In some places, I see The Show Must Go On credited as being mainly Brian's work. In others, I see it being treated as one of the few true "group compositions" the band did.
Well, lets look at the facts (as best I know them--correct me if I'm wrong).
Deacon and Taylor came up with the chord sequence (which I take to be the famous opening synthline that underpins the song throughout...am I wrong?).
Freddie and Brian jointly decided the theme and wrote the first verse together.
Brian wrote the rest of the words and the melody.
So, in your opinion, is this a Brian May composition (with input from the others) or is this a Queen composition?
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[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]QueenZeppelin wrote: [/QUOTENAME]In some places, I see The Show Must Go On credited as being mainly Brian's work. In others, I see it being treated as one of the few true "group compositions" the band did.
Well, lets look at the facts (as best I know them--correct me if I'm wrong).
Deacon and Taylor came up with the chord sequence (which I take to be the famous opening synthline that underpins the song throughout...am I wrong?).
Freddie and Brian jointly decided the theme and wrote the first verse together.
Brian wrote the rest of the words and the melody.
So, in your opinion, is this a Brian May composition (with input from the others) or is this a Queen composition?[/QUOTE]
Hi! I'm afraid what I'm about to write is going to sound very idiotic, but it's my impression and I like to share it with people to learn with them.
I see many questions like these, and they're interesting. I'm in no way qualified to comment on the specifics of the whole composition process, but Im sure other users can.
What I'd like to add, judging from the little I know about Queen, mainly listening to the recordings, both studio and live, and trying to make sense of the question using my own experience and background, is that almost every Queen song is also a Freddie Mercury composition, though it doesn't work the other way around that usually: there are many Freddie's tunes that one can attribute only to him without sounding simplistic.
Singing has a special quality to it, it's different from playing other instruments, as hard as it may be playing the piano or the guitar. The score, and the melody on it, doesn't mean anything, absolutely anything until a singer comes and sing it. It's also like that, to some extent, with regards to instruments: a Bach's score for, say, a partita, doesn't mean much if there's not a good interpreter to make it happen as music, but it does mean something, even if it's not much.
When it comes to singing, the shades and nuances that it implies are so overwhelming that the notes on the score really don't mean anything until a singer comes about and say, well, this should be sung like that: la-la-dee-dee-deee...
It sounds silly, because I'm silly. But I ask you to abstract from my silliness.
Brian always said that he was astonished to see what "Save Me" had become in Freddie's voice. It was another song alltogether, and he does seem to be sincerely in awe while watching Mercury sing it in Montreal. The question pops up, and it's an usual question: "Well, IS THIS MY SONG? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WAS SO GOOD (OR BAD)!".
Freddie Mercury alway had his input on the way the song should be sung; the way the song is sung, however, affects the way the song is played, and that's why the whole question of authorship is pretty delicate.
Even if Brian had conceived TSMGO all by himself, including melody and lyrics, Freddie's singing has such an uniqueness to it that the final result was, in my humble opinion, not what Brian had in mind, it was something different. I think he started to write FOR Freddie, and then, regardless of authorship, Freddie's ipso facto part of the composition, for better or for worse!!!!!
So Freddie is always there, in the forefront, in the background, he's there, he's spin or his touch makes the song sound different than it sounds, for example, in PR's voice. I'M NOT COMPARING BOTH, PLEASE: it's just that one can see how the very same song can be delivered in very different ways according to the singer's take on it.
I DON'T want to contribute to the Freddie is God movement because, as good as he was, he also had clear shortcomings as a singer, and in no way, I think, he should be considered the standard against all singers, past and present, should be measured. There are a lot of singers out there, even nowadays, that have many qualities that Freddie didn't have, and the opposite is also true.
There's no God in m
Well, lets look at the facts (as best I know them--correct me if I'm wrong).
Deacon and Taylor came up with the chord sequence (which I take to be the famous opening synthline that underpins the song throughout...am I wrong?).
Freddie and Brian jointly decided the theme and wrote the first verse together.
Brian wrote the rest of the words and the melody.
So, in your opinion, is this a Brian May composition (with input from the others) or is this a Queen composition?[/QUOTE]
Hi! I'm afraid what I'm about to write is going to sound very idiotic, but it's my impression and I like to share it with people to learn with them.
I see many questions like these, and they're interesting. I'm in no way qualified to comment on the specifics of the whole composition process, but Im sure other users can.
What I'd like to add, judging from the little I know about Queen, mainly listening to the recordings, both studio and live, and trying to make sense of the question using my own experience and background, is that almost every Queen song is also a Freddie Mercury composition, though it doesn't work the other way around that usually: there are many Freddie's tunes that one can attribute only to him without sounding simplistic.
Singing has a special quality to it, it's different from playing other instruments, as hard as it may be playing the piano or the guitar. The score, and the melody on it, doesn't mean anything, absolutely anything until a singer comes and sing it. It's also like that, to some extent, with regards to instruments: a Bach's score for, say, a partita, doesn't mean much if there's not a good interpreter to make it happen as music, but it does mean something, even if it's not much.
When it comes to singing, the shades and nuances that it implies are so overwhelming that the notes on the score really don't mean anything until a singer comes about and say, well, this should be sung like that: la-la-dee-dee-deee...
It sounds silly, because I'm silly. But I ask you to abstract from my silliness.
Brian always said that he was astonished to see what "Save Me" had become in Freddie's voice. It was another song alltogether, and he does seem to be sincerely in awe while watching Mercury sing it in Montreal. The question pops up, and it's an usual question: "Well, IS THIS MY SONG? I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WAS SO GOOD (OR BAD)!".
Freddie Mercury alway had his input on the way the song should be sung; the way the song is sung, however, affects the way the song is played, and that's why the whole question of authorship is pretty delicate.
Even if Brian had conceived TSMGO all by himself, including melody and lyrics, Freddie's singing has such an uniqueness to it that the final result was, in my humble opinion, not what Brian had in mind, it was something different. I think he started to write FOR Freddie, and then, regardless of authorship, Freddie's ipso facto part of the composition, for better or for worse!!!!!
So Freddie is always there, in the forefront, in the background, he's there, he's spin or his touch makes the song sound different than it sounds, for example, in PR's voice. I'M NOT COMPARING BOTH, PLEASE: it's just that one can see how the very same song can be delivered in very different ways according to the singer's take on it.
I DON'T want to contribute to the Freddie is God movement because, as good as he was, he also had clear shortcomings as a singer, and in no way, I think, he should be considered the standard against all singers, past and present, should be measured. There are a lot of singers out there, even nowadays, that have many qualities that Freddie didn't have, and the opposite is also true.
There's no God in m
Let´s give this one to Freddie for his marvelous vocals.
I just want to say, I think this post was absolutely beautiful, and incredibly well-thought out and well-stated. You shouldn't be so apologetic! I wish everyone added as much to this board as you did.
I particularly liked this:
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Yara wrote:[/QUOTENAME]
What I'd like to add, judging from the little I know about Queen, mainly listening to the recordings, both studio and live, and trying to make sense of the question using my own experience and background, is that almost every Queen song is also a Freddie Mercury composition, though it doesn't work the other way around that usually: there are many Freddie's tunes that one can attribute only to him without sounding simplistic.
[/QUOTE]
I often think the same thing. It dawned on me while thinking about the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and how there seemed to be less songs actually written by Freddie than one would expect. And it finally occurred to me one day, that really, Freddie made every one of those songs--written by him or not--very distinctly his. Take I Want to Break Free...a John Deacon compsotion...NO ONE can deliver that song the way Freddie does. He adds so much pathos, irony, camp, indignation, and emotion into that song, all very distinctively him.
So I find myself very much agreeing with you on that count!
Any other thoughts, my friends, on whether this should be a "Brian" composition or a "Queen" composition?
I particularly liked this:
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Yara wrote:[/QUOTENAME]
What I'd like to add, judging from the little I know about Queen, mainly listening to the recordings, both studio and live, and trying to make sense of the question using my own experience and background, is that almost every Queen song is also a Freddie Mercury composition, though it doesn't work the other way around that usually: there are many Freddie's tunes that one can attribute only to him without sounding simplistic.
[/QUOTE]
I often think the same thing. It dawned on me while thinking about the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, and how there seemed to be less songs actually written by Freddie than one would expect. And it finally occurred to me one day, that really, Freddie made every one of those songs--written by him or not--very distinctly his. Take I Want to Break Free...a John Deacon compsotion...NO ONE can deliver that song the way Freddie does. He adds so much pathos, irony, camp, indignation, and emotion into that song, all very distinctively him.
So I find myself very much agreeing with you on that count!
Any other thoughts, my friends, on whether this should be a "Brian" composition or a "Queen" composition?
I agree, QueenZeppelin. This is one of the most beautiful posts I've read on QZ. Bravo.
@QueenZeppelin
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
It's mainly a Brian composition, but Brian did say, when he wrote songs (even ones such as Fat Bottomed Girls), he wrote it, with Freddie in mind, sort of like looking through Freddie's eyes.
It's an outstanding song even with Paul Rodgers singing it. I'm still inclined to think it is first a Brian song but would never have become what it is without Queen and Freddie's voice took it places unimagined.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]princetom wrote: [/QUOTENAME]@QueenZeppelin
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
[/QUOTE]
Prince Tom,
Hmm, it always struck me as more Brian than Roger or John. But http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Show_Must_Go_On_(Queen_song) and http://sebastian.queenconcerts.com/f-c-songwriting.htm credit the chord sequence to Roger and John. Any other sources/information out there on whether it was Brian's chord sequence or Roger/John's?
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
[/QUOTE]
Prince Tom,
Hmm, it always struck me as more Brian than Roger or John. But http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Show_Must_Go_On_(Queen_song) and http://sebastian.queenconcerts.com/f-c-songwriting.htm credit the chord sequence to Roger and John. Any other sources/information out there on whether it was Brian's chord sequence or Roger/John's?
It was Roger's/John's. Confirmed by Brian.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]princetom wrote: [/QUOTENAME]@QueenZeppelin
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
[/QUOTE]
Both Roger and John are very capabale guitarists. Any one of them could have come up with that sequence with guitar (or with keyboards, it really isn't that tricky.)
BTW, I've never seen TSMGO being credited to Brian alone in any official album. (But then again, I haven't bought all these Stone Cold Greatest Hits X compilations.) Where does this information come from?
i don't think the chord sequence is by john nor roger. it's clearly written by a guitarist's point of view. try to figure out the chords on your 6-string and you'll see!
[/QUOTE]
Both Roger and John are very capabale guitarists. Any one of them could have come up with that sequence with guitar (or with keyboards, it really isn't that tricky.)
BTW, I've never seen TSMGO being credited to Brian alone in any official album. (But then again, I haven't bought all these Stone Cold Greatest Hits X compilations.) Where does this information come from?
Brian took the ball and ran with it. Couldn't be simpler.
If Brian really did write this like people say, it shows only too well unfortunately how much his songwriting has gone downhill of late.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]olly1988 wrote: [/QUOTENAME]If Brian really did write this like people say, it shows only too well unfortunately how much his songwriting has gone downhill of late.[/QUOTE]
I didn't realise he'd released enough songs 'of late' for us to get a real indicator...
I didn't realise he'd released enough songs 'of late' for us to get a real indicator...
Hi there
thx for the links...
seems to me John/Roger think more like guitarists than i assumed... :-D
"oh, how wrong can you be..."
thanks for bringing me some unknown fact and revealing my mistake.
sorry for misleading here :-(
thx for the links...
seems to me John/Roger think more like guitarists than i assumed... :-D
"oh, how wrong can you be..."
thanks for bringing me some unknown fact and revealing my mistake.
sorry for misleading here :-(