By January of 2005, Roger Taylor admitted to German television that they would be touring Europe in the spring and summer of that year, under the name of "Queen + Paul Rodgers". The full line up included original "Queen" members May (guitar, vocals) and Taylor (drums, vocals) as well as former "The Pretenders" and "Brian May Band" member Jamie Moses (guitar, vocals), former "Blue Oyster Cult" bassist Danny Miranda (bass, vocals), Queen's 1986 tour keyboard player Spike Edney (keyboards, vocals) and Paul Rodgers (vocals, occasional guitar). Over the course of 2005, the band played in over a dozen European countries as well as the Aruba Festival, 4 dates in Japan, 2 shows in the U.S.A., and 1 show in South Africa The band embarked upon a large scale tour of Northern America during Spring 2006, hitting 22 venues in the U.S.A. and 2 in Canada.
Some controversy was caused within the "Queen" fan base over the use of the name. There was concern over the fact that Queen's legendary front man, Freddie Mercury, was seemingly being replaced. However, each band member has said this is not the case: Rodgers could never replace Freddie Mercury but brought his own talents to the band. Furthermore, the fact that retired former "Queen" bassist John Deacon was also missing caused some discontent. Yet despite this, by and large "Queen" fans were won over by the band's blues-tinted renditions of "Queen" classics. Additionally, Paul Rodgers' fans were happy with the inclusion of several Free and Bad Company anthems on the set list, providing super-powered versions of tunes such as "All Right Now" and "Can't Get Enough".
After the end of the Return of the Champions Tour, the band set out to and completed their first and heretofore only album The Cosmos Rocks which debuted to warm reviews by fans in September 2008. Consequently the band toured again in late 2008 throughout Europe, Asia, and South America to promote the album. The Rock the Cosmos Tour in all was seen by nearly 1 million people in almost two dozen nations. The tour was highlighted by its first performance, recorded for DVD and CD, where the band played before over 350,000 fans in Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine. Said show was in fact put together at the last moment to benefit HIV/AIDS awareness.
On 14th May 2009, Paul Rodgers announced that his collaboration with the surviving active members of "Queen" was at and end, and that the "Queen + Paul Rodgers" project was being placed on indefinite hiatus. While, the band members did not rule out working together again, each sought to pursue solo projects, or in the case of Paul Rodgers, a reunion with Bad Company. The band has not gotten back together since, but Rodgers has stated that he's open to the idea of doing more, specially for charity.
'39
Queen + Paul Rodgers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the days when lands were few
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
The sweetest sight ever seen
And the night followed day
And the story tellers say
That the score brave souls inside
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand
For the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
The volunteers came home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
For the earth is old and grey, little darling, we'll away
But my love this cannot be
For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
Write your letters in the sand for the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Don't you hear me calling you
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
For my life
Still ahead
Pity me
The song '39 by Queen + Paul Rodgers tells a story about a group of volunteers who set sail into the unknown in the year of '39. Despite the dangers and uncertainties of their journey, the volunteers remained brave and ultimately returned home with good news of a world that was newly born. However, the weight of their experiences and the realization that time moves forward and things inevitably change, leaving loved ones behind, is palpable in the lyrics.
In the chorus, the singer is calling out to someone who is far away, urging them to write letters in the sand for the day when they can be reunited in the land that their grandchildren will know. The singer's longing for this person is echoed in the final lines of the song, where they express a sense of pity that their life is still ahead, despite the passing of so many years.
Overall, the lyrics of '39 evoke a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era of exploration and adventure, while also acknowledging the bittersweet nature of human connection and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year of '39 assembled here the volunteers
In the year of 2039, the volunteers were gathered in a place
In the days when lands were few
In the time when there were only a few areas or lands to live in
Here the ship sailed out into the blue and sunny morn
Here, a ship sailed out to a beautiful and pleasant morning sky
The sweetest sight ever seen
It was the most beautiful view one could ever see
And the night followed day
The day was followed by the night
And the story tellers say
According to the storytellers' accounts
That the score brave souls inside
Forty brave people were inside
For many a lonely day sailed across the milky seas
They sailed across the oceans for many lonely days
Ne'er looked back, never feared, never cried
They never looked back, never felt scared or cried
Don't you hear my call though you're many years away
Can't you hear me calling out to you even though many years have passed?
Don't you hear me calling you
Do you not hear my voice calling for you?
Write your letters in the sand
Write your messages on the sand
For the day I take your hand
For the day I hold your hand
In the land that our grandchildren knew
In the place that our grandchildren will come to know
In the year of '39 came a ship in from the blue
In the year of 2039, a ship arrived from the ocean
The volunteers came home that day
The volunteers returned home that day
And they bring good news of a world so newly born
They bring news of a newly-formed and evolving world
Though their hearts so heavily weigh
Although their hearts are heavily burdened
For the earth is old and grey, little darling, we'll away
This planet is old and dreary; we will depart from it, my dear
But my love this cannot be
But this cannot be, my love
For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year
So many years have passed, even though I am only one year older
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me
Your mother's eyes, visible in yours, cry out to me
All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand
All of your letters written in the sand cannot comfort me like your hand
For my life
For my existence
Still ahead
Is still to come
Pity me
Have compassion for me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian May
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CrazyChemistPL
Freddie might have been the best showman this world ever seen, but atmosphere and connection with audience that Brian May is capable of creating is simply amazing and magical. And that smile :)
BraydonGuitar
True, Brian's constant push on audience participation is a large contribution to what has made queen the greatest live act in our time
Samovila
He may not have Freddie's power but in some ways, Brian's voice is just as gorgeous. This song is really clever and really beautiful.
Kapwa poe dolomite tala britney
He has Freddie spirit living in his heart both Roger Taylor especially John Deacon
Demis Foster
I LOVE Brians voice on this!! 39 is such a dynamic song, yet he plays it so simply! the man is a GENIUS!! (This song just confirms that!)
Blizzber
i love how Brian needs nothing more than a guitar and one chair to make the show that many of the "greatest talents" nowadays cant make with DJ , 100 dancers on the stage, incredible lights, sound efects and many more...
mikea731
This is my favorite Brian song. He did write some amazing stuff.
Allmanfan456
Brian never lost his voice! So awesome! I love it when the crowd sings!
Marina Drai
This is when I realized how beautiful is the world to have Brian (also to have the music of Queen, of course)!
bechize
Amazing performance by Brian - what a great song. He is actually also a very sympathic human being.