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)
We Are The Champions
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
(And I need to go on and on, and on, and on)
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge
Before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
(And I need just go on and on, and on, and on)
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
The lyrics to "We Are the Champions" by Queen are all about triumph despite the struggles that the singer has gone through. The lyrics describe the many difficulties that the singer has faced, including mistakes and setbacks, but also notes that they have come through these trials and have emerged victorious. The chorus highlights this message, proclaiming the singer and their friends to be champions, and that they will continue fighting until the end.
The first verse sets the scene for the song, with the singer describing the dues they have paid, the time they have spent, and the sentence they have dealt with. The second line emphasizes that they have committed no crime, suggesting that the difficulties they have faced were not self-inflicted, and that they have persevered through the hardships. The following lines address the bad mistakes the singer has made and the sand that has been kicked in their face, saying that they have come through these issues and are still standing.
The chorus repeats the song's central message: that the singer and their friends are champions who will continue fighting until the end, with no time for losers. The second verse expands on this, with the singer thanking their fans for bringing them fame and fortune, but also acknowledging that it has not always been easy. Despite the challenges, they consider it a challenge worth undertaking and remain firmly committed to their cause.
Overall, "We Are the Champions" by Queen is a powerful anthem about perseverance and triumph over adversity. It is a message of hope and resilience, encouraging listeners to keep fighting through life's challenges in pursuit of ultimate victory.
Line by Line Meaning
I've paid my dues
I have worked hard and faced difficult situations
Time after time
Repeatedly
I've done my sentence
I have been punished for my actions
But committed no crime
But I did not do anything wrong
And bad mistakes
I have made some poor decisions
I've made a few
I have made a small number of bad choices
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
I have been mistreated and disrespected
But I've come through
But I have overcome those hardships
(And I need to go on and on, and on, and on)
(And I will continue to persevere)
We are the champions, my friends
Together, we have accomplished our goals
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
And we will continue to work hard until we succeed
No time for losers
We do not have time for negativity or failure
'Cause we are the champions of the world
Because we have achieved greatness
I've taken my bows
I have received recognition and applause
And my curtain calls
And I have been celebrated and honored
You brought me fame and fortune
You have helped me become successful
And everything that goes with it
And all the benefits that come from success
I thank you all
I appreciate your support and assistance
But it's been no bed of roses
But it has not been easy
No pleasure cruise
It has been a challenging journey
I consider it a challenge
I see it as an opportunity to grow
Before the whole human race
In front of everyone
And I ain't gonna lose
And I am not going to fail
(And I need just go on and on, and on, and on)
(And I will keep pushing forward)
We are the champions, my friends
Together, we have achieved greatness
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
And we will never give up
No time for losers
We do not have time for negativity or failure
'Cause we are the champions of the world
Because we have reached the pinnacle of success
We are the champions, my friends
Together, we have succeeded
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
And we will never stop working towards our goals
We are the champions
We have proven ourselves to be the best
We are the champions
We have achieved greatness and success
No time for losers
We do not accept failure or negativity
'Cause we are the champions of the world
We are the best and have accomplished everything
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@5MadMovieMakers
Of the World
@MarkusAxunIllianus
Yes, please, oh god, why doesn't he say it. Damn Mandela Effect!
@RonyAndArabGuy
I've Taken My Bows
@rd7900
He said it, why are people saying he didn’t?
@MarkusAxunIllianus
@@rd7900 true, but I was waiting for it at the very end. I absolutely thought this would be the very last thing he sings.
@gwyn111
At 2:56 click to 1:09 :-)
@zirenceforeal
Freddie is the only guy I've ever heard say "I'm not gonna be a rockstar, I'm gonna be a legend." and actually did it.
@Sleepy_B0y_
Are you a kid
@zirenceforeal
@@Sleepy_B0y_ what are you implying?
@leonorsalazar7741
Yes