Too Much Love Will Kill You, Brian May Version

Holly2003 wrote:  Can't stand this song myself -- too cheesy -- but Brian's version is less cheesy than Fred's.
=======================

That's it precisely.  It's the lesser of two cheevils.  Clearly there is a lot of love and respect for the song in many quarters, and it even won that songwriting award.  I'm glad it makes a lot of people happy, if that's the right word,  but it does nothing for me.

brENsKi wrote:

don't understand how Brian's version is more genuine and sincere...he didn't write the lyrics.....do they're not his feelings...they're either the lyricist's feelings, or the lyricist's ideas of what Brian's feeling might be...but definitely not brian's if he didn't write them
==================================

I don't know what his precise contribution was, but he's spoken more than once about his connection with the song and how meaningful it was to him to win an award for that particular song.  And you certainly don't have to write every word of a song (or any words in a song) to connect to it emotionally, which is something music fans really shouldn't need to be reminded of?

i don't get the sincerity thing...how Brian's somehow has more sincerity than Freddie's?

these were someone else's lyrics.....they may have applied to Brian in many ways....but if you read them closely there are plenty of potential double meanings coupled with the timing of the demo recording.... there are more ways to interpret the "mess of a situation" the singer is in:  lots of stuff can allude to death in these lyrics...even the title "Too Much Love Will Kill You" could be a barbed reference to shagging around too much and the consequences...in Freddie's case HIV. maybe this gave Freddie's more relevant sincerity:

I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone
For much too long

In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find
Where I went wrong

I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I'm bound to lose
Too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you
Every time

Thistleboy 1980 wrote:

If anyone has bothered with the Queen + PR show from Chile (2008), during Las Palabras, Brian gives a little "Yeah!", and had I not seen the visuals I would have sworn Freddie was there!

========================

Yeah, there are always those little moments when Brian and Roger sound a bit like Freddie.  Or to some ears, a lot !

The Chile video is one of my favourite Queen-related things.  Specifically that very song, Las Palabras.  As far as I'm concerned, if that performance doesn't move you in some way, then you are not a Queen fan.

Yes, Freddie's not there, but two members of Queen get more than half the job done here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2glwW183-ng

I find it's a fine line with Brian. He can sound great, but when he's trying too hard, it frankly sounds ridiculous. He doesn't have Freddie's voice (power, technique, gift for phrasing etc...), but in the last 15+ years he's, on the odd occasion, fooled himself into thinking he has.

His solo singing style within Queen was, for the most part, quite sedate. It contrasted beautifully with Freddie and Roger's natural ability to sing in a more aggressive fashion. And it was a joy to listen to.

A man's got to know his limitations.

TyphoonTip wrote: I find it's a fine line with Brian. He can sound great, but when he's trying too hard, it frankly sounds ridiculous. He doesn't have Freddie's voice (power, technique, gift for phrasing etc...), but in the last 15+ years he's, on the odd occasion, fooled himself into thinking he has.

His solo singing style within Queen was, for the most part, quite sedate. It contrasted beautifully with Freddie and Roger's natural ability to sing in a more aggressive fashion. And it was a joy to listen to.

A man's got to know his limitations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yep. For example, his "unplugged" version of TYMD recentl posted here (from the promotional tour for Another World) shows just how awful he can be. His poor phrasing and misguided attempt at rehearsed "spontaneous" vocals are cringeoworthy. Mind you, when he gets it right, he's a tremendously emotional singer, for example, "Why Don't We Try Again". The stream of consciousness bit in "I'm Scared" from Back to the Light also shows how weak he can be when he moves beyond his comfort zone.

Whats cheesy about it? Its a great song and Freddie does it much much better than Brian which is not a surprise.

Freddies got much more power, precision and his voice is just thousand times better offcourse. Its a great song and if you cant hear that it is then you must check your ears.

I am still dying to hear the ORIGINAL version (Freddie's vocal) of the song that was originally going to be included on The Miracle.

Not the shorter demo that's out there - I've heard that plenty of times, but the actual track that they planned on releasing in 1989.  Surely they changed it in some way before releasing it on Made In Heaven, right??

malicedoom wrote: I am still dying to hear the ORIGINAL version (Freddie's vocal) of the song that was originally going to be included on The Miracle.

Not the shorter demo that's out there - I've heard that plenty of times, but the actual track that they planned on releasing in 1989.  Surely they changed it in some way before releasing it on Made In Heaven, right??

Interested to hear that as well. As you say, it would have undoubtedly been altered for MIH.

....just like they altered (read: completely pissed all over) MLHBS, and turned it into a hideous soulless synthfest.

Mercury SingerOfLife wrote: Whats cheesy about it? Its a great song and Freddie does it much much better than Brian which is not a surprise.

Freddies got much more power, precision and his voice is just thousand times better offcourse. Its a great song and if you cant hear that it is then you must check your ears. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did have some hysterical deafness at one point, caused by listening to one of your songs, but I'm okay now.

I like both, but i prefer Brian on this song.  I like Brian's voice, its so gentle.  I have his solo album, and love a lot of the songs on it, but i do find it gets 'old' a lot quicker then Freddie's voice.  I don't listen to it a lot.  Having said that, I love Brian's version of this and of 39.  On 39 i think Brian's voice just fits the tone of the song better -- its a wistful song, and Freddie sounds powerful.  But i think for Too Much Love, i just like Brian on it cos of the meaning that he puts into it.

sorry but it was way before any of my songs tht you got deaf, dont try to fool us. You have been deaf all your life , feel bad for u

I think the queen version has a better arrangement but the brian version is sung better, with more expressive...

The intro really sounds like Freddie!
I can't say one version is better than the other. I love both.

Mercury SingerOfLife wrote: sorry but it was way before any of my songs tht you got deaf, dont try to fool us. You have been deaf all your life , feel bad for u --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What?