Before Queen, Taylor founded Smile with Brian May. Smile released one album in Japan which is now available throughout the world as Ghost of a Smile. Smile wrote a few of the songs which would later appear on Queen's self-titled debut album, and one - Doin' Alright was featured on the Smile album.
Taylor also fronted another band, The Cross from 1987 to 1991. The first album, Shove it (1988) was a solo album by Taylor in all but name - he wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments himself. This was an experiment that didn't really work for Taylor and in the other two albums by The Cross he allowed the other members of the band to contribute more, resulting in more traditionally styled rock albums.
Out of the four original members of Queen Taylor and guitarist Brian May continued to play as Queen + Paul Rodgers between 2004 and 2008. Of the other original members singer Freddie Mercury tragically died in 1991 and bassist John Deacon retired from music business in the mid-1990's.
In 2009, after the partnership between him, Brian and Paul ended, Roger worked on some new solo material from which his single The Unblinking Eye (Everything is Broken) was digitally released at 23th November at Queenonline.com. At the moment it is unclear how the future of Queen will look like, though Roger has announced that he will do a short tour in the spring of 2010.
It's an Illusion
Roger Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't believe what you read
Hard to see what you need these days
Can't believe that it's true
You know we had so much to do
How come you treat me this way
Hey--you
Why don't you play by the rules
You--just
You must take me
Take me for some kind of fool
It's an illusion
Here and gone in a day
Not what it seems this American dream
Just drifting away
It's an illusion
After all that we've seem
A complete waste of time
Just a nursery rhyme
Can't believe that you're leaving
Can't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you read
Hard to see what you need--these days
They'll feed you the facts
Leave you like a kid on a railroad track
Our reason is fading away
O.K.
Not much left I can do
I can do
You--just
You just took me
Took me for some kinda fool
It's an illusion
Here and gone in a day
Not what it seems this American dream
Just drifting away
It's an illusion
After all that we've seem
A complete waste of time
Just a nursery rhyme
Can't believe that you're leaving
It's an illusion..............
The lyrics of Roger Taylor's "It's an Illusion" are a commentary on the disillusionment brought by the promises of the American Dream. The song begins with a cynical take on the credibility of news and media, warning against believing everything that is being presented in front of you. The lyrics then shift to a personal level, with Taylor addressing a lover who has treated him badly, accusing them of taking advantage of his trust and making him feel like a fool. Taylor then goes on to express his disappointment in the American Dream, which he sees as a fleeting illusion, unable to deliver on the promises of prosperity and happiness.
The verses are driven by a sense of frustration and confusion, echoed by the song's title, which suggests that the world is not what it seems. The chorus, on the other hand, is more hopeful and resolved, highlighting the need to realize that what we are chasing may not be real and to move on from false promises. The lyrics are accompanied by a classic rock sound, with heavy drumming and guitar riffs, adding an urgency to the already intense song.
Overall, "It's an Illusion" is a powerful piece of commentary on the current state of the world, where illusions and appearances often overshadow truth and substance.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't believe what you hear
It's hard to trust the information you're given
Don't believe what you read
You should be skeptical of what you see in the media
Hard to see what you need these days
It's difficult to discern what you really want in life
Can't believe that it's true
It's difficult to accept that things have turned out this way
You know we had so much to do
We had so many plans and goals we wanted to achieve
How come you treat me this way
Why are you behaving in a hurtful and disrespectful manner?
Hey--you
Directly addressing the person he's singing to
Why don't you play by the rules
Why can't you behave within normal social constructs?
You--just
Again, directly addressing the person he's singing to
You must take me
You're underestimating my intelligence
Take me for some kind of fool
You think I'm gullible or easily tricked
It's an illusion
This situation or idea is not what it seems
Here and gone in a day
It's fleeting and not substantial
Not what it seems this American dream
The idea of the 'American Dream' is a facade
Just drifting away
It's disappearing without anything to hold onto
After all that we've seen
Despite all the experiences we've had
A complete waste of time
It was all for nothing
Just a nursery rhyme
It's just a silly fantasy or story
Can't believe that you're leaving
He's having trouble coming to grips with the end of a relationship
They'll feed you the facts
The media and other people will give you a manipulated narrative
Leave you like a kid on a railroad track
You'll be abandoned and helpless
Our reason is fading away
As a society, we're losing our ability to think critically and logically
O.K.
Acceptance or agreement, but perhaps insincere
Not much left I can do
He's resigned to the fact that he can't change the situation
You just took me
Once again directly addressing the person he's singing to
Took me for some kinda fool
You underestimated my intelligence and ability to perceive reality
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICK PARFITT, ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@omomani
What a great song!!!
@cristiona22
Love to hear Roger belting them out like this. RIP the great Rick Parfitt. A friend and neighbour of Rogers.
@lousbergen
Thank you !"
@taddarita75
The great John Deacon on bass!!
@luhsouza55
Yes
@user-ms2kt8sy8w
To love is one thing, to be loved another.
@frankbarry975
A brilliant collaboration with one of his great friends the late RICK PARFITT R.I.P
@lusmas99
The vocals, xylophone and guitar jam at the end make this song fantastic!!!!
@user-ms2kt8sy8w
As good as it gets. Roger's love and voice.
@hernandezgonzalezinnan5915
That song makes me feel very happy