Those who know me well will likely agree that it is criminal that it has taken sixteen posts before I get round to waxing lyrical about one of my all-time favourite bands – the incomparable Queen.
The artist
Do I really need to write about the history of Queen?! Ok, if I must. Here’s a potted history.
The band Smile evolved into Queen in 1970, when Freddie Mercury joined an outfit which already consisted of Brian May and Roger Taylor. John Deacon was recruited on bass in 1971 and the rest is history. They released their self-titled debut album in 1973 – an intro to a quite stunning body of work during that decade, including Queen II (1974), Sheer Heart Attack (1974), A Night At The Opera (1975), A Day at the Races (1976), News of the World (1977) and Jazz (1978). If you’re unfamiliar with the full track listings, here’s a selection of some of their best songs from the seventies: Seven Seas of Rhye; Killer Queen; Now I’m Here; You’re My Best Friend; Love of My Life; Bohemian Rhapsody; Somebody to Love; Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy; We Will Rock You; We Are The Champions; Fat Bottomed Girls; Bicycle Race; and Don’t Stop Me Now. Quite simply, an astonishing hit-rate of classic tracks.
By the late 70s / early 80s, Queen was one of the biggest bands on the planet, if not the biggest. Their 1981 Greatest Hits compilation remains the highest selling album in UK chart history, having sold 7.5 million copies (achieving 25 x Platinum status). It was also certified as 9 x Platinum in the US. They undoubtedly stole the show at the 1985 Live Aid concert, with Freddie delivering a masterclass in the art of being a rock frontman. His last live performance with the band was at Knebworth in 1986, as he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. Following on from the successful albums The Works (1984) and A Kind of Magic (1986), they released two further albums during his lifetime: The Miracle (1989) and Innuendo (1991). On the 21st November 1991, Freddie went public with his AIDS diagnosis, tragically passing away the following day. One further album was released featuring his vocals, 1995’s poignant and brilliant Made in Heaven. John Deacon retired in 1997, though May and Taylor have continued to tour at sporadic intervals, employing guest singers. From 2004-2009, they performed as Queen + with one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time – Paul Rodgers, whilst they have toured with the phenomenally talented Adam Lambert since 2011.
Quite simply, they are one of the finest rock bands of all time.
Why I’ve chosen to write about this song
Multiple Queen songs from the 80s will feature in this blog over time, though I had to begin with One Vision. I can still, some 40-years later, recall the feeling of astonishment I experienced upon first hearing the track. I was already a big fan – I had no choice really, given the albums my dad played during my early years – but this period seemed to signal something different for the band, perhaps best illustrated by this song. It is said that Freddie wanted to experiment with “lots of strange noises and swirling sounds”. He certainly achieved that, with a good amount of studio trickery employed here, including pitch changes on the vocals in the intro and the use of several effects. In the wrong hands, this could easily have sounded awful. However, given the insane work ethic of all four members of the band, plus the creative genius of sound engineer and producer Reinhold Mack (better known simply as Mack), the results were incredible. Given the gradual build of the intro, it’s no surprise that the band subsequently used this to open all concerts on their hugely successful The Magic Tour. Then, at the 1:06 mark, we reach my favourite part – Brian’s ass-kicking riff. In guitar technique terms it really isn’t complex, though it sounds huge and kicks like a mule. Sprinkled with a little of his trademark guitar wizardry, we then arrive at the first verse, which Freddie belts out with trademark gusto. Whilst songwriting duties are attributed to all four members of the band, Roger is credited with primarily conceiving the lyrics, largely inspired by the life of Martin Luther King, with Taylor having allegedly admitted that they were “sort of half nicked off Martin Luther King’s famous speech”. For me, everything comes together to create one of the finest soft-rock songs of this (or any other) decade – a song tailor-made for stadiums. To these ears, it still sounds as fresh and dynamic as it did back in ’85.
The video
For a band credited with making so many groundbreaking and memorable videos, this is a fairly straightforward effort, consisting of studio footage and a few old band images. Not exactly an award-winning effort but hey – it’s Queen, so I forgive them!
The stats
The song first charted at number 9 on the 10h November 1985. Spending 10 weeks in the top 100, it peaked at number 7 on the 17th November chart. For the stats fans, the number one single that week was the Feargal Sharkey’s A Good Heart, whilst the number one album was Sade’s Promise.
The cover version
No cover version this time around! I wasn’t previously aware of any covers of the song, nor could I find any I liked when researching for this post.
The wrap-up
There are two bands who stand above all others for me – The Beatles and Queen. Whilst I’m unable to include any Beatles songs in this blog (their only 80s single, 1982’s The Beatles Movie Medley, is a little too obscure…), I can (and will!) include several Queen songs. They formed much of the soundtrack to my youth and have been an ever-present throughout my life. Sadly, I was unable to see the original line-up live (I was just 12 years old when they played their last live gig), though I was fortunate enough to see them with Adam Lambert a few years ago – an amazing gig. Freddie is clearly a legendary frontman (he really did have it all), whilst Brian is one of the finest guitarists of all time and a huge reason why I first picked up a 6-string aged 13. Their incredible back-catalogue means they will always be adored and considered as music legends – I’m incredibly grateful to be able to appraise some of their fine work via this blog.
Best wishes.
Mick
