it stays with you for a lifetime, never letting you go even when it's destroying you. The repetition of "Love, love, love won't leave you alone" emphasizes the relentlessness of love and how it can become a burden one can never escape.
The second verse continues with the same intensity as the first, but there's a subtle change in the language. The imagery of "love strikes like cold steel, love gives you a hard time" portrays love as a weapon that inflicts pain and suffering. The repetition of "Love kills, love kills, love love, love, love" in the outro is a desperate plea or warning to the listener about the dangers of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Love don't give no compensation, love don't pay no bills
Love doesn't provide any tangible rewards or financial compensation.
Love don't give no indication, love just won't stand still
Love doesn't always show clear signs of its presence and can be ever-changing.
Love kills, drills you through your heart
The intense emotion of love can be both exhilarating and painful, causing deep-seated emotions.
Love kills, scars you from the start
Love has the power to leave a lasting mark on one's personality, behavior and notions from the very first encounter.
It's just a living pastime, ruining your Hartline
Love is an obsession that can destroy your sense of self and sense of purpose.
Stays for a lifetime, won't let you go
The effects of love can last a lifetime and one can never completely escape its grasp.
'Cause love, love, love won't leave you alone
No matter how much you try to resist, loving someone can haunt and chase you forever.
Love won't take no reservations, love is no square deal
Love operates outside of rationality or negotiation and is an experience beyond a transactional one.
Love don't give no justification, it strikes like cold steel
Love isn't logical, it is a random and unpredictable force that can be both euphoric or painful.
It's just a living pastime, burning your lifeline
Love can sometimes be so consuming that it can endanger life itself.
Gives you a hard time won't let you go
Love can be a challenging and difficult experience that can cause emotional pain and linger for long periods.
Love can play with your emotions, open invitation to your heart
Experiencing love often opens one's heart to vulnerability and emotions, that can be difficult to handle.
Love kills, love kills, love love, love, love
The magnetic attraction of love can ultimately lead to destruction, causing the death of the old self and the birth of a newer one.
Love kills, hey, drills you through your heart
Love has the power to both create and destroy, resulting in a deep-seated emotional impact.
Love kills, tears you right apart
Love can be an intense and overwhelming experience that leaves you emotionally drained and vulnerable.
It won't let go, it won't let go
Love can be all-consuming and take control of one's mind and emotions, clinging tightly and refusing to let go.
Love kills, yeah
Love has the power to conquer and destroy without any regard for the consequences it brings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN MAY, GIORGIO MORODER, FREDERICK MERCURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fernandoviana6741
Love don't give no compensation
Love don't pay no bills
Love don't give no indication
Love just won't stand still
Love kills-drills you through your heart
Love kills-scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime, ruining your heart line
Stays for a lifetime
Won't let you go
Cause love love love won't leave you alone
Love don't take no reservation
Love is no square deal
Love don't give no justification
It strikes like cold steel
Love kills-drills you through the heart
Love kills-scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime
Burning your lifeline
Stay for a lifetime
Won't let you go
Cause love love love won't leave you alone
Cause love (love) love (love) love won't leave you alone
Love can play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart
Love can play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart (love kills)
Love can play with your emotions
Open invitation to your heart
Love kills love kills
Love love love love (love love love)
Love kills-drills you through the heart
Love kills-scars you from the start
It's just a living pastime, burning your lifeline
Won't let you go
Love kills-hey-drills you through your heart
Love kills-tears you right apart
It won't let go it won't let go, Love kills-yeah
Love kills-drills you through your heart
Love kills
@Atari-2600
Don't be sad because Freddie's gone, be grateful that he was here.
@deanj6969
retrogamer It’s hard mate miss him so much
@sierraking2626
Good point
@indyvanzuijlen9366
I just wanna imagine being him here and the Music they wouldve made
@PreppyLiz
Imaginif he wasnt 😭
@georgemamulashvili7894
I can’t feel him as a person who’s gone, I see him everyday in screen, and feel it from my heart ❤️
@Alfakkin
I adore this song, he has the perfect voice to interpret it...the best voice as ever...
@judasmetal80
I agree! his voice was (still is) so unique.
@giegiebee1959
I love it so much!!!
@professerhairy8880
He really is so beautiful. I wake up everyday still not believing he's dead. It doesn't feel right that brian, Roger, and John are still alive but not him