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.
You Had To Be There
Roger Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I ever had
The most magic memories
That I recall
(When the man came out
And complained in the hall)
When I met you
'You had to be there'
The darkest hour
That I ever lived
And the longest fall
That I ever fell
And the sun went in
And the night was hell
When you left me
When you left me
'You had to be there'
The sweetest thoughts
That I entertain
Are of happy days
That might come again
I don't know your face
I don't know your name
'Til we meet again
'You have to be there'
The song 'You Had to Be There' by Roger Taylor is a nostalgic piece about the memories that stick with us forever. The song deals with the memories of the sweetest moments, the most painful moments and the hopeful moments, all of which are commonly shared by most people. The first verse of the song talks about the sweet memories that we hold onto, the moments of happiness that we can recall to brighten our spirits. However, the last phrase "when the man came out and complained in the hall" hints at some sort of underlying conflict or struggle that makes these sweet moments fleeting.
The second verse, however, paints a more somber picture. It talks about the darkest hour that the singer has ever lived - the time when they hit rock bottom and experienced a long and painful fall. The metaphorical depiction of the sun going in and the night becoming hellish highlights the depths of the pain being felt. It then mentions the moment of leaving - when the person who made these sweet memories possible is gone. The phrase "you had to be there" is repeated twice in this verse with different meanings. The first is an acknowledgement of the fact that the listener was not there during the darkest hour, while the second is more of a plea or invitation for the listener to be there when the happy days come back.
In the final verse of the song, a sense of hope is introduced. Even though the singer does not know the face or name of the person who will bring these happy days, the possibility keeps them entertained. The phrase "you have to be there" is said one more time, emphasizing the importance of being present and taking advantage of the happy days when they come.
Overall, 'You Had to Be There' is a nostalgic piece that showcases the importance and impact of singular moments on our lives. It captures the essence of life - the beautiful moments, the painful moments, and the hopeful ones.
Line by Line Meaning
The sweetest moments
Some of the most pleasant experiences I've had in my life
That I ever had
Which I'm truly grateful to have been a part of
The most magic memories
Some of the most enchanting memories that I hold dear
That I recall
Which continue to stay with me, even now
(When the man came out
When the guy came out
And complained in the hall)
And was complaining loudly about something
When I met you
When I first met you
When I met you
When I first met you
'You had to be there'
The moment was so special that it's hard to accurately describe it, you had to be there to understand
The darkest hour
One of the most difficult and depressing moments of my life
That I ever lived
That I've ever had to endure
And the longest fall
And the toughest emotional crash
That I ever fell
That I ever suffered from in my entire life
And the sun went in
The skies turned cloudy, and the day lost all of its brightness
And the night was hell
The night felt like a never-ending nightmare
When you left me
When you left me all alone
When you left me
When you left me all alone
'You had to be there'
The experience of losing you was so devastating, that only someone who has gone through the same thing can truly understand
The sweetest thoughts
Some of the most pleasant ideas
That I entertain
That I sometimes daydream about
Are of happy days
Are related to moments of happiness
That might come again
That I'm hopeful, might happen again someday
I don't know your face
I haven't met you yet, so I don't know what you look like
I don't know your name
I don't know what your name is yet
'Til we meet again
But I'm hopeful that we'll eventually bump into each other
'You have to be there'
When we eventually meet, it'll be such a special moment that words can't accurately describe it, you just have to be there to experience it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Bergero
MAESTRO TE ESCUCHÉ DESDE LA NIÑEZ... AHORA TENGO 54 AÑOS... LOS MEJORES RECUERDOS DE TODA UNA VIDA... QUE DIOS TE PROTEJA!!! ABRAZO GRANDE!!! 💪👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Marcelo Sebastian
Groso
Luna Bassie
It doesn’t feel like Roger is singing, it feels like that he is telling a story
Tyler Crockett
Of course I’m not crying. Why would I be crying? Just because this is a beautiful, touching song sung by a beautiful man? Please, don’t be ridiculous.😢😢
VIRTUAL´S PETS
I haved 14 years old in 1994. Today have 40...and I still love this álbum and this song. Thanks Roger for so much music...
Marva L Stith
Surely these lyrics have Roger recalling the tough time he and Freddie had getting a discarded piano up the steps into their flat. Freddie used it to write songs. The entire album has me revisiting stories Roger has told regarding their friendship. Somehow tho' I envisioned a ballet performed to 'Freedom Train'. It brought rhythm and tears into my being, Roger does say this album is dedicated mostly to Freddie..
Isabelita Luna
I love your music Roger ❤
Filip
Wow this voice! so good vocal
Richard McCombie
Great musician. What a voice...
G-Man Skibidi Toilet
I always felt this song was written about Freddie