"Radio Ga Ga"'s Lyrics rewritten by American Record Label?

Have the original lyrics to Radio Ga Ga now become the most sought after piece of Queen material out there?

JSS - I demand you upload the original lyrics version of Radio Ga Ga right now!

[QUOTE] [b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote:[/b]
I think it's stunning that some people (notably Sebastian) are actually defending this. That just goes to show that some people here will applaud anything Queen has ever done, regardless of what it is.[/QUOTE]
It's little to do with defending and applauding, and much more of a 'Huh.', followed by a 'how might this have developed?'. When Fred took over the song it was motivated by his belief that it had the potential to be a big commercial hit. Everything he did to the song he did with that in mind. So when they ran into a likely unanticipated barrier to that in the form of American nervousness about the future of radio, you would have had them do what? Abandon the idea? Risk the success of the song and complicate their relationship with the record company so not a single ga ga, goo goo, ca ca or blah blah would be disturbed? Look, the song is so much fluff, a ditty. I'm sure most people sing it without even thinking about what they're singing. The chorus is so much nonsense that doesn't even fit the amended message of the song! It's not like they sold their soul so deeply personal material that was more than anything else crafted to say something important could shift a few more copies in America.

It's a credit to the band we love that the quality and specialness of their catalogue often sweeps away the awareness that rock is a business too. This reminds us that once in a while it needed to be. If anything needs a defense I think it's the idea that anybody should be appalled by this. It's interesting, and not much more.

I for one am not appalled, but if we're going to pile on Roger and Brian for shitting on the Queen legacy now by playing live with other people, then the least we can do is look at how they went about their career with a clear eye. Sun City, for me, is still a more than regrettable episode.

Before Live Aid, I would have agreed with you that "Radio Ga Ga" is a minor moment in Queen history. But the lyrics to "Ga Ga," and the chorus, do make literal sense, and it's a signature late-era Queen tune. The lyrics were changed in the verses, not the chorus, anyway.

But to each his/her own when selecting our moments to latch onto reading into and engaging in "Serious Discussion" of our favorite band. I am uneasy, for example, going gig-by-gig on amateur recordings and spotting when Freddie misses notes; that seems to be a colossal waste of time.

I for one am not appalled, but if we're going to pile on Roger and Brian for shitting on the Queen legacy now by playing live with other people, then the least we can do is look at how they went about their career with a clear eye. Sun City, for me, is still a more than regrettable episode.

Before Live Aid, I would have agreed with you that "Radio Ga Ga" is a minor moment in Queen history. But the lyrics to "Ga Ga," and the chorus, do make literal sense, and it's a signature late-era Queen tune. The lyrics were changed in the verses, not the chorus, anyway.

But to each his/her own when selecting our moments to latch onto reading into and engaging in "Serious Discussion" of our favorite band. I am uneasy, for example, going gig-by-gig on amateur recordings and spotting when Freddie misses notes; that seems to be a colossal waste of time.

Had they retained the original title, would Stefani Germanotta (sp?) be known as Lady Caca? Or would she be classier and rechristen herself Miss Defecation?

Wasn't the 1989 "limo" interview with Brian and Roger one of the first instances of them admitting the "ca ca" instances in the sung lyrics?

[QUOTE] [b]GT wrote:[/b]
They are singing 'Ca Ca' in the first line of the chorus.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for clarifying GT

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]
JSS - I demand you upload the original lyrics version of Radio Ga Ga right now![/QUOTE]

You leave Jeff Scott Soto alone! He's too busy trying to make the Queen Extravaganza not sound like crap.

;)

Wish the multitracks were still somewhere online. Hint hint.

[QUOTE] [b]Wiley wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]
JSS - I demand you upload the original lyrics version of Radio Ga Ga right now![/QUOTE]
You leave Jeff Scott Soto alone! He's too busy trying to make the Queen Extravaganza not sound like crap.
;)[/QUOTE]


And failing.....

JSS does seem to be taller than everyone else in the QE.

[QUOTE] [b]Daniel Nester wrote:[/b]Before Live Aid, I would have agreed with you that "Radio Ga Ga" is a minor moment in Queen history. But the lyrics to "Ga Ga," and the chorus, do make literal sense, and it's a signature late-era Queen tune. The lyrics were changed in the verses, not the chorus, anyway.[/QUOTE]
I don't think I said it was a minor moment in Queen history, I said, essentially, that it was lyrically shallow. It's a very on the nose reflection on radio's hey day with a bunch of stuff in the chorus that really doesn't fit the altered message of the song anymore. It's entire reason for being was to produce an infectious mid eighties hit. After what I'm sure was serious consideration of the options, the stakes, the precedent, etc. they seem to have elected to take the path of least resistance. We probably all had about the same initial visceral rejection of the 'rightness' of all this, but for me at least I've found that an objective consideration of the known facts and the ones that can be reasonably assumed doesn't really bear those initial feelings out in the end. They did what they decided they needed to do to properly support their hit. What, and this is real question, would people have had them do differently?

The new thing that's fascinating me is the possibility of a little bit of subversion even in their acquiescence. Certainly the retention of 'ca ca' is interesting, and some of the dystopian imagery in the video including that around symbols of conformity are food for thought as well. Deliberate or no, it's like they changed the words to the song but left fundamental bits of an opposing message intact.

"The new thing that's fascinating me is the possibility of a little bit of subversion even in their acquiescence."

Wow, that's really good. That would mean they're more clever than myself and others, which is definitely the case.  Nice one!

Real quick: I made a post over at my blog, complete with a scan of the page in the book:

http://danielnester.com/2012/05/27/was-radio-ga-gas-lyrics-rewritten-by-their-american-record-label/