Queensrÿche has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million albums in the United States. They are considered one of the leaders of the progressive metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s, and often referred to as one of the "Big Three" of the genre, along with Dream Theater and Fates Warning. The band received worldwide acclaim after the release of their 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime, which is often considered one of the greatest heavy metal concept albums of all time. Their follow-up release, Empire, released in 1990, was also very successful and included the hit single "Silent Lucidity". The band has received three Grammy Award nominations for songs from both albums. In 1998, drummer Rockenfield received an individual Grammy nomination.
Also in 1998, guitarist and primary songwriter Chris DeGarmo left the band for personal reasons, returning briefly in 2003 to write and record the Tribe album. Over the years, his replacements have been Kelly Gray, Mike Stone, and Parker Lundgren. Following a highly publicized backstage altercation before a show in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 2012, Tate was fired from the band and replaced with then-Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre. In response to his dismissal, Tate and his wife Susan (who served as the band's manager from 2005 to 2012) filed a lawsuit in a Washington court, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated. The ruling in the preliminary injunction was that both parties were allowed to use the name Queensrÿche until a court ruling or a settlement decided who would get to use the name. A settlement was reached on April 17, 2014, in which founding members Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson were awarded the rights to the band trademark, continuing to play with the lineup that additionally includes singer La Torre and guitarist Lundgren.
During the time, both parties could use the name Queensrÿche, Tate created his own lineup featuring former guitarist Gray and musicians from bands including Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, AC/DC and Quiet Riot. This version of Queensrÿche with Geoff Tate released the album Frequency Unknown on April 23, 2013, while Queensrÿche (with La Torre replacing Tate) released their eponymous album on June 24 and 25, 2013 (European and American release date, respectively). Both bands toured in 2013 and 2014.
Full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensrÿche
Studio albums
The Warning (1984)
Rage for Order (1986)
Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Empire (1990)
Promised Land (1994)
Hear in the Now Frontier (1997)
Q2K (1999)
Tribe (2003)
Operation: Mindcrime II (2006)
Take Cover (2007)
American Soldier (2009)
Dedicated to Chaos (2011)
Queensrÿche (2013)
Condition Hüman (2015)
The Verdict (2019)
Digital Noise Alliance (2022)
Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche
Frequency Unknown (2013)
Desert Dance
Queensrÿche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
her hand creates my universe.
She spins and dances around the fire.
Eyes search the open road,
caught up in the sound of
transmissions burning down the wire.
We reach out for the sky
We reach out for the sky
and were never coming down.
Live life in extreme
better then any magazine could ever hope to describe.
Ripped, we sweat this desert dance, baby do your best.
We're on our way to higher consciousness.
We reach out for the sky
and we're never coming down.
Keep reaching, keep reaching.
We're never coming down.
High on a million breaths of her,
I surrender to the magic all around me.
We reach out for the sky
and we're never coming down.
The lyrics of Queensrÿche's song "Desert Dance" describe a transformative experience in the desert, seemingly induced by a powerful woman who "creates [the singer's] universe" with a simple wave of her hand. The woman dances around a fire, and the singer is caught up in the sound of "transmissions burning down the wire." The imagery of "transmissions burning down the wire" suggests a sense of urgency and instability, while the woman's dancing and the fire evoke a sense of primal energy.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "We reach out for the sky and we're never coming down," which suggests a desire for transcendence and a rejection of the limitations of everyday life. The singer describes living life in an extreme way, better than any magazine could describe, and sweating through a "desert dance" en route to "higher consciousness." The use of the phrase "never coming down" suggests that this is a permanent transformation rather than a temporary escape.
In the final lines of the song, the singer describes being "high on a million breaths" of the woman and surrendering to the magic around him. The repetition of the phrase "We reach out for the sky and we're never coming down" reinforces the idea that this experience is a powerful one that will change the singer forever.
Line by Line Meaning
With a simple wave,
With just a wave of her hand
her hand creates my universe.
She has the power to create my world.
She spins and dances around the fire.
She dances and twirls around the flames.
Eyes search the open road,
Our eyes scan the open path ahead
caught up in the sound of
Mesmerized by the sound of
transmissions burning down the wire.
Radio transmissions crackling through the airwaves.
We reach out for the sky
We strive to achieve great heights.
and were never coming down.
We never want to return to our previous state.
Live life in extreme
Live life to the fullest.
better then any magazine could ever hope to describe.
More incredible than any publication could imagine.
Ripped, we sweat this desert dance, baby do your best.
We exert ourselves in this desert dance, pushing ourselves to the limit.
We're on our way to higher consciousness.
We're striving for spiritual enlightenment.
Keep reaching, keep reaching.
Keep striving for greatness.
High on a million breaths of her,
Feeling elated and euphoric by her very presence.
I surrender to the magic all around me.
I relinquish control and let the enchantment of the moment take over.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.