Queen - Did You Know?
June 23, 2018Music facts, music trivia, interesting stories and much more. Introducing the "Did You Know" page about British rock band, Queen.
Enjoy!
Queen are a British rock band that was formed in 1970 in London, England. Their classic and most successful line-up included Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar).
The band's earliest works were influenced by hard rock, progressive rock and heavy metal, but Queen gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly songs by incorporating more music styles in their works, such as pop rock and arena rock.
Queen has had many hits during the years and today we will talk about one of them, the song 'The Show Must Go On' which reached the 16th spot on the UK chart.
Brian May, guitarist of the band, wrote the song 'The Show Must Go On' while Freddie Mercury, the lead singer, was dying of AIDS. The lyrics of this great song are about the need to press on and make the most out of life, while you can still enjoy it.
It is without a doubt a comment on Freddie Mercury's worsening condition, and his own attitude towards life - Never moaning and having incredible strength and peace.
In 1991, lead singer Freddie Mercury died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, and John Deacon retired from the band in 1997. Brian May and Roger Taylor continued to perform under the Queen name with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert as vocalists on their tours ever since.
It is Estimated that Queen had sold from 150 million to 300 million records worldwide, which makes the band one of the world's best-selling music artists. They have also won many various awards like receiving the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1990.
In 2001, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On top of that, each of the band's member has composed multiple hit singles, and as a result, In 2003, all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Queen received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, and in 2018 Queen was also presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
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The song "I'm Going Slightly Mad" by Queen was written by singer Freddie Mercury, and in this song, he describes a descent into madness.
When Mercury recorded the song, he had his wits about him, but he was already nearing the end of his life, suffering from AIDS. He wrote "I'm Going Slightly Mad" in London with some help from his actor friend, Peter Straker, who suggested some of the lyrics.
The two traded lines back and forth, developing the various idioms for insanity.
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The song "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen was written by the band's drummer, Roger Taylor as a critique of radio stations, which were becoming commercialized and playing the same songs over and over.
Roger Taylor said that he was inspired to write this song after watching MTV. Taylor noticed that a lot of kids were watching MTV instead of listening to the radio.
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Roger Taylor wrote the chords and melody of the song "A Kind of Magic" for The Highlander movie, but then Freddie Mercury wrote a new bass line, added some instrumental spacers, changed the order and produced a new mix.
It is said that Roger Taylor was very annoyed that Freddie Mercury had almost completely re-written the song behind his back. The song "A Kind of Magic" was still credited only to Roger Taylor, and you can hear his version of the song at the end of The Highlander movie. Mercury's version of the song is on the album.
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