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)
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, you're just 17 all you wanna do is disappear
You know what I mean there's a lot of space between our ears
The way that you touch (ad libbed lyrics)
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it was the D.N.A
Hey, hey, hey, hey, made me this way
Do you know, do you know, do you know just how I feel
Sheer heart attack
Sheer heart attack
Real cardiac
I feel so inar-inar-inar-inar-inar-inar-inar-inar-ticulate
Gotta feeling, gotta feeling, gotta feeling gotta paralyse
It ain't no, it ain't no, it ain't no, it ain't no surprise
Turn on the TV let it drip right down in your eyes
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it was the D.N.A
Hey, hey, hey, hey, that made me this way
Do you know, do you know, do you know just how I feel
Do you know, do you know, do you know just how I feel
Hey, baby make you feel
Baby make you feel alright
Hey, hey
Baby make you feel alright
Oooh, yeah
Get up
Baby make you feel
Baby make you feel alright, alright
Oh
I feel so inar-inar-inar-inar-ticulate-ticulate-ticulate-inar-inar-inar-ticulate-ticulate
The lyrics of Queen's song "Sheer Heart Attack" are somewhat difficult to decipher as they don't follow a traditional structure or narrative. The song opens with Freddie Mercury singing about someone who's just 17 and wants to disappear. He sings about the space in their heads, which might be interpreted to mean they feel lost or confused. The chorus, "Sheer Heart Attack, Real Cardiac" seems like it might be a reference to a heart attack, but it's unclear if the song is meant to be taken literally. The ad-libbed lyrics in the beginning are also difficult to make out but seem to reference the way someone touches the singer.
The second verse is even harder to decipher. Mercury sings about feeling inarticulate and having a weird feeling that paralyzes him. He references turning on the TV and letting it "drip right down" in your eyes, which seems to suggest an overwhelming feeling of being consumed by media. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus and the lines "Baby make you feel, Baby make you feel alright" repeated over and over.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, you're just 17 all you wanna do is disappear
You're young and feel like you just want to disappear or run away from everything
You know what I mean there's a lot of space between our ears
There's a lot of empty space in your head and you are not sure of what to do
The way that you touch (ad libbed lyrics)
The way you touch things or people
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it was the D.N.A
It was the D.N.A, the genetic makeup that made you the way you are
Hey, hey, hey, hey, made me this way
The genetic makeup made you the way you are
Do you know, do you know, do you know just how I feel
Do you understand how I feel
Sheer heart attack
A serious medical condition that causes heart palpitations
Sheer heart attack
An intense physical sensation that feels like a heart attack
Real cardiac
A real heart attack, a serious medical emergency that requires attention
I feel so inar-inar-inar-inar-ticulate
I feel very inarticulate, unable to express myself properly
Gotta feeling, gotta feeling, gotta feeling gotta paralyse
I have a feeling that's going to paralyze me, make me unable to move or react
It ain't no, it ain't no, it ain't no, it ain't no surprise
It's not a surprise
Turn on the TV let it drip right down in your eyes
Watch TV and let it consume you, overwhelm you
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it was the D.N.A
It was the D.N.A, the genetic makeup that made you the way you are
Hey, hey, hey, hey, that made me this way
The genetic makeup made you the way you are
Do you know, do you know, do you know just how I feel
Do you understand how I feel
Hey, baby make you feel
Hey, girl, make you feel good
Baby make you feel alright
Baby make you feel good
Hey, hey
Hey, girl
Baby make you feel alright
Baby make you feel good
Oooh, yeah
I agree
Get up
Stand up
Baby make you feel
Baby make you feel good
Baby make you feel alright, alright
Baby make you feel good
Oh
Ohh
I feel so inar-inar-inar-inar-ticulate-ticulate-ticulate-inar-inar-inar-ticulate-ticulate
I feel very inarticulate, unable to express myself properly
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lotso Pontso
You don't know how long i have been searching for this version, did you take the official audio from CD?
Lotso Pontso
@Ryan's Colorado Queen Productions Epic
Ryan's Colorado Queen Productions
Yes, this is the original version.
Ricardo Gabriel Zanelli
Speed metal is born...
Ryan's Colorado Queen Productions
meh, Stone Cold Crazy came 3 years earlier... and it was performed even earlier than that, as early as 1969