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)
Save Me
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They said we made a perfect pair
I clothed myself in your glory and your love
How I loved you
How I cried
The years of care and loyalty
Were nothing but a sham it seems
The years belie we lived a lie
Save me, save me, save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me, save me, save me
I'm naked and I'm far from home
The slate will soon be clean
I'll erase the memories
To start again with somebody new
Was it all wasted
All that love?
I hang my head and I advertise
A soul for sale or rent
I have no heart, I'm cold inside
I have no real intent
Save me, save me, save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me, save me, save me
Oh, I'm naked and I'm far from home
Each night I cry I still believe the lie
I love you 'til I die
Save me, save me, save me
Save me, save me, oh, save me
Don't let me face my life alone
Save me, save me, oh
I'm naked and I'm far from home
The lyrics to Queen's song Save Me express the pain and heartbreak of a failed relationship. The song begins with the singer reflecting on how well the relationship started and how perfect they seemed for each other. They describe how they clothed themselves in their partner's love and glory, genuinely believing in their care and loyalty. However, as time goes on, the singer realizes that their relationship was a sham, and they were living a lie. They question whether all the love they shared was wasted, and they begin to feel lost and alone.
The chorus of the song repeats the plea "Save me" as the singer recognizes that they cannot face life alone. They feel stripped bare, as if they are naked and vulnerable without their partner to rely on. The singer longs for some kind of salvation or rescue from the pain they are feeling. Even though they recognize that their love was a lie, they continue to cling to the relationship, crying and still believing in its power.
Line by Line Meaning
It started off so well
The beginning of our relationship was great.
They said we made a perfect pair
People thought we were perfectly matched for each other.
I clothed myself in your glory and your love
I felt a sense of pride and happiness being with you and getting your love.
How I loved you
I loved you deeply and truly.
How I cried
I shed tears for you and our love.
The years of care and loyalty
All the time and commitment we put into each other.
Were nothing but a sham it seems
It turns out it was all fake.
The years belie we lived a lie
Although we were together for many years, it was all based on a lie.
I love you 'til I die
I will always love you, even if it hurts me.
Save me, save me, save me
I need help and support to get through this tough time.
I can't face this life alone
I feel lost and helpless without you.
I'm naked and I'm far from home
I feel vulnerable and lost, like I don't belong anywhere.
The slate will soon be clean
I want to forget about our past together and start fresh.
I'll erase the memories
I want to get rid of all the memories we shared.
To start again with somebody new
I want to move on and find someone else to love.
Was it all wasted
Did our time together mean nothing in the end?
All that love?
Did you ever really love me?
I hang my head and I advertise
I feel ashamed and desperate for love.
A soul for sale or rent
I am willing to do anything to find someone to love me.
I have no heart, I'm cold inside
I feel dead inside and unable to love again.
I have no real intent
I don't have any real purpose or direction in my life anymore.
Each night I cry I still believe the lie
I still cry every night and hold onto the false hope that we can be together again.
Don't let me face my life alone
I need someone to be there for me, to help me through my struggles.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gerson Maldonado
It started off so well
They said we made a perfect pair
I clothed myself in your glory and your love
How I loved you
How I cried
The years of care and loyalty
Were nothing but a sham it seems
The years belie, we lived a lie
I love you 'til I die
Save me, save me, save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me, save me, oh
I am naked and I am far from home
The slate will soon be clean
I will erase the memories
To start again with somebody new
Was it all wasted
All that love
I hang my head and I advertise
A soul for sale or rent
I have no heart, I am cold inside
I have no real intent
Save me, save me, save me
I can't face this life alone
Save me, save me, oh
I am naked and I am far from home
Each night I cry, I still believe the lie
I love you 'til I die
GAZ708765
What a fantastic performance! I hope Queens music never dies.
Trudi Neiverth
I don't think it ever will! We who are living now have to make sure of that! Pass it on to your kids@!!!
Janpieter Vonk
Queen music Wil never die. Queen music lives forever
stevie
It's never gonna die. I made sure I burned that into my friend's memories. C:
Doomer Durden
+GAZ708765 As long as we keep listening, they'll live on forever! :')
Ladida 4Ever
“Save Me” is a wonderful song. Freddie’s talent still lives on, because he was such a phenomenal performer. The Rock Montreal concert must have rocked that night!
Trudi Neiverth
Wish I could have been there! Lucky crowd!
Dan Bacon
one of the best live performances...ever. fact.
iguarni
For sure! They were at their best!
Giovanni Gobbi
@fluffypenguin888 Ramirez I was referring to Puebla before (first night). That Underpressure soundcheck performance is the best from that tour. (They also threw rocks on stage because the band closed the venue up and had security taking batteries from the tapers of the audience only to sell those back at exaggerated prices. The audience thought it was the band who wanted money quickly and started throwing rocks and batteries on the band. The day after Deacon had an helmet and they performed a short concert)