"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander. The song is used to frame the heart-wrenching scene in the film where Connor MacLeod must endure his beloved wife Heather growing old and dying while he, as an Immortal, is forever young. (It was later used in the television series of the same name Read Full Bio"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander. The song is used to frame the heart-wrenching scene in the film where Connor MacLeod must endure his beloved wife Heather growing old and dying while he, as an Immortal, is forever young. (It was later used in the television series of the same name, in the episodes "The Gathering", "Revenge is Sweet", "The Hunters", and "Leader of the Pack").
May sings lead on the first verse before Freddie Mercury takes over for most of the remainder of the song. The version which can be heard in the film is unique, in that it features Mercury singing lead vocals on the first verse. Mercury also sang the lead in live performances.
An instrumental version of the song, titled Forever, was included as a bonus track on the CD version of the album. This instrumental featured only a piano, with keyboard accompaniment during the chorus sections. The piano track was recorded solely by Brian May.
Interviews With Queen::
Brian May - 2003, Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD commentary.:
"This is a very different era, of course. The song was written – I've documented this very well, I know – but what happened was we went to see the Highlander rushes with Russell Mulcahy, and that was our first experience in any way with Highlander – I hadn't read the script; I don't think any of us had – and it was very moving. [The film is] about a man who becomes conscious that he's immortal, and he's reluctant to accept that fact, but he's told that if he falls in love he's in big trouble, but of course he falls in love anyway. And the girl that he falls in love with eventually grows old and dies in his arms, and that kind of opened up a floodgate in me – I was dealing with a lot of tragedies in my life: the death of my father, the death of my marriage, and so forth. I could immediately hear this 'Who Wants To Live Forever' in my head, and it was almost complete in the car going home – I remember singing it to my manager as he drove me home, and he was pretty surprised. He said, 'Where did that come from?' and I said, 'I don't even know.'"
May sings lead on the first verse before Freddie Mercury takes over for most of the remainder of the song. The version which can be heard in the film is unique, in that it features Mercury singing lead vocals on the first verse. Mercury also sang the lead in live performances.
An instrumental version of the song, titled Forever, was included as a bonus track on the CD version of the album. This instrumental featured only a piano, with keyboard accompaniment during the chorus sections. The piano track was recorded solely by Brian May.
Interviews With Queen::
Brian May - 2003, Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD commentary.:
"This is a very different era, of course. The song was written – I've documented this very well, I know – but what happened was we went to see the Highlander rushes with Russell Mulcahy, and that was our first experience in any way with Highlander – I hadn't read the script; I don't think any of us had – and it was very moving. [The film is] about a man who becomes conscious that he's immortal, and he's reluctant to accept that fact, but he's told that if he falls in love he's in big trouble, but of course he falls in love anyway. And the girl that he falls in love with eventually grows old and dies in his arms, and that kind of opened up a floodgate in me – I was dealing with a lot of tragedies in my life: the death of my father, the death of my marriage, and so forth. I could immediately hear this 'Who Wants To Live Forever' in my head, and it was almost complete in the car going home – I remember singing it to my manager as he drove me home, and he was pretty surprised. He said, 'Where did that come from?' and I said, 'I don't even know.'"
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Who Wants to Live Forever
by Queen
There's no time for us
There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds our dreams
Yet slips away from us?
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
There's no chance for us
It's all decided for us
This world has only one
Sweet moment set aside for us
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Who?
Who dares to love forever
Oh, when love must die?
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today
Who waits forever anyway?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
by Queen
There's no time for us
There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds our dreams
Yet slips away from us?
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
There's no chance for us
It's all decided for us
This world has only one
Sweet moment set aside for us
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Who?
Who dares to love forever
Oh, when love must die?
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today
Who waits forever anyway?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
KrunchyJD
Brian May wrote this song. I know everyone goes on about Mercury, but please recognise the other talent in the band.
KrunchyJD
@CloggedArtery F Off
CloggedArtery
Shut up nerd
Michael Gombkötö
Yes brian wrote it. But who else could have interpreted it besides freddie?
KrunchyJD
@Scars Tell Stories I made the comment a year ago when if you look at the comments they were Freddie, Freddie, Freddie.. all I was saying is that they were all talented.
Scars Tell Stories
You seem oddly defensive for an argument no one posed, but you.. May was a genius.. They all were, mostly..
Ashton Cox
Who here can't stop listening to Queen during quarantine?
Flóki Vilgerðarson
I have never been able to stop listening to Queen since the 80's when I heard of them.
g fox
@M C It's never too late to get started listening to Queen, though.
Yassy the potato
I found out about queen in quarantine