| Sebastian 08.01.2009 10:30 |
As many of you know, I used to update a thread on this topic every six months or so; after a couple of years, it's time for another one. Contributions, corrections, complements, controversies and any other 'c', are completely welcome. First of all, some general comments: - What's written on the credits doesn't necessarily reflect what actually happened (e.g. Pink Floyd's Speak to Me). Certain pre-made agreements (usually made for contractual, financial, legal and/or ethical reasons) may result in people being unfairly excluded or included in the credits. For instance, Come Together includes McCartney (who wasn't involved) but excludes Harrison (who wrote some lyrics for it). - Just because a person's not a professional guitarist (e.g. Mercury), it doesn't mean they can't compose elaborate guitar parts (e.g. Bijou). Same with other instruments (e.g. May writing for drums, Taylor writing for keyboards and so on). Likewise, many great vocal lines have been penned entirely by people who aren't singers: Dust in the Wind, You're my Best Friend, Vaults of Heaven... in other words, you don't need to be able to play or sing what you're written, or do you think Mozart could sing all the bass, tenor, alto and soprano arias of his operas? - It's hard to establish exactly what counts as (co-)writing a song and what doesn't: for instance, when Paul McCartney composed (i.e. wrote chords and melody to) Yesterday, it was George Martin who scored the parts for violins, viola and cello; but the song is still Paul's. Another famous case is GnR's Knocking on Heaven's Door: they wrote new parts for guitar, bass, drums, piano and even added some changes to the vocals and the chord progression (as far as I remember, the original goes alternates I > V > ii with I > V > IV, GnR only the latter), but the song is still Bob Dylan's: they're *merely* arrangers. - On the other hand, sometimes an idea can be put by somebody and the actual song raises from that. Defining an absolute authorship is very hard in those cases as well: for instance, if I tell you 'it'd be nice to write a song about what a person thinks during binge eating', and you write the song, it's still yours (even if I put the idea). But what happens if someone develops the track from a chord progression or something? Should the other person be co-credited? If so, what happens with the tracks based on clichés, like I Want to Break Free (based on 12-bar-blues used for thousands of tracks before, during and after 1983)? What happens with Keep Passing the Open Windows, A Kind of Magic or Radio Ga Ga? There's no right or wrong in those situations. - People's perceptions about the evidence vary: some trust deeply on what witnesses say (as in a police case), some others trust on physical (direct or indirect) clues. If Sherlock Holmes or Endeavour Morse existed, it'd be great to hire them for this thread, wouldn't it? Anyway, the point is: while some say that we can only trust the recollections of those who were there (and deem any other evidence as pure speculation), others believe that memory's bound to fail, while the other details (e.g. manuscripts, cross-references with other works, etc) are more difficult to be compromised. A true 'detective' work should be able to establish if certain song is, for instance, John Deacon's, in a similar way that criminal trials use experts to authenticate handwriting from a suspect, etc. After all this (initially-meant-to-be-brief-but-you-know-the-story) introduction, the tracks themselves (I'm only included those credited to the band, not those who're credited to two people, like Thank God It's Christmas, Is this the World we Created or Mother Love): STONE COLD CRAZY Performed live from 1970 onwards (before Deacon joined) Credited to the four of them on the 1974 release Rumour has it that Mercury'd already written it for Wreckage The music points to Freddie: G minor key, one-bar extension on the second cycle (as in Death on Two Legs: 'shark'). The solos, nice as they are, aren't difficult to compose, since they're mostly sequential. One of the closing scales even appears (almost note by note identically) on Great King Rat, further pointing at Mercury. Having a section over a static chord is also chiefly (but not entirely) Freddie-esque: Somebody to Love, All God's People...). HANGMAN Performed live from 1970 onwards (before Deacon joined) Never released officially, thus no official credit Brian confirmed to one of QZ posters (I'm not mentioning who) that he wrote the music and Fred wrote the lyrics. Barry Mitchell confirmed so. Musically, it's harmony and structure are so simple that anybody could've written them. It's based on twelve-bar blues, first on A minor then on F Major. Considering Freddie, Brian and Roger were all Zeppelin fans, any of them could theoretically compose one or many songs with those details. So, in this case, the best evidence we can count on is indeed the recollection from Dr May. SOUL BROTHER Released on 1981, no official writing credt (as far as I know) May credited it to Freddie on his soapbox (anybody remembers the date?) Musically it's quite a simple track too. It's got a chord stream (bVI > bVII > I) which is reminiscent of what Mercury used to do at the time (e.g. Crazy Little Thing and, reversed, Play the Game). ONE VISION Released in 1985, credited to all four of them Deacon admitted (GVHII) not being as involved as his bandmates While the 'making of' video shows Freddie, Roger and Brian working together on it, it's evident that May's input on lyrics was only 'overseeing' the process, while the words were basically written by Taylor and edited by Mercury. Musically, Roger's shown explaining the riff to May, and the latter's playing the synth intro. Indeed, the music all points to May: - The intro&middle-eight sequence is practically an updated Doing All Right progression - The whole crescendo (adding one instrument at a time) intro is also May-esque: Keep Yourself Alive - I>i modulation is chiefly (though not entirely) his trademark in the band: Teo, '39... - Chorus progression is reminiscent of Hammer to Fall verse - Middle-eight is based on the intro progression, which is more May-esque (Leaving Home, '39, All Dead...) than Mercury-esque (e.g. Keep Passing the Open Windows). - Freddie's input on conducting Brian and Roger on their instruments could be regarded as arrangements more than actual co-writing. PARTY Released in 1989, credited to Queen Taylor (Queen for an Hour, 1989) admitted not being present when they wrote it David Richards credited Freddie for starting the 'we have a good time' theme Mercury credited lyrics to all of them Leaving lyrics aside, the song is very Freddie-esque: - Intro on static chord (reminiscent of Let's Turn It On and Body Language, to name just two) - Chord progressions are similar to those in the 'Hot Space' era (e.g. Staying Power, Body Language) - G > A > B > C progression (in A Major) has an S-S-H motion, which is the same (though inverted in direction) as the Andalusian cadence Freddie used in some songs (e.g. It's a Hard Life, pre-solo, only on bass). - A > C modulation is abrupt. In that area in particular, May used to pivot rather than phrase-switch (e.g. Back to the Light), so we can (with very little error margin) exclude him. - The 'funky' guitar bit near the end is also similar to what Fred'd written for the 'Mr Bad Guy' album. To be continued, edited, corrected, etc. |
| steven 35638 08.01.2009 15:49 |
This is quite good. Thank you for taking the time to write out and explain these songs. I look forward to reading more. Cheers! |
| Sebastian 08.01.2009 17:37 |
KHASHOGGI'S SHIP Mercury credited its lyrics to all four of them. So did David Richards. Musically, the song's quite Freddie-esque as well: - 'Who said that my party was all over' and 'we're having a miracle on earth' have virtually the same phrasing. - Section over static chord: Somebody to Love, All God's People, Living on My Own... - The way the verse progression is recycled for the scat bit (see also how Fred recycled bits from different sections in Bo Rhap and Black Queen, to name just two) - The Dorian-mode ending's a nice cross-reference with Liar, Great King Rat and Was It All Worth It - Structure and general harmony are closer to Body Language than any other Queen song THE MIRACLE Mercury credited the lyrics to all four of them. He also said that he and John made some chords and decided the theme (which btw is very different to having them writing *all* of the chords, *most* of the chords, *many* of the chords or even chords that ended up used). May and Richards have credited it to Freddie several times. Indeed the song couldn't be more Mercury-esque: - Two-bar four-per-bar keyboards before lyrics begin (My Fairy King, Bo Rhap) - E-Flat Major is virtually Freddie's homekey - Non-square phrasing all throughout - Loads of third inversions: Great King Rat, Bo Rhap... - The way the key's brought back to C minor for the second cycle is reminiscent of We Are the Champions - V > IV > I chord progression also used in Khashoggi's Ship I WANT IT ALL Recent releases already credit it to May Indeed, the song's very Brian-esque in its musical aspects: - i > I modulation and back (Teo Torriatte, Keep Yourself Alive, '39) executed similarly - Intro+Verse+Chorus+Solo all over the same progression as in The Show Must Go On - The way each chorus is scored, vocal-wise, is completely Brian-esque: Teo, Show, even his own arrangement of All the Way from Memphis INVISIBLE MAN QFAH: both Fred and Bri credited it to Roger. Bri did the same again for GVHII. David Richards also credited it to Mr Taylor Music: - Backing track sequenced very similarly to Action this Day in terms of riffs and rhythm - Similar structure to One Vision (but not the harmony itself) - Fragmentary short vocal phrases as in Rock It A NEW LIFE IS BORN Fred said (QFAH) that it was a separate song. David Richards credited it to him. Indeed, music is all Mercury: - Almost the same structure as Bo Rhap's intro (first a cappella and then piano enters). - Indeed, it's a lot more musically advanced that Bo Rhap (intro again) - The edited-out bit is very similar to Lily of the Valley in terms of harmony BREAKTHRU Freddie credited it to Roger (QFAH), and so did David Richards and Brian May many years later. Omitting the modulation (which Taylor admitted not being his idea), the song's got six chords, all of which appear on Radio Ga Ga on the same functions and a similar order. The pumping chorus is very similar to that in Ga Ga and Action, though melody starts off a bit later here. RAIN MUST FALL Brian was asked about its music once, and said 'very much a Deacon area' (which doesn't necessarily mean John composed 100% of it, let alone the lyrics). The song itself is so simple that anyone of them could've written it. But the whole C > Am/C progression is a bit reminiscent of Dm/C > C in Best Friend. The way it's later transposed also reminds me of You and I (middle-eight). SCANDAL Roger said to Bri 'I think this is yours' (although that was more related to the lyrics). May and Richards also have confirmed it as Brian's. Music: - The way the 'iv' function appears shortly before the end is similar to Too Much Love, from the same composer and around the same era. - Square-phrasing all throughout, which is more May-esque (Freddie would've tried something more unusual for those situations). - The third middle-eight is reminiscent of the break in Let Your Heart Rule Your Head, also from the same era. MY BABY DOES ME QFAH, May, Mercury and Deacon credited it to F&J. So did David Richards. Music: - i > III > IV > V progression is very similar to i > III > IV > VI > VII in Back Chat - VI > III > iv > V > III > i in the middle-eight also sounds more Deacon-esque to me, but I can't explain why... yet. WAS IT ALL WORTH IT Both May and Richards have credited it to Mercury. Music: link INNUENDO Lyrics were, reportedly, started off by Freddie and then completed by Roger. Music was started by Brian, Roger and John and then taken over by Freddie. Indeed its details are more Mercury-esque: - Andalusian cadence (Great King Rat, Barcelona, etc) - Middle-eight in 3/4 (Bicycle Race) - The chorus progression is almost the same as the one in The Miracle - The resolution at the end is reminiscent of My Fairy King |
| AP-Racing 08.01.2009 19:37 |
Thank you Seb Last part of Hangman very semilar on Ogre Battle |
| greataddict 09.01.2009 04:26 |
outstanding demonstration, very nice work! I had a few opinions, that you're actually invalidating, I guess I'd better listen to those songs again?! cheers |
| Raf 09.01.2009 05:58 |
You once said you don't see Queen + Paul Rodgers as such, but as Brian May + Roger Taylor + Paul Rodgers, yet you said that doesn't mean you don't like their work (that remark was before Cosmos Rocks was released, though - so I don't know how you see them nowadays). Do you think you could possibly make an analysis of the new album, point out the songwriting trademarks and such (either here on Queenzone, or on that section of your website for non-Queen music)...? I'd be interesting to read. |
| Vali 09.01.2009 06:07 |
Raf wrote: You once said you don't see Queen + Paul Rodgers as such, but as Brian May + Roger Taylor + Paul Rodgers, yet you said that doesn't mean you don't like their work (that remark was before Cosmos Rocks was released, though - so I don't know how you see them nowadays). Do you think you could possibly make an analysis of the new album, point out the songwriting trademarks and such (either here on Queenzone, or on that section of your website for non-Queen music)...? I'd be interesting to read. totally seconding that !! I love reading your analysis btw ... and would love to read one on TCR one day cheers! |
| Holly2003 09.01.2009 06:19 |
Re: Stone Cold Crazy and your comment "One of the closing scales even appears (almost note by note identically) on Great King Rat, further pointing at Mercury." I don't think you can make this assumption. Unless Fred wrote the guitar solo note for note for Brian to play (as he apparently did on Bo Rap) then it's more likely that Brian did here what he said he often does, i.e. just let his fingers fall into familiar patterns. |
| cmsdrums 09.01.2009 07:20 |
Thanks. Just a couple of confirmations really which I hope may help back you up: Rain Must Fall: Yes, it is very much John - check out the tracks he did for the Biggles film, and it is almost identical musically (if not melody-wise). In fact the percussion intro may even have some of the same parts contained in it. The Miracle: Yes, Freddie. From memory, the piece that Brian wrote in the concert programme for the Freddie Tribute gig said something about how easily Freddie wrote songs that slipped between keys, and then he cited Play The Game and The Miracle as examples. Keep up the good work on this - a very good topic, interesting (especially to the musos - and drummers! - here)and something that historically should be recorded for a band as important as Queen. Cheers |
| Serry... 09.01.2009 07:39 |
"His [Freddie's] songs say it all [...] The Miracle, Play The Game and many others all have the finest shades of emotion among the bold strokes." "The Miracle track, which is mainly Freddie, is a small masterpiece in its own way. And Was It All Worth It I really like. That's me and Fred, but more him. For that track we did all sit around and try to come up with rhymes and stuff. Roger's very good at that." etc. etc. etc. |
| Raf 09.01.2009 08:02 |
Holly2003 wrote: Re: Stone Cold Crazy and your comment "One of the closing scales even appears (almost note by note identically) on Great King Rat, further pointing at Mercury." I don't think you can make this assumption. Unless Fred wrote the guitar solo note for note for Brian to play (as he apparently did on Bo Rap) then it's more likely that Brian did here what he says he often dies, i.e. just let his fingers fall into familiar patterns. Freddie did not do that on BoRhap... He asked Brian to come up with something for him. |
| thomasquinn 32989 09.01.2009 08:16 |
Sebastian wrote: - I>i modulation is chiefly (though not entirely) his trademark in the band: Teo, '39... I think this is not a valid argument: I-i modulation is the most common (or perhaps second most common, after half-step) modulation in classical music, and thus something anyone who has even superficial knowledge of classical harmony would be familiar with. Since all four members of Queen knew music theory (though, admittedly, in varying degrees), any of them could have introduced this. |
| Holly2003 09.01.2009 08:54 |
Raf wrote:Holly2003 wrote: Re: Stone Cold Crazy and your comment "One of the closing scales even appears (almost note by note identically) on Great King Rat, further pointing at Mercury." I don't think you can make this assumption. Unless Fred wrote the guitar solo note for note for Brian to play (as he apparently did on Bo Rap) then it's more likely that Brian did here what he says he often dies, i.e. just let his fingers fall into familiar patterns.Freddie did not do that on BoRhap... He asked Brian to come up with something for him. Really? I thought we had a discussion about this when the BoRap masters were leaked and there was agreement that Freddie was responsible for virtually everything. For example, I thought the the hard rock bit after the operatic section in BoRap might've been Deaky's, but those with better knowledge of Queen than I said that Fred laid it all out and the band just followed his instructions. My larger point still stands though: we can't assume Brian's similar guitar pieces in SCC and GKR mean that Fred wrote SCC. Although he probably did ;) |
| pittrek 09.01.2009 10:42 |
Seb - fantastic as always, thanks a lot ! |
| Shane Jazz 09.01.2009 11:00 |
Thanks so Much Sebastian. Always a "must read". I am looking forward to your analysis of Too much Love Will Kill You. |
| FriedChicken 09.01.2009 11:08 |
"Really? I thought we had a discussion about this when the BoRap masters were leaked and there was agreement that Freddie was responsible for virtually everything" Well, On the Borhap documentary Brian says he could hear parts of the solo in his head when Roger, Freddie and John were laying down the backing track. |
| thomasquinn 32989 09.01.2009 11:28 |
FriedChicken wrote: "Really? I thought we had a discussion about this when the BoRap masters were leaked and there was agreement that Freddie was responsible for virtually everything" Well, On the Borhap documentary Brian says he could hear parts of the solo in his head when Roger, Freddie and John were laying down the backing track. Yeah, well, Freddie was obviously telepathically beaming Brian the solo, because he is God, right? |
| FriedChicken 09.01.2009 11:43 |
How could I forget that! Sorry Lord Freddie. Please don't fire thunderbolts and lightning at my ass, o Lord. |
| inu-liger 09.01.2009 15:26 |
FriedChicken wrote: How could I forget that! Sorry Lord Freddie. Please don't fire thunderbolts and lightning at my ass, o Lord. Very very frightening me! |
| Holly2003 09.01.2009 15:50 |
Is this the point where another good thread turns to shit? |
| Sebastian 09.01.2009 17:08 |
> Do you think you could possibly make an analysis of the new album, point out the songwriting trademarks and such (either here on Queenzone, or on that section of your website for non-Queen music)...? I'd be interesting to read. Maybe, but I admit I haven't listened to the album. I'm really not interested. But who knows, maybe I listen to it today, or tomorrow, or next week... but I'll analyse Queen music first ;) > I don't think you can make this assumption. Unless Fred wrote the guitar solo note for note for Brian to play... I don't mean that the whole solo is Fred's creation (and I don't mean it isn't either). But the riff at least is surely his, further pointing at Mercury (as the song's main writer). > I think this is not a valid argument: I-i modulation is the most common (or perhaps second most common, after half-step) modulation in classical music, and thus something anyone who has even superficial knowledge of classical harmony would be familiar with. Since all four members of Queen knew music theory (though, admittedly, in varying degrees), any of them could have introduced this. Of course, and of course they all did, but Brian did it more often than the others. The modulation alone doesn't count as 'evidence of May as songwriter', but if you put the modulation and other details, you can suspect of him. Same as, say, Freddie and piano-friendly keys. > Thanks so Much Sebastian. Always a "must read". I am looking forward to your analysis of Too much Love Will Kill You. That one wasn't credited to the band, so I'm gonna skip it for the moment. Lovely song, though! |
| thomasquinn 32989 10.01.2009 07:05 |
What would you call a piano-friendly key? Personally, I'm partial to Bb, but that's just because that was the first key I learned to play. I'd say that on a piano, in contrast to most other instruments, every key is as easy to play as every other. |
| Sebastian 10.01.2009 08:20 |
Of course that's completely subjective, but, statistically, there are keys more usual for certain instruments. Guitar-friendly keys are roughly from one to three sharps plus D Minor and E Major. Piano-friendly are roughly from one to four flats. Neither C Major nor A minor are as piano- or guitar-friendly as people use to think, but they're still used very often. |
| mike hunt 11.01.2009 01:37 |
stone cold crazy might have been originally from mercury, but I think the reason why mercury gave credit to all 4 of them was because their input was so strong. If freddie was the real writer of that song it would have been credited to fred, and not all 4 of them. |
| thomasquinn 32989 11.01.2009 12:05 |
Sebastian wrote: Of course that's completely subjective, but, statistically, there are keys more usual for certain instruments. Guitar-friendly keys are roughly from one to three sharps plus D Minor and E Major. Piano-friendly are roughly from one to four flats. Neither C Major nor A minor are as piano- or guitar-friendly as people use to think, but they're still used very often. Indeed I understood as much, but on what basis is instrument-friendliness decided? With wind instruments and certain others, I can imagine consideration of fingering, embouchure and the likes, such as open strings on guitar, but apart from facility in reading the score I can think of no considerations especially limiting for key instruments. |
| Sebastian 11.01.2009 14:25 |
Anatomically, a pianist hand may feel more comfortable with two digits on black keys (e.g. thumb and ring, or thumb and middle) and one on the white key (fore or middle). That's why keys such as F Major, B-Flat Major, E-Flat Major and A-Flat Major may be more suitable for piano players than, say, B minor. Of course, that's subjective, but stats also imply that: off Chopin's works, all of which have piano, very few are in keys like G Major, D Major or A Major (about five each); on the other hand, compositions in F Major, B-Flat Major and E-Flat Major easily double up their sharp-side counterparts. C-Sharp minor is probably the only sharp-side key that's largely favoured by piano composers, just like loads of pieces for guitar are in D minor. But otherwise, guitarists tend to stay away from flat-side keys (unless there's a trick involved such as alternate tuning), and pianists tend to favour flats rather than sharps. Not in vain Yesterday is usually performed in G Major instead of F Major. And, btw, that song was composed on piano. |
| thomasquinn 32989 11.01.2009 14:31 |
Interesting. I'm personally very partial to flat based keys on both guitar and piano when improvising or composing. I always suspected that the prolific use of some keys rather than others was mostly to do with the subtle differences in musical color between different tonics for the same type of scale. |
| Sebastian 11.01.2009 14:41 |
That's also a factor. In the case of Queen, there may be loads of different reasons behind each key choice. For instance, Bo Rhap in D-Flat/G-Flat/C/A-Flat would've been more difficult to play for Mercury, and the high notes in the ballad section would be Eb's rather than tenor C's; and Roger would have to sing a soprano Db in 'for me' (which he obviously could, but not as easily as the Bb). Bo Rhap in G Major/C Major / F-Sharp Major / D Major wouldn't sound as 'heroic' (for lack of a better word) and it'd be very hard for Freddie to sing a low E (although he probably could do it). |
| Sebastian 11.01.2009 23:08 |
I'M GOING SLIGHTLY MAD Credited (by Richards, May, Taylor, Hutton and Freestone) to Mercury. Reportedly there's some ghost input by Straker on the lyrics. - Intro has a similar formula to some of Fred's solo tracks (Let's Turn It On, Living on My Own), though it's so simple itself that can't be counted as a trademark per se. - 'Uh-uh-ah-ah' break is reminiscent of the 'shark' extension on Two Legs. - Maj > dim progression as in Barcelona and Lap of the Gods HEADLONG May confirmed having written it for his solo album - Key seems to modulate (or at least tonicise) between Major and minor on a fairly similar way to '39 or Keep Yourself Alive (so-so). I think Why Don't We Try Again can work as another parallel. Note how Freddie's i>I modulations (e.g. Slightly Mad) were executed very differently. - Rhythm of some riffs and fills are very similar to Love Token, no wonder why he played them closely on the set during his solo tours - First chorus hasn't got backing vocals, the others are more bombastic. Classic Brian: Prophet's Song, Teo Torriatte, Show Must Go On, I Want It All (album version) and his cover of All the Way from Memphis - Alternate choruses, as in Prophet's Song (to name just one). I CAN'T LIVE WITH YOU May confirmed it'd been conceived for 'Back to the Light' - Chorus progression is basically the same as I Want It All middle-eight. - Semi-chromatic riffs as in Keep Yourself Alive - Tonicisation to the parallel's relative DON'T TRY SO HARD May confirmed it's Mercury's (Q Mag, 2004) - Verse uses the same chord functions as Living on My Own's: i > iv > VII - Chromatically-descending progression as in Bo Rhap and Black Queen - i > IV phrase modulation (May would've probably gone pivot in the same situation) - Nice Mercury-esque extension at the end RIDE THE WILD WIND May confirmed it as Taylor's in 1991. Ten years later, Richards did so too. - Opening progression is V > vi > IV > I, which is the reversed version of 1-4-6-5 used in Surrender (refrain) - The beat actually works quite nicely if you put it together with Invisible Man's - I > V progression with pedal bass also found on Radio Ga Ga (same key) and Days of Our Lives - v/iii chord in the verse, as in Drowse ALL GOD'S PEOPLE Registered in BMI (if I remember correctly) to the four band members, not to Mike Credited as Mercury's by both May (1991, 1994) and Richards - Ehalfdim chord in the context of D Major/minor, as in Slightly Mad - Static-chord long section as in Somebody to Love, Great King Rat, Ogre Battle, Liar... - V>v progression using third inversions (both chords are with M11th) is probably Mike's contribution DAYS OF OUR LIVES Credited to Taylor by May, Richards and himself - C Major was virtually Roger's homekey during that era, together with F Major - link DELILAH Credited to Mercury by Hutton, Freestone, May and Richards It uses eight chords, four of which are part of the standard set (I, ii, IV, V), and additionally includes: - viihalfdim: Diatonic function, used before in Bohemian Rhapsody. - biidim: Chromatic, explored in Lily Of The Valley. - II (V-V): Chromatic, as in loads of earlier tracks (Bo Rhap, Bicycle...). - ivdim: Chromatic (Bo Rhap, Champions) THE HITMAN May confirmed (1991, Sunset Strip) that Mercury wrote the riff, then May changed it (and the key), and finally Deacon re-arranged the order. All other details are unconfirmed (and the fact there's a demo with Brian singing ten lines or so doesn't guarantee that the remaining 80% of the song is his). - Beginning the song 'far from home' (music-wise) is an old 'n' new trick from Freddie's: Lap of the Gods, My Fairy King, A New Life Is Born - The 'ain't no escaping...' bit is probably May's input (similar formula to Dragon Attack, also placed in a similar part of the verse) - Modulation down and up is reminiscent of Let Me Entertain You - Riff-design is also Freddie-esque (in sixths, May seemed to favour tenths more, as in KYA - to be double-checked) - Ending 'jam' was also probably Brian's idea (see Father to Son) BIJOU Brian confirmed recently being more involved with the vocal parts, while Freddie (yes, Freddie) was more involved with the guitar parts (you don't need to be a top guitarist to write excellent guitar lines). - Maj > dim change as in Barcelona, Lap of the Gods and Slightly Mad - i > IV/VI modulation is a stride-kind, which is rather Freddie-esque (though I'm not sure if he used that exact type before) - The ending is similar (harmonically) to that in Don't Try So Hard THE SHOW MUST GO ON May confirmed being chiefly responsible for the lyrics, melody and arrangements. He said being influenced by Pachelbel when he wanted to build the song over one repeated sequence (which reportedly came, originally, from John and Roger). May-esque details in the music: - Modulation's done similarly to No-One But You - C#halfdim appears with some frequency during his later-day compositions (Who Wants to Live Forever, Too Much Love) - Just like I Want It All (same author, one or two years of difference), intro, verses, choruses and solos are done over the same progression - First chorus without bv, the others are more bombastic Prophet's Song, Teo Torriatte, Headlong, I Want It All (album version) and his All the Way from Memphis cover. |
| leto 12.01.2009 03:49 |
Wonderful work ! I love to read all that explanations ! Very interesting. Thank you so much. [img=/images/smiley/msn/thumbs_up.gif][/img] |
| Richard Lopata (new email) 12.01.2009 08:23 |
This is truly outstanding work! Keep it up! cheerz! Richard |
| Sebastian 12.01.2009 11:21 |
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY Credited by Richards to Freddie. Brian said that the oboe part was John's idea but of course it doesn't mean the whole song is his (remember the KoHD case) - I > bVI modulation and back as in Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy - The opening progression in the verse is similar to the one in We Are the Champions - Ninth chord in third inversion as in Bohemian Rhapsody, resolved similarly too LET ME LIVE Not officially credited to anybody. The song itself is quite simple, which makes it very hard to find trademarks. Both the key, the progressions (such as I > iii > IV > V, also found in blink-182's First Date, which I love) and even the IV > VI/i > V > I bit, are all generic enough to be within all four's compositional vocabulary. Maybe the actual composer's fingerprints can be found through a more detailed analysis, which hopefully will come one of these days. YOU DON'T FOOL ME Richards confirmed it as Mercury & Taylor. May said Deacon and Taylor had had a lot to do with the bare bones but it's not the same as saying the whole song is theirs. Again, the track's very simple, harmonically, and it's quite hard to establish individual trademarks there. Maybe the way melody overlaps the main riff, which is similar to Breakthru: 'you don't fool me' vs. 'I wake up'. The i > VII > iv > i progression with pedal bass is somewhat characteristic of Queen later period in general (e.g. i > VII > VII > VI in Mother Love, i > VII > VI in Scandal). A WINTER'S TALE Credited to Mercury by both Richards and May (I think) link |
| Winter Land Man 14.01.2009 16:44 |
Thanks buddy! I always enjoy this thread =) |
| August R. 17.01.2009 04:57 |
Sebastian wrote: YOU DON'T FOOL ME Richards confirmed it as Mercury & Taylor. May said Deacon and Taylor had had a lot to do with the bare bones but it's not the same as saying the whole song is theirs. Didn't Brian also say that it was Richards who turned this one into a song? While Freddie was still alive, it was just an idea: little bits of vocals and some chords that Richards turned into a song. Of course, it's impossible to say what actually existed before Richards took over (save Freddie's melody lines). Maybe Richards was more arranger than composer, but who knows, maybe he had more input than we want to admit. And as you said earlier, sometimes it's a fine line between composing and arranging. |
| boca 17.01.2009 08:38 |
August R. wrote:Sebastian wrote: YOU DON'T FOOL ME Richards confirmed it as Mercury & Taylor. May said Deacon and Taylor had had a lot to do with the bare bones but it's not the same as saying the whole song is theirs.Didn't Brian also say that it was Richards who turned this one into a song? While Freddie was still alive, it was just an idea: little bits of vocals and some chords that Richards turned into a song. Of course, it's impossible to say what actually existed before Richards took over (save Freddie's melody lines). Maybe Richards was more arranger than composer, but who knows, maybe he had more input than we want to admit. And as you said earlier, sometimes it's a fine line between composing and arranging. We must find that guy Richards :) |
| Sebastian 17.01.2009 14:32 |
There's also a long-running theory about credits: had Queen been a different band, say The Eagles, they'd have been much more specific with input. 'A Hard Life' would've probably credited Mercury and May, 'Slightly Mad' would include Straker, and maybe a couple of tracks would've added more people to them. We'll never know anyway... |
| Joma 17.01.2009 20:37 |
Sebastian wrote:
HEADLONG
May confirmed having written it for his solo album
- Rhythm of some riffs and fills are very similar to Love Token, no wonder why he played them closely on the set during his solo tours
For both of the songs you need a "tuned-down" guitar. So it was not for rhythm-purpose but avoiding another guitar-change :) |
| Sebastian 17.01.2009 20:46 |
It could've been for both reasons ;) |
| akindofmagic 18.01.2009 23:34 |
"Kasshoggi's Ship" and "the Guv'nor" are actually almost the same song, so how can you(Sebastian) say that Freddie wrote the first? |
| Sebastian 19.01.2009 01:33 |
Similar, yes. The same, hardly. But there's some good stuff in that... I may have to rethink it. Thanks. |
| john bodega 19.01.2009 02:20 |
See, as you're far better acquainted with theory you could probably make a strong case for it being Freddie's, (and I thought I heard it said that it was his in an interview somewhere anyway), but actually when I heard Khashoggi's Ship the first thing I thought of was I Can't Live With You, a Brian tune. Not sure why (!) |
| thomasquinn 32989 19.01.2009 07:06 |
No song performed by a band will ever fully be written by a single person, as anyone will add a personal touch to even the most elaborate, anal-retentive score, not to mention the fact that I highly doubt a single Queen-song was released that did not feature input from all four members in the compositional and recording stages. It is quite possible that Freddie borrowed a 'Brian-gimmick' or the other way 'round. |
| Bo Alex 26.01.2009 14:43 |
Thanks Sebastian!! I really enjoy reading your articles. |
| Bobby_brown 26.01.2009 16:49 |
Great stuff! From the top of my head, i remember these facts: - Freddie changed the direction of "These are the days of our lives" at Roger's request because Roger felt stuck with it. I'm assuming that Fredie wrote the chord changes during the guitar solo since it's the only change in direction that i can hear and, - Brian wrote the solo wich Roger didn't like first but Brian told him to let it sink and now Roger loves it. The Bijou stuff is interesting since i allways thought that the guitar was Brian's. The chord changes are Freddie's but since the guitar was recorded really fast (meaning that Brian knew what he wanted to play) and Brian statements of being a tribute to Jeff Becks's "Cause we ended as lovers", can't we just assume that Freddie was just arranging the chords over wich the guitar was going to be recorded? Either way this is a great topic. Thanks for writing it, Sebastian. Taske care |
| Raf 26.01.2009 19:02 |
Brian spoke to Guitar Player in 2008 and said Freddie sung Bijou, and he simply transposed it to the guitar - and yes, he did mention it was his own tribute to Jeff Beck. Perhaps when he mentioned Jeff Beck, he was talking about the way the song was arranged and played: that "crying" tone, using the fingers instead of a plectrum... Freddie probably didn't tell Brian to use a certain pickup or to forget about the sixpence for that song, it all must've been Brian's choice. |
| Sebastian 26.01.2009 23:12 |
In fact, May confirmed that Bijou was influenced by Jeff Beck on both of them. |
| mike hunt 27.01.2009 03:26 |
Bobby_brown wrote: Great stuff! From the top of my head, i remember these facts: - Freddie changed the direction of "These are the days of our lives" at Roger's request because Roger felt stuck with it. I'm assuming that Fredie wrote the chord changes during the guitar solo since it's the only change in direction that i can hear and, - Brian wrote the solo wich Roger didn't like first but Brian told him to let it sink and now Roger loves it. The Bijou stuff is interesting since i allways thought that the guitar was Brian's. The chord changes are Freddie's but since the guitar was recorded really fast (meaning that Brian knew what he wanted to play) and Brian statements of being a tribute to Jeff Becks's "Cause we ended as lovers", can't we just assume that Freddie was just arranging the chords over wich the guitar was going to be recorded? Either way this is a great topic. Thanks for writing it, Sebastian. Taske care Interesting, I didn't know those facts about these are the days of our lives. I thought roger was the only writer of that song. |