Queen Discussion Thread

[gabby]

Dreamers Ball

Beautiful blues/jazz song. Love Freddie's performance in "Live in Paris" because he was really into the mood of the song and enjoying it. Beautiful harmonies provided by Brian and again, brilliant production of sound as if I'm listening to an orchestra to back-up Freddie.

[talon]

Absolutely! Not sure why Rog didn't like it...*shrug*

Oh well! :D

[talon]

Fun It

Written by: Roger Taylor

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - lead vocals
Roger Taylor - lead and backing vocals, drums, Syn-drums, guitar, bass guitar (?)
Brian May - guitars
John Deacon - bass guitar (?)

(Basically it is unclear who plays bass on this track. It may have been John, but as a lot of Roger's songs, he plays a lot of his own instruments so it may well have been Roger on bass as well)

Everybody in the morning
Should do a good turn all right
Everybody in the night time
Should have a good time all night
Now we got a movement
Don't shun it fun it
Can't you see now you're moving free?
Get some fun join our dynasty
Can't you tell when we get it down?
You're the one you're the best in town

Hey everybody everybody gonna have a good time tonight
Just shaking the soles of your feet
Everybody everybody gonna have a good time tonight

That's the only soul you'll ever meet

They say that moving the body's right it's all right
That's the only one part of being alive all right all right

Groove on out groove on up OK
Do your thing do your thing your way
Get your kicks get you tricks with me
Get up and dance honey fun's for free

Hey everybody everybody gonna have a good time tonight
Just shaking the soles of your feet
Everybody gonna have a good time tonight time tonight time tonight
That's the only soul you'll ever meet

Don't shun it fun it
Don't shun it fun it
Don't shun it fun it

- Many people lay Queen's experimenting with disco and the eventual much maligned Hot Space album at John Deacon's feet when he wrote Another One Bites The Dust which ironically Roger hated doing and thought Queen was going too far away from rock and roll. Well this track proves it is Roger's fault! Queen's first real foray into dance/disco.

- Freddie and Roger share lead vocals on the track.

- This was never really played live although around this time Freddie would sing a few lines from it before going into Keep Yourself Alive.

- Roger since has decried this song and album.

QUOTES:

- "My songs were very patchy. In fact, if you want my honest opinion, Jazz never thrilled me. It was an ambitious album that didn’t live up to its ambition.” – Roger Taylor

UNOFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSION

- Actually Keep Yourself Alive but the opening snippet is from Fun It

PERSONAL NOTES:

- Not my favorite track from the album or from Rog in general but I do appreciate the beat, and I do like hearing Freddie and Roger duet.

Next up, Brian gets a bit wistful and sings like a woman! Leaving Home Ain't Easy

[gabby]

Fun It

This was written before AOBTD, right? For some reason, the funky vibe of FI reminds me of AOBTD.

Could JD be using this as a precursor to his composition? Maybe he was inspired by the beat and AOBTD just clicked in his subconscious

So when RT was whining about AOBTD, JD should have blamed him (just as you stated it was RT's fault) ;D

Love that unreleased version where Freddie used FI as an intro into KYA. Messages seemed to have a connection .... have a good time and keep yourself alive :D

[talon]

It was. AOBTD came during the next album but it is definitely in the same genre. John absolutely could have been at least influenced to let his influences come out as his influences were the farthest from the others.

Brian definitely and unsurprisingly came from rock and loud guitars - the Shadows, the Hendrix, the Who, the Zepplein, etc. He was straight out hard rock with loud guitars.

Roger was along those lines but also had a great influence of both soul - James Brown/George Clinton, etc. and folk rock - Dylan, Springsteen.

Freddie was a lot like Brian but combined it with classical and theatre such as Pagnini and Liza Minelli - interesting combinations.

John didn't really come from rock and roll...He did dig the Beatles and such but he seemed to come more from a Motown sound. Martha and the Vandells, etc.

[talon]

Leaving Home Ain't Easy

Written by: Brian May

Musicians:

Brian May - lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums

I take a step outside
And I breathe the air
And I slam the door
And I'm on my way
I won't lay no blame
I won't call you names
Because I've made my break
And I won't look back
I've turned my back
On those endless games

I'm all through with ties
I'm all tired of tears
I'm a happy man
Don't it look that way
Shaking dust from my shoes
There's a road ahead
And there's no way back home (no way back home)
Oh but I have to say

Leaving home ain't easy
Oh I never thought it would be easy
Leaving on your own
Oh is the main thing calling me back
Leaving home ain't easy
On the one you're leaving home

Stay my love my love please stay
Stay my love what's wrong my love?
What's right my love?
Oh leaving home ain't easy
I thought how could I think of leaving
Leaving on your own
Still trying to persuade me that
Leaving home ain't necessarily the only way
Leaving home ain't easy
But may be the only way

- Written and performed mostly by Brian. It's a very low key but very emotive song full of where Brian was coming from at those times with his relationship with his wife at the time.

- The high "lady" part is still Brian just with the tape he recorded on slowed down so when played back it plays at a higher pitch.

- Features more Brian Red Special orchestrations. Brian does a nice string section with the Old Lady here.

- This was never performed live nor are there alternate takes.

QUOTES:

-" The lady’s part? It’s me. We slowed down the tape to record it so it comes out speeded up. I think Wheetus just did the same thing on ‘Dirtbag’!” – Brian May - 2002

PERSONAL NOTES:
- This was always one of my underrated favorites on the album. Pure Brian emotion but not done in an overwrought fashion. More melancholy blues than power ballad. Sweetly sad.

Next up we go the other direction with Freddie's party song...Don't Stop Me Now

[gabby]

Leaving Home Ain't Easy

Very emotional song for Brian. I can actually hear the pain in his voice. Maybe hoping to get some emotional/psychological catharsis by singing this song himself.

[talon]

I think that's absolutely true. Brian has said he often wrote for the singer, so I think when he sang something it was usually a very personal song for him...It's probably not 100% accurate but I think it's a good guideline.

[talon]

Don't Stop Me Now

Written by: Freddie Mercury

Musicians:

Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, piano
Brian May - guitars, backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar
Roger Taylor - drums, tambourine, triangle, backing vocals

Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world turning inside out Yeah!
And floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me now don't stop me
Because I'm having a good time having a good time

I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me

I'm burning through the sky Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now (because I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (yes I'm having a good time)
I don't want to stop at all

I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite I'm out of control
I am a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode

I'm burning through the sky Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you

Don't stop me don't stop me
Don't stop me hey hey hey!
Don't stop me don't stop me oooh oooh oooh (I like it)
Don't stop me don't stop me
Have a good time good time
Don't stop me don't stop me Ah

I'm burning through the sky, Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now (because I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (yes I'm having a good time)
I don't want to stop at all

- Issued as a single in the UK where it hit #9 and in the US where it surprisingly only hit #86. Since then it's grown to be one of their more popular and long lasting songs. It also hit #10 in Ireland, #14 in the Netherlands, #35 in Germany, and #37 in Sweden.

- Surprisingly only played live through 1979 where it was mothballed until Brian joined McFly who covered the song in the UK during a performance of We Will Rock You and one of their gigs, and then of course brought back during the shows with Adam.

- In 2005 this was the named the greatest driving song by Top Gear magazine.

- For the longest time, Brian was known to have disliked the song (perhaps leading to the band not playing it). Brian and Freddie had awful rows about it as Freddie wanted it to be a guitarless song really and Brian did end up only playing a guitar solo while the rest of the song is piano/bass/drums. Much more recently, Brian would say that it wasn't that he didn't like the song, but more what it represented to him which was Freddie leading himself away from the band into a harder partying drug induced lifestyle that wasn't good for him.

QUOTES:

- "It’s very much Freddie’s pop side and I remember thinking, ‘I’m not quite sure if this is what we should be doing.’ I think there was also a feeling that it lyrically represented something that was happening to Freddie which we kind of thought was threatening him, and probably it was in a sense. But having said that, it’s full of joy and optimism…” – Brian May

OFFICIALLY RELASED ALTERNATE VERSION:

WITH LONG LOST GUITARS

- ESSENTIAL and interesting.
- Brian turned the guitar mix back up so you can hear it. I honestly think I agree with Freddie for the studio version. It works better a bit sparser. Live though I agree with Brian which is how they played it live anyways.

OFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSION:

LIVE KILLERS VERSION

- Audio only.
- Brian's guitars work better live!

UNOFFICIALLY RELEASED LIVE VERSIONS:

LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH 1979

- Last live performance by Queen. And a good one!

BRIAN MAY + MCFLY - LIVE IN LONDON 2006

- Not a big fan of the boy band, but I like Brian's entrance

QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT - LIVE IN KIEV - 2012

- This song was one from Queen's catalogue that was tailor made for Adam I think. Interesting opening with Brian on guitar instead of Spike on piano.

CURIOSITIES:

FREDDIE MERCURY GOOGLE DOODLE

- For Freddie's birthday, he became a full fledged Google Doodle! I LOVED it.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD CLIP

- One of my favorite movies...the great horror/zombie parody comedy. This is my favorite usage of a Queen song in a film of all time - even including Wayne's World. Just awesome.


PERSONAL NOTES:
SUCH a fun song. I defy anyone to not tap their toes and/or singalong. Freddie at his crowd inducing best!

Next up the final song of the album, Roger's More Of That Jazz

[gabby]

Don't Stop Me Now

I love this song the first time I've heard it and was really hoping Adam would sing it when he was still in AI-8 (ala "Born To Be Wild" style ;D ).

So glad it was on the QAL setlist. That said, I prefer Freddie's version of the song with a faster tempo. NOT that I didn't like the QAL version but would have loved if they sped up the tempo ( just a tiny bit ) JMO