'39

Does any one have any idea which 39 this was, i/e which century, and what exactly the song is about? it is one of my favourites sung by BM...

20th,and as far as I know it's about war and all that,I suppose the 2nd World War.

yeah thanks
i can see it now

What the heck are you talking about?

There's no war in '39. It's about a spaceship that leaves in the year --39 and comes back one century later. The exact year is up to the listener. (this is all on BrianMay.com, by the way)

"In the days when the lands were few" - the Earth was running out of space for people, so they sent up a ship to try and find a hospitable planet to colonize.

"News of a world so newly born" - They had discovered a new planet, but because they were traveling at light speed to find it, the relativity effect caused time to speed up for the rest of the universe. As a result, people on earth have aged 100 years while the crew have aged only 1 year.

And '39 is the number 39 song made by Queen - don't count silver salmon, mad the swine, etc. I really ignore if the title of the track has anything to do with it

OT....and FBG was track number 69.

Hmmmm.....

"It’s a science fiction story. It’s the story about someone who goes away and leaves his family and because of the time dilation effect, when you go away, the people on earth have aged a lot more than he has when he comes home. He’s aged a year and they’ve aged 100 years so, instead of coming back to his wife, he comes back to his daughter and he can see his wife in his daughter, a strange story. I think, also, I had in mind a story of Herman Hesse which I think is called ‘The River’. A man leaves his hometown and has lots of travels and then comes back and observes his hometown from the other side of the river. He sees it in a different light having been away and experienced all those different things. He sees it in a very illuminating way, cause I felt a little bit like that about My home at the time as well having been away and seen this vastly different world of Rock music. Totally different from the way I was brought up and I had those feelings about Home.

So usually the song, I think people generally usually won’t admit it, but I think when most people write songs there are more than one level to them. They’ll be about one thing on the surface but underneath they’re probably, even unconsciously, trying to say something about their own life, their own experience. I know in my own stuff there is something like that." - Brian May - Guitar Greats BBC Radio 1, 1983

Nice to know :)

"I think when most people write songs there are more than one level to them"

Yes, absolutely. Metaphors and such. And it's been my casual observation that artists are typically loathe to discuss the "real" meaning below the surface, lest their viewpoint alienate their fans.

Beautiful song, my favourite song sung by Brian.

TIP: listen to the DTS surround version.
It is fabulous!!! arcoustic guitars all around you!

(oops...)

Sweet Lady
May

you call me up and treat me like a dog
you call me up and tear me up inside
you've got me on a lead
you bring me down
you shout around
you don't believe that I'm alone

sweet lady
sweet lady
sweet lady...stay sweet

you say
'you call me up and feed me all the lines
'you call me sweet like I'm some kind of cheese
'waiting on the shelf
'you eat me up
'you hold me down
'I'm just a fool to make you a home

And you say
'sweet lady
'sweet lady
'sweet lady...stay sweet.'

my sweet lady
though it seems like we wait forever
stay sweet baby
JUST BELIEVE AND WE'VE GOT EVRYTHING WE NEED

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