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)
The Loser In The End
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She don't know what to say
Her little baby boy
Has just left home today
She's got to be the loser in the end
She's got to be the loser in the end
Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend
She's Ma on whom you can always depend ooh
She washed and fed and clothed and cared
For nearly twenty years
And all she gets is Goodbye Ma
And the night times for her tears
She's got to be the loser in the end
She's got to be the loser in the end
Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend
She's Ma on whom you can always depend ooh
So listen mothers everywhere
To just one mothers son
You'll get forgotten on the way
If you don't let them have their fun
Forget regrets and just remember
It's not so long since you were young
You're bound to be the loser in the end
You're bound to be the loser in the end
They'll chose their new shoes
That's not far to bend
You're Ma on whom they can always depend ooh ooh
The lyrics of Queen's song The Loser in the End depict the story of a mother who is left devastated after her son leaves home. She is struggling to find the right words to say and is seen crying during the night times after her son's departure. The repeated line "She's got to be the loser in the end" highlights the pain and the heartbreak the mother is going through, as she has been caring for her son for almost two decades, and all she gets in return is a goodbye.
The song has a universal message for all the mothers out there, as Freddie Mercury urges them to let their children have their own fun and to not hold onto regrets. The chorus emphasizes the importance of treating your mother with respect and kindness, warning that if you misuse her, you'll lose her as a friend.
Overall, the song serves as a reminder to appreciate and cherish the love of our mothers, as they play an irreplaceable role in our lives and are always there for us in times of need.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama's got a problem
Mother is in distress
She don't know what to say
Mother is at loss of words
Her little baby boy
Her youngest son
Has just left home today
Has left home to pursue his own life
She's got to be the loser in the end
She has to suffer a defeat by losing her son
Misuse her and you'll lose her as a friend
If you don't treat her right, she won't consider you her friend anymore
She's Ma on whom you can always depend ooh
She's a dependable figure amidst all this
She washed and fed and clothed and cared
She was the caretaker for a long time
For nearly twenty years
For a significant part of her life
And all she gets is Goodbye Ma
All she gets in return is a farewell
And the night times for her tears
And she cries herself to sleep at night
So listen mothers everywhere
Thus, all mothers should take note
To just one mothers son
From the perspective of a son
You'll get forgotten on the way
He might forget about her along the way
If you don't let them have their fun
Unless she lets him live his life
Forget regrets and just remember
Don't dwell on the past
It's not so long since you were young
It was not too long ago that she was young too
You're bound to be the loser in the end
It's inevitable that she'll lose him
They'll chose their new shoes
He will choose his own path
That's not far to bend
Not a difficult choice
You're Ma on whom they can always depend ooh ooh
A dependable figure who will always be there for him
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gulenayturan351
You know you are a Mind Blowing Band when your drum player can sing better than most lead singers.
@johnjames9192
Lol
@maartenbakker8311
Yeah, they had like three good singers.
Although John could sing not that badly too I believe, it shows us the level of those three (Brian, Roger and Freddie). They were all four, and three still be, what you call multitalented people.
@nigellangridge1975
YES YES YES YES YES YES!
@tjwait2042
WHILE heโs drumming!
@michelperthuisot7932
Yes, so true. Remember Phil Collins and Genesis ! โค
@user-ex8iu6vs7p
Roger's stuff is really like good old rock n' roll. He really captured teen angst in his works.
@ahard-daysnight6659
WhIcH iM rEaLlY eXcItEd AbOuT hey itโs you again on the top comments
And i agree
@frobjorn2201
Great voice.
@toychicaiswilliamafton3449
I love ur name