Hi, actually I'am looking for a good website or informations that point out Queen's borrowings on Classic Music. It is a well known fact that their music had borrowings on Mozart and others. The "Under Pressure" bassline is a Gerorg Friedrich Händel "rip off" for example. Of course you can also contribute informations and your opinions right here
Thanks in advance.
maybe not classic, but just the same - there's Noel coward styling going on on opera and races.
and again not classic - but any fool must be able to hear Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out" on "Keep Passing the Open Windows"
freddie liked Rachmaninoff, so there's probably some influences on his two solo albums, and maybe even the mid-80s queen stuff he wrote.
The opening lyric and melody of "It's a Hard Life" is based on the line "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto!" (Laugh, clown, at your broken love!) from "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci.
(from wikipedia)
The cello flourish in the intro / outro of ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY is from a classical piece.
The riff of WAS IT ALL WORTH IT comes from an orchestral movie soundtrack (not technically classical, I know)
The King Of Rhye wrote:
The opening lyric and melody of "It's a Hard Life" is based on the line "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto!" (Laugh, clown, at your broken love!) from "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci.
Not classical but orchestral I suppose, the guitar at the start of Death on Two Legs is based on Bernard Herrmann's score for the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's film Pyscho. Norman Bates/Shefield etc.
The disco/funk group "Chic" were not very amused when they heard John Deacon's "Another one bites the dust"
and yes Joe Jackson's "Steppin Out" was nicked for "Keep on passing the open windows"
Also on "The Game" album Queen ripped "The Police" off with "Don't try suicide"
with the guitar pieces that made the police well known.
@Ian R The intro/outro from It's a beautiful day is a borrowed theme from Frederick Delius "La calinda".
Love of my life has in it a theme from Bach Partita No. 1 in B flat major.
The King Of Rhye wrote:
The opening lyric and melody of "It's a Hard Life" is based on the line "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto!" (Laugh, clown, at your broken love!) from "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci.
(from wikipedia)
It is close,this part with Pavarotti but its all nothing,Ithink despite Freddie of being a fan of Luciano didnt take that element for his hit "Its A Hard Life"..
The King Of Rhye wrote:
The opening lyric and melody of "It's a Hard Life" is based on the line "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto!" (Laugh, clown, at your broken love!) from "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci.
(from wikipedia)
I always thought it was a copy of the Otis B. Driftwood version from 'A Night at the Opera' ;-)
As the good doctor said at one point, no one creates in a vacuum. As the good Billy Squier said at one point, when you start as a writer it's imitation, then innovation. All the notes have been used, all Queen members have been inspired and inspired to make their music stand on its own merits. Think they did a pretty good job of that without being lifters a la Led Zeppelin.
gerry wrote:
The disco/funk group "Chic" were not very amused when they heard John Deacon's "Another one bites the dust"
.
I think in this case it's a different animal because John was doin a session with that band. Everything is possible....Give a little bit...TAKE a little bit.
Mr.Mouth wrote:
It is close,this part with Pavarotti but its all nothing,Ithink despite Freddie of being a fan of Luciano didnt take that element for his hit "Its A Hard Life"..
The intro is definitely directly lifted from that piece. That's not really a bad thing, since it's used effectively enough, but don't think that Queen didn't occasionally take things.