An early version of the band was loosely formed for 19 October 1991, when May took part in the Guitar Legends guitar festival in Seville, Spain. The line-up for his performance was May (Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar), Cozy Powell (Drums & Percussion), Mike Moran (Keyboards), Rick Wakeman (Keyboards), Maggie Ryder (Backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (Backing vocals) and Chris Thompson (Backing vocals).
Following the death of Freddie Mercury in November 1991, May chose to deal with his grief by committing himself as fully as possible to work, first by finishing his solo album and then touring worldwide to promote it. He frequently remarked in press interviews that this was the only form of self-prescribed therapy he could think of.
The original line-up was Brian May (Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar), Cozy Powell (Drums and Percussion), Mike Caswell (Guitar), Neil Murray (Bass), Maggie Ryder (Backing vocals), Miriam Stockley (Backing vocals) and Chris Thompson (Backing vocals). This version of the band lasted only during the South American support tour (supporting The B-52's and Joe Cocker) on only five dates. Afterwards, May made significant changes, feeling the group never quite gelled. In Spain, a Catalan band, Sweet Sister support the tour
Most significantly, May brought guitarist Jamie Moses on board to replace Mike Caswell. May considered Moses a perfect fit to the band. The other change made was in the backing vocal department. Ryder, Stockley and Thompson are replaced with Catherine Porter and Shelley Preston.
On 23 February 1993, this new line-up of The Brian May Band began its world tour in the US, both supporting Guns N' Roses and headlining a few dates. The tour would take them through North America, Europe and Japan.
After the tour ended on 18 December 1993, May returned to the studio with fellow surviving Queen band members Roger Taylor and John Deacon to work on tracks that became Made in Heaven, the final Queen album. The band took Freddie's solo album demos and last recordings, which he managed to perform in the studio after the album Innuendo was finished, and completed them with their additions both musically and vocally. Work on the album after Freddie's death originally began in 1992 by John Deacon and himself, but was left till a later date due to other commitments.
In 1995, May began working towards a new solo album of covers tentatively named Heroes, in addition to working on various film and television projects and other collaborations. May subsequently changed the approach of his second album from covers to focus on those collaborations and on new material. The songs recorded for that album, Another World would feature mainly Edney, Powell, Murray and Moses, who had become his core support/collaborative team.
On 5 April 1998, Cozy Powell was killed in a car accident on the M4 motorway near Bristol, England. This caused a huge, unexpected dent in the upcoming tour for The Brian May Band, with the need for a new drummer on short notice. Steve Ferrone was brought on to help May finish recording drums for the title track "Another World" and to join the band for the early stage promotional tour of five dates in Europe before the world tour.
The line up was then Brian May (Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar), Spike Edney (Keyboards), Neil Murray (Bass), Jamie Moses (Guitar), Steve Ferrone (Drums & Percussion), Susie Webb (Backing vocals) and Zoe Nicholas (Backing vocals). Following the early promo tour, Eric Singer replaced Steve Ferrone for the full 1998 world tour. The band then consisted of Brian May (Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar), Spike Edney (Keyboards), Neil Murray (Bass), Jamie Moses (Guitar), Eric Singer (Drums & Percussion), Susie Webb (Backing vocals) and Zoe Nicholas (Backing vocals).
Since You've Been Gone
The Brian May Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fall to the ground then I wake up
So I get out of bed put on my shoes and in my head
Thoughts fly back to the breakup
These four walls are closing in
Look what a fix you put me in
Since you've been gone
I'm out of my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you've been gone
You've got the spell so break it
Oooh oooh oooh
Since you've been gone
So in the night I stand beneath the backstreet light
I read the words that you sent to me
I can take the afternoon, the night time comes around too soon
You don't know what you mean to me
Your poison letter, your telegram
Just goes to show you don't give a damn
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
I'm out of my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you've been gone
You've got the spell so break it
Oooh oooh oooh
Since you've been gone
Everywhere you go baby you know you're never too far
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
I'm out of my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you've been gone
You've got the spell so break it
Oooh oooh oooh oooh
Ever since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone
I'm out of my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you've been gone
You've got the spell so break it
Oooh oooh oooh oooh
Ever since you've been gone
The Brian May Band's song Since You've Been Gone is a reflection of the emotions one feels after a breakup. The song talks about how the singer has been struggling to cope with the aftermath of the breakup. The first verse talks about how the singer keeps having the same dream every night and wakes up feeling distressed. He puts on his shoes and thinks about the breakup that's been on his mind. The second verse talks about how the singer stays up at night reading the messages his ex sent him, and how he wishes he could make things better. The chorus repeats the phrase "since you've been gone" multiple times, indicating the impact the other person's absence has had on the singer.
The lyrics of the song are relatable and resonate with anyone who has experienced heartbreak. The song's message is simple yet profound, exploring the challenges of moving on after a relationship ends. One of the fascinating things about this song is its catchy melody, which helps to capture the listener's attention.
Line by Line Meaning
I get the same old dreams same time every night
I repeatedly have the same dreams every night at the same time.
Fall to the ground then I wake up
I fall down in my dreams and then wake up.
So I get out of bed put on my shoes and in my head
I get out of bed, put on my shoes, and think about our breakup.
Thoughts fly back to the breakup
My mind goes back to our breakup.
These four walls are closing in
I feel trapped in this space.
Look what a fix you put me in
You put me in a difficult situation.
Since you've been gone
My life has been different without you.
I'm out of my head, can't take it
I feel crazy and can't handle it.
Could I be wrong
Am I mistaken?
You've got the spell so break it
You have control over me, I need you to let go.
Oooh oooh oooh
Expressing emotional pain and longing.
So in the night I stand beneath the backstreet light
I stand under a streetlight at night.
I read the words that you sent to me
I read the message you sent me.
I can take the afternoon, the night time comes around too soon
I can get through the daytime, but the night is harder to handle.
You don't know what you mean to me
You have no idea how much you mean to me.
Your poison letter, your telegram
Your hurtful message was like poison to me.
Just goes to show you don't give a damn
It's clear that you don't care.
Everywhere you go baby you know you're never too far
You're always on my mind no matter where you are.
Ever since you've been gone
My life has been different without you.
Contributed by Declan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@redwanrafi6792
Anyone in 2024?
@oldladyfromberlin
Sure🤘
@LibertyWarrior1776
You betcha!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🤘🤘🤘
@arthurgordon6072
Never heard, or seen, this version before. As a long time Blackmore fan, I am much impressed. Curiosity got the better of me. I searched out the Head East cover. God, it is awful. Don't, just don't!
@atibbs14
Oh yeah!
@Tekerz-jn5cv
Yea
@tabormorin4526
holy shit, I knew Brian May could sing, but I didn't know he could sing like that...
@pierceelyhibionada342
He's voice is frickin' Strong!!!
@j3dwin
And he has a PhD in astrophysics.
@midnightrose2127
Brian and Roger both had (HAVE) amazing vocals in addition to their other more obvious talents!