Queen: 22 Facts You Should Know About a Legend

Ezgi Diliçıkık

Ezgi Diliçıkık

Environmentalist, Digital Addict

Almost every person in the world has heard of Queen’s name and at least one song. Although Queen gained a large number of fans in the 1970s, it still maintains its importance as a timeless group, and its songs and stories are passed down from generation to generation. The work of the group has made significant contributions to music genres such as hard rock, heavy metal and opera rock. Here are X things you need to know about Queen, one of the most legendary bands.


A Brief History of the Queen

Freddie Mercury and John Deacon join the band.

queen

The story begins when Freddie Mercury met Brian May and Roger Taylor through a mutual friend while he was a vocalist for a band called Wreckage during his years at Ealing College of the Arts. At the suggestion of Freddie Mercury, who was included in the group called Smile, the group decided to continue with the name Queen.

As the dates marked 1971, the band’s future bassist, John Deacon, joined this legendary trio, completing the last piece of the puzzle.


Signatures are signed, album works and tours begin.

The band signed their first album deal with EMI in 1973. Starting their album work, the band is releasing their self-titled debut album, Queen, which includes the single Keep Yourself Alive later that year.

The band, which quickly gained success with their first album with the tracks Keep Yourself Alive, Liar and Seven Seas of Ryhe in the album, unfortunately named their second album Queen II, which was not as successful as the first. Having achieved success again with Killer Queen, Brighton Rock and She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos) in their album Sheer Heart Attack, which they released together with Queen II in the same year, Queen begins their American and European tours.


Queen’s star is shining all over the world.

As the years marked 1975, it was time for Queen to take her place on the world stage. The group released the most expensive album of that period, A Night at the Opera. The star of the album and the most important work of the group, Bohemian Rhapsody, was the target of many criticisms, but topped the charts for 9 weeks. This success was the most important achievement of the group at that time. The album A Night at the Opera also includes iconic songs such as Love of My Life and I’m in Love with My Car.

Adding success to their success with the albums A Day at the Races in 1976, News of the World in 1977, and Jazz in 1978, the group Queen also performed with songs such as We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now in these albums. They have increased their popularity and left their lasting marks in the music industry.

While members of the band Freddie Mercury and Brian May continue to produce solo projects, the band released two more albums in 1982. During this period, the songs Another One Bites the Dust, Radio Ga Ga, I Want to Break Free, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Under Pressure continued to add to the success of the group.


Unforgettable Live Aid Concert

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid 1985)

It would not be wrong to say that Queen’s performances during Live Aid were the most memorable performances when Live Aid, which was organized in order to prevent hunger in Africa by collecting donations and included many legendary names of the period, was held in 1985. The moment Queen was on the screens was the most fundraising moment.


Freddie Mercury has AIDS.

The band, which went on tour after their 1986 album release, was the target of criticism due to the decline in Freddie Mercury’s performance during this tour. Although many media outlets claimed that Mercury had AIDS, neither the band nor Freddie Mercury made a statement on this matter.

When the dates showed 1991, Freddie Mercury passed away 24 hours after he announced that he had AIDS.


Farewell to Freddie Mercury

After Freddie Mercury’s death, a commemoration ceremony is held in 1992 under the name of The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert with the participation of many legendary artists. With the performances of iconic names such as Guns N’ Roses, David Bowie, Metallica, Elton John, 20,000,000 Pounds were collected and donated to be used in AIDS treatment research. This donation amount has been described as a record donation.


Queen’s Latest Album and the Future of the Group

In 1995, Queen released an album for the first time after Freddie Mercury’s death. This album was shaped by the vocals and piano recordings Freddie Mercury recorded before his death. The name of the album was Made in Heaven… The album had great success both in Europe and America.

Bass guitarist John Deacon, who quit music after Freddie Mercury’s death, did not attend any Queen events after the last album. Queen, now consisting only of Brian May and Roger Taylor, gave concerts with Paul Rodgers’ vocals from 2004 to 2009, and released a studio album called Cosmos Rocks in 2008. Since 2011, Queen continues to give concerts with Adam Lambert. Queen has been called one of the greatest bands ever.


Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) | IMDb: 7.9

Bohemian Rhapsody | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biopic celebrating the music of the legendary band Queen and the life of unforgettable vocalist Freddie Mercury. With an IMDb score of 7.9, the movie mostly follows the life of Freddie Mercury, who defies all stereotypes and conventions as one of the world’s most beloved artists. The film, in which we witness the creation of iconic songs and experience a journey into Freddie’s inner world, gives us a very successful repetition of the Live Aid performance. Bryan Singer, whom we know from productions such as X-Men and The Usual Suspects, sits in the director’s chair. At the same time, Rami Malek, whose star has risen recently and won the Best Actor Oscar in 2019 for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, gives an eye-catching performance.


22 Facts About Queen You Probably Didn’t Know

The collaboration between David Bowie and Queen in the song Under Pressure came about by chance.

The song Under Pressure, as you know, was recorded with another legendary name, David Bowie. But the story of this recording was far from a planned deal. Under Pressure’s story begins in the snowy Swiss mountains. Queen’s tenth studio album, Hot Space at Montreux, was recorded at Mountain Studios in Switzerland. Just as the band was working on the album, Bowie was at the same studio working on the theme music for the upcoming movie Cat People. When David Bowie learned that he was in the same studio with Queen at the same time, he did not want to miss this opportunity and paid the band a surprise visit.

The first idea of the legendary artists, who had a very creative atmosphere when they came together, was Bowie’s contribution to the backing vocals in the song Cool Cat. However, things went very differently than that. Starting to work on the bass infrastructure prepared by John Deacon, the artists found themselves creating Under Pressure. Later, in an interview with a magazine, Brain May has the following words about those moments: “David wanted us all to put aside all the ideas in our minds and say the first thing that comes to mind, without a note. That’s what we did. We compiled everything that came up, and Under Pressure came out. So Under Pressure is just random thoughts from all of us put together.”


Song written with piano in the bathroom: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Official Video)

Freddie Mercury didn’t have much confidence in his piano skills. Because of this, he was not confident in playing the piano lively on stage and often avoided it. However, Freddie Mercury had a very close relationship with the piano. So much so that the headboard of the legendary artist was a piano. When inspiration came, he wanted to bring it to life with his piano, without having to get out of bed immediately. There is also a story that he composed the song Crazy Little Thing Called Love on a piano in the bathroom, after a melody that came to mind while he was taking a bath in a hotel room, he asked for a piano in the bathroom. This event was not heard from Freddie himself, but it was not difficult for people who knew Freddie to believe that this story was true.


Queen signed with another record label 37 years later.

Queen first signed with EMI in 1973, achieving great success around the world, taking its place among the biggest bands in history. However, when the dates showed 2010, Queen did not renew her contracts with EMI and decided to continue on her way with Universal Music. Following this decision, Queen released their Remastered album in 2011.
With the acquisition of EMI by Terra Firma, a private company, in 2007, it was known that it lost great artists such as the Rolling Stones and Radiohead. That’s why this change that Queen made didn’t come as much of a surprise.

Queen’s Brain May said in a statement: “After all this time, we are very excited to be embarking on a new phase of our career with a new label, new ideas and new dreams.”


The band’s guitarist, Brian May, was a scientist with a PhD in Astrophysics.

brian may

Considered one of the best guitarists in history, Brian May is a scientist with a doctorate in astrophysics. May was studying astrophysics before the Queen group came together in 1971. In an interview with the Times, May says:

“I was about to finish my thesis when Queen entered the industry. I had to make a choice. I made this choice on the assumption that I’m not very good at physics, but somewhat good at music.”

May’s thesis was on “zodiac dust” accumulating in the Solar System. Years later, when the subject started to gain attention in the scientific community, May suspended everything she was working on for a year and received her PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007, after a 30-year hiatus.

In 2019, May released the song “New Horizons”, of which she was the composer, to celebrate the 12-year journey of the New Horizons probe. The New Horizons probe became the farthest spacecraft in history. May also pays personal tribute to NASA with this song.

Brian May – New Horizons

Brian May - New Horizons (Ultima Thule Mix) [Official Music Video]


The designer of Queen’s iconic logo, the band’s vocalist, is none other than Freddie Mercury, one of the most successful artists in history. Queen’s logo has become one of the most iconic and recognizable logos in rock music history. The fact that Freddie Mercury is an art college student can also be seen as a factor in his influence on the logo. A special effort was made on the logo to give a feeling of British monarchy and kingship to create harmony with the name of the group. Of course, it is not a coincidence that the created logo bears resemblance to the British coat of arms.

A perfect example of originality, patriotism and elegance, this logo features animals symbolizing the zodiac signs of each member of the group, around the letter Q. These are listed as two Leos (Deacon and Taylor), Cancer (May) and Virgo (Mercury). While there is a phoenix with its wings spread wide on the logo, you can also see the crown inside the letter Q.


Roger Taylor’s Famous Backyard

Did you know that the backyard of the band’s drummer, Roger Taylor, hosts the music videos for two of the band’s songs? The clips of the songs We Will Rock You and Spread Your Wings from the album News of the World released in 1977 by the band were shot in Roger’s backyard.

Queen – Spread Your Wings

Queen - Spread Your Wings (Official Video)


Iconic music video: Bohemian Rhapsody

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)

When Bohemian Rhapsody was first released in 1975, it was considered the first music video to be circulated for promotional purposes. Following this move by Queen, it has become an industry standard. All lyrics for Bohemian Rhapsody were written by the band’s vocalist, Freddie Mercury. The music video was shot in just 3 hours under The Bruce Gowers’ direction and cost a ridiculous $5,600.

Bohemian Rhapsody became the first video to cross one billion views on YouTube in 2019 as a pre-1990s video. It is possible to see this rise of the music video in 2019 in connection with the movie Bohemian Rhapsody.


The six-foot statue of Mercury in Taylor’s garden

queen

The six-metre statue of Freddie Mercury, used to promote the musical We Will Rock You, was scheduled to be placed in a warehouse after production ended in 2014, after it had been on display outside London’s Dominion Theater for 12 years. However, Roger Taylor, who took the stage with Brian May for the final show of the musical, requested that the statue be sent to his home.

The six-metre-tall statue featuring Freddie Mercury’s iconic pose is now located in the garden of the musician’s luxury home in Surrey. Roger Taylor, in an interview on this subject, says:

“I have a statue of Freddie in my garden that I love very much. It’s awesome and pretty big. I thought it would be really fun to have a statue of him here, and I think if Freddie saw it, he’d think it was really funny too.”


Brian May made his guitar with his father.

queen

Queen’s guitarist Brian May designed his electric guitar, The Red Special, with his father, Harold, in his teens. May’s guitar is known by other names besides The Red Special. These names can be referred to as Fireplaca and The Old Lady by May. The name The Red Special comes from the guitar’s expressive reddish and brownish color. One of the guitar’s names, Fireplace, is inspired by the fact that the wood Brian May and his father used to make this guitar was taken from a mantelpiece.

When designing The Red Special with her father, May wanted to create an instrument that lives, interacts with herself and the surrounding air. After the band came together in the 1970s, Brian May used almost no different guitars except The Red Special. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of The Red Special, which resonates with virtually all albums and live performances, Brian May, with Author Simon Bradley, has published a book called Brian May’s Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World.


Brian May Diagnosed with Hepatitis

Queen’s guitarist and one of the most successful guitarists of all time, Brian May was diagnosed with hepatitis in 1974. In the same year, it was announced that May had hepatitis due to an unsterilized needle, and that her arm almost had to be amputated. Fortunately, May recovered and immediately returned to her album work.


There are only four songs Roger Taylor wrote for the band.

Queen’s drummer, Roger Taylor, has only four songs in the band’s 18 albums and 18 singles. These are the unforgettable songs of Radio Ga Ga, A Kind of Magic, The Invisible Man and These are the Days of Lives.


Two Ivor Novello Award-winning songs

The Ivor Novello Awards, the composition awards given on behalf of the Cardiff-born singer, composer and actor Ivor Novello, were first given in 1955. The awards are given annually to artists by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters in London. Queen also won two Ivor Novello awards for her songs Killer Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody.


UK favorite song of all time

In a 2002 Guinness World Records poll, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was voted the UK’s all-time favorite song.


Queen’s Greatest Hits

Queen’s album Queen Greatest Hits became the best-selling album of all time in the United Kingdom in 2006, in a research conducted by the Official UK Charts Company.


Thank God It’s Christmas was not included in the album.

Queen - Thank God It's Christmas

The song Thank God It’s Christmas, released by Queen in 1984, was never a part of any Queen album.


26 years on the charts

Queen spent 26 years on the charts in the UK.


Queen also composed the soundtrack.

Flash Gordon • Theme Song • Queen

The legendary Queen group has their signature on the music of the movie Flash Gordon, which was released in 1980.


Freddie Mercury’s family had to flee Zanzibar.

Freddie Mercury’s family, whose real name is Farrokh Bulsara, moved from Zanzibar to the United Kingdom in 1964 due to their safety being threatened.


Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

It seems a little late.


In 2002, another star for the band Queen was added to Hollywood Boulevard.

queen

Again, it seems like it’s a little late.


International Queen Fan Club

Queen’s International Fan Club, founded in 1973, also holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running rock band fan club in history.


Freddie Mercury and his Cats

freddie mercury and her cats

Freddie Mercury was very fond of cats. So much so that Queen’s albums had songs dedicated to her cats. During the tours, he would call and chat with them on the phone.

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Kategoriler: Art, Culture

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