Dear Queenzone,
I've recently noticed that many of you seem to believe that some Queen songs have homosexual themes. I'm asking for you to tell us which Queen songs you think are "gay" and then state a reasonable explanation for each one. If you don't think there are any "gay" themed Queen songs tell us why.
Thank you for your participation.
With respect,
Ramirez
Thread
Posts in chronological order
'Body Language', and perhaps some others.
your topic is gay
Don't you think a group of four lads called "Queen" is a bit of a give away?
The video for "I want to Break free" can easily be read as a homosexual enterprise for Freddie. It can be interpreted as his way of coming out. He portrays three types of gay stereotypes in this video.
1. The drag theme
2. Cock rocker, and his castro clone style.
3. Balletdancer
-> The whole video is an attack on the heteronormative view on gender. You can easily put all the three stereotypes Freddie portray up against the miners, which stand for the normative ("correct") view of masculinity in our society.
The ballett is actually a recreation of a masturbation.
The musicolog Judith Peraino has an interesting view on Bohemian Rhapsody. She has some fact mistakes, but apart from that I think she has some good points:
A Sojourn to Italy: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
With its eclectic mix of music styles, hints of homoeroticism, and campy (if
not downright goofy) nod to Italian opera, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”
seems an unlikely song to have become the anthem for suburban teenage
boys. Yet after its initial release in late 1975, the song reached number one
in England, where it stayed for a record-breaking nine weeks. 85 The band also
had wild success in Japan. In 1992 “Bohemian Rhapsody” enjoyed a phoenixlike
resurrection when it was featured in the movie Wayne’s World. During this
second life, “Bohemian Rhapsody” reached number two on the American
charts, climbing higher than it had in 1976, when it peaked at number nine.
The song was, and still is, an emblem of 1970s excess and bombast; it was the
most expensive single song ever produced, and it was long, clocking in at six
minutes— twice the normal playing time.
From the very beginning of the band’s career, lead singer and songwriter
Freddie Mercury (born Farookh Bulsara) liberally sprinkled gay innuendos
throughout his lyrics and song styles. The name Queen, for example, mixes
campy gay slang with images of royalty and aristocracy. 86 Further images of
precious refinement were given voice in Mercury’s nostalgic British music
hall numbers, such as their first big hit “Killer Queen” (1974) and especially
“Old Fashioned Lover Boy” (1976). These vaudeville-style songs call to mind
the 1920s dandy, along with his female counterpart, the flapper. According
to the memoirs of Mercury’s personal assistant, sexual references lay close
to the surface of many lyrics. Mercury would first compose phrases with offcolor
“dummy” words and then clean them up later: “Guilt stains on my pillow”
began as “Cum stains on my pillow,” “Radio Ga Ga” as “Radio Ca Ca,”
and “Staying Power” as “Fucking Power.” 87 It is easy to imagine how something
similar could be true for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The word “bohemian” has long been a catchall word for people who live
outside the norm on the margins of mainstream society, typically artists, writers,
and musicians who were also sexual “free spirits.” Mercury intended
“Bohemian Rhapsody” to be a “mock opera,” something outside the norm
of rock songs, and it does follow a certain operatic logic: choruses of multitracked
voices alternate with arialike solos, the emotions are excessive, the
plot confusing. An opening chorus draws the listener in with a question that
seems equally appropriate to Tra le fiamme or Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre: “Is
this the real life, is this just fantasy?” We are on another musical flight of
fancy, another sublimation of passions, as the first aria suggests:
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead. 88
This might be a simple story of murder, but it also seems to be a melodrama
of homoeroticism. Guns, after all, are phallic; the phrase “my trigger” clearly
locates “the gun” on the body. The lack of subject pronouns creates confusion
over agency: exactly who has pulled the trigger? The son? The other
man? The mother?— for the juxtaposition of sexual double entendres with
“Mama” invites an Oedipal reading, in wh
1. The drag theme
2. Cock rocker, and his castro clone style.
3. Balletdancer
-> The whole video is an attack on the heteronormative view on gender. You can easily put all the three stereotypes Freddie portray up against the miners, which stand for the normative ("correct") view of masculinity in our society.
The ballett is actually a recreation of a masturbation.
The musicolog Judith Peraino has an interesting view on Bohemian Rhapsody. She has some fact mistakes, but apart from that I think she has some good points:
A Sojourn to Italy: “Bohemian Rhapsody”
With its eclectic mix of music styles, hints of homoeroticism, and campy (if
not downright goofy) nod to Italian opera, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”
seems an unlikely song to have become the anthem for suburban teenage
boys. Yet after its initial release in late 1975, the song reached number one
in England, where it stayed for a record-breaking nine weeks. 85 The band also
had wild success in Japan. In 1992 “Bohemian Rhapsody” enjoyed a phoenixlike
resurrection when it was featured in the movie Wayne’s World. During this
second life, “Bohemian Rhapsody” reached number two on the American
charts, climbing higher than it had in 1976, when it peaked at number nine.
The song was, and still is, an emblem of 1970s excess and bombast; it was the
most expensive single song ever produced, and it was long, clocking in at six
minutes— twice the normal playing time.
From the very beginning of the band’s career, lead singer and songwriter
Freddie Mercury (born Farookh Bulsara) liberally sprinkled gay innuendos
throughout his lyrics and song styles. The name Queen, for example, mixes
campy gay slang with images of royalty and aristocracy. 86 Further images of
precious refinement were given voice in Mercury’s nostalgic British music
hall numbers, such as their first big hit “Killer Queen” (1974) and especially
“Old Fashioned Lover Boy” (1976). These vaudeville-style songs call to mind
the 1920s dandy, along with his female counterpart, the flapper. According
to the memoirs of Mercury’s personal assistant, sexual references lay close
to the surface of many lyrics. Mercury would first compose phrases with offcolor
“dummy” words and then clean them up later: “Guilt stains on my pillow”
began as “Cum stains on my pillow,” “Radio Ga Ga” as “Radio Ca Ca,”
and “Staying Power” as “Fucking Power.” 87 It is easy to imagine how something
similar could be true for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The word “bohemian” has long been a catchall word for people who live
outside the norm on the margins of mainstream society, typically artists, writers,
and musicians who were also sexual “free spirits.” Mercury intended
“Bohemian Rhapsody” to be a “mock opera,” something outside the norm
of rock songs, and it does follow a certain operatic logic: choruses of multitracked
voices alternate with arialike solos, the emotions are excessive, the
plot confusing. An opening chorus draws the listener in with a question that
seems equally appropriate to Tra le fiamme or Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre: “Is
this the real life, is this just fantasy?” We are on another musical flight of
fancy, another sublimation of passions, as the first aria suggests:
Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead. 88
This might be a simple story of murder, but it also seems to be a melodrama
of homoeroticism. Guns, after all, are phallic; the phrase “my trigger” clearly
locates “the gun” on the body. The lack of subject pronouns creates confusion
over agency: exactly who has pulled the trigger? The son? The other
man? The mother?— for the juxtaposition of sexual double entendres with
“Mama” invites an Oedipal reading, in wh
erm...i want o break free was in fact a piss tak of coronation street...and it was rogers other halfs idea... so i dont think this is meant to be gay at all.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]David Jones wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Don't you think a group of four lads called "Queen" is a bit of a give away?[/QUOTE]
Are you insinuating that I don't know that Freddie Mercury was homosexual? Please, anybody who thinks that Queen is a heterosexual rock band is talking out of their ass.
Realistically Freddie Mercury was the only homosexual of the four members. Not all Queen songs were written with gay themes, hell, maybe Queen didn't even intend for any of there songs to have those themes. It's all speculation and discussion.
Need I remind you that Freddie Mercury once said "if you see it, then it's there?" So, tell everybody what you see and simply discuss it. I'm not asking you guys for help, I'm just interested in seeing your different view points.
Notice that by opening this thread I didn't even take any sides, I merely started a topic for all to participate in and take sides. It's amazing how many degenerates are attracted to attacking the topic starter, and I'm not pointing my finger directly at you.
Are you insinuating that I don't know that Freddie Mercury was homosexual? Please, anybody who thinks that Queen is a heterosexual rock band is talking out of their ass.
Realistically Freddie Mercury was the only homosexual of the four members. Not all Queen songs were written with gay themes, hell, maybe Queen didn't even intend for any of there songs to have those themes. It's all speculation and discussion.
Need I remind you that Freddie Mercury once said "if you see it, then it's there?" So, tell everybody what you see and simply discuss it. I'm not asking you guys for help, I'm just interested in seeing your different view points.
Notice that by opening this thread I didn't even take any sides, I merely started a topic for all to participate in and take sides. It's amazing how many degenerates are attracted to attacking the topic starter, and I'm not pointing my finger directly at you.
It doesnt matter whose idea it was. But the fact is that it came from Dominique (Roger's girlfriend at the time)And yes it was a humouristic spoof of Coronation street. But to say that there are no homosexual content in the video.... hmm... are you blind???
Freddie did never admit being a homosexual. Why should he? It is incredible to watch many of his videos, where he almost jumps out of the closet. I mean if you look at "It's a hard life"... Come on! Ans after all those videos people are still wondering whether he was gay or not... It's incredible, and beyond comprehension.
I've stated many times that "Bicycle Race" and "Good Ol Fashion Loverboy" were very gay songs and what a coincedence both written by Freddie! Nothing wrong with that though. As far as the "It's A Hard Life" video was it was a take on Victorian times and how you see Gay in that video I'll never know. The only thing you could remotely say was gay about it was Freddie's prancing about and his mannerisms but then again he did all that prancing and running about in almost all of his concerts so what's the "new found" point here? If you ask me I think that having that gayness actually helped Freddie and really showcased his flamboyant side.....Peace
^Why is it you think that Bicycle Race and Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy are gay themed songs?
What pisses me off is people shunning Queen becuase of Freddie's sexuality. If he were straight, I wonder how more popular they'd be?
I never really thought about whether a Queen song had gay themes/innuendos.
Just my opinion but I think sometimes people see things a certain way by making assumptions.
Since Freddie was gay it would make sense that his personal experience might come through in his music but alot of what someone considers a "gay" theme might be more universal than many might think. A good songwriter takes something personal and makes it accessible to a wider audience.
If Freddie wrote about the alienation he may have felt as a result of anti gay attitudes common in his lifetime I doubt it would be expressed as a gay theme but more about alienation on a more universal level.
If he wrote about something as universal as lust why limit your audience to 1 in 10 by being explicit.
I wouldn't assume a song has a gay theme or not because as a straight person I don't know what it is to be gay. I'll assume a song has a human theme since that's all I can relate to.
Just my opinion but I think sometimes people see things a certain way by making assumptions.
Since Freddie was gay it would make sense that his personal experience might come through in his music but alot of what someone considers a "gay" theme might be more universal than many might think. A good songwriter takes something personal and makes it accessible to a wider audience.
If Freddie wrote about the alienation he may have felt as a result of anti gay attitudes common in his lifetime I doubt it would be expressed as a gay theme but more about alienation on a more universal level.
If he wrote about something as universal as lust why limit your audience to 1 in 10 by being explicit.
I wouldn't assume a song has a gay theme or not because as a straight person I don't know what it is to be gay. I'll assume a song has a human theme since that's all I can relate to.
I don't think about that. I just enjoy the music. :P
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]teleman wrote: [/QUOTENAME]I never really thought about whether a Queen song had gay themes/innuendos.
Just my opinion but I think sometimes people see things a certain way by making assumptions.
Since Freddie was gay it would make sense that his personal experience might come through in his music but alot of what someone considers a "gay" theme might be more universal than many might think. A good songwriter takes something personal and makes it accessible to a wider audience.
If Freddie wrote about the alienation he may have felt as a result of anti gay attitudes common in his lifetime I doubt it would be expressed as a gay theme but more about alienation on a more universal level.
If he wrote about something as universal as lust why limit your audience to 1 in 10 by being explicit.
I wouldn't assume a song has a gay theme or not because as a straight person I don't know what it is to be gay. I'll assume a song has a human theme since that's all I can relate to.[/QUOTE]
Well said! Personally I think Freddie wrote songs with a certain ambiguity but you can't categorically prove *any* of his songs were 'gay'. If a heterosexual rock star had sung 'Staying Power', it would have been interpreted as his sexual prowess with the ladies. Even Body Language would have just been some horny guy singing about a girl's 'long legs and cute ass'. GOFLB could be a call and answer style song with a gigolo crooning away to rich, lonely old women. Remember, we discuss Queen today with all the knowledge and stories available online, in biographies and in interviews. We are in times were the likes of Elton John and George Michael live openly gay lives-that wasn't the case when Queen were at their peak. Flirting with the truth yet maintaining a certain mystery was the best way to keep the fans happy and make sure they kept buying the records.
Just my opinion but I think sometimes people see things a certain way by making assumptions.
Since Freddie was gay it would make sense that his personal experience might come through in his music but alot of what someone considers a "gay" theme might be more universal than many might think. A good songwriter takes something personal and makes it accessible to a wider audience.
If Freddie wrote about the alienation he may have felt as a result of anti gay attitudes common in his lifetime I doubt it would be expressed as a gay theme but more about alienation on a more universal level.
If he wrote about something as universal as lust why limit your audience to 1 in 10 by being explicit.
I wouldn't assume a song has a gay theme or not because as a straight person I don't know what it is to be gay. I'll assume a song has a human theme since that's all I can relate to.[/QUOTE]
Well said! Personally I think Freddie wrote songs with a certain ambiguity but you can't categorically prove *any* of his songs were 'gay'. If a heterosexual rock star had sung 'Staying Power', it would have been interpreted as his sexual prowess with the ladies. Even Body Language would have just been some horny guy singing about a girl's 'long legs and cute ass'. GOFLB could be a call and answer style song with a gigolo crooning away to rich, lonely old women. Remember, we discuss Queen today with all the knowledge and stories available online, in biographies and in interviews. We are in times were the likes of Elton John and George Michael live openly gay lives-that wasn't the case when Queen were at their peak. Flirting with the truth yet maintaining a certain mystery was the best way to keep the fans happy and make sure they kept buying the records.