Queen is a British rock band that experienced the full meaning of the ‘rock ages’ in the ‘80s and The Show Must Go On. This particular band was formed in 1970 and within ten years it gathered huge popularity, growing into one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. What’s more, in 2001 Queen became a member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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All About the Queen’s Logo
As you may know, it is one of the most recognizable band logos of all time, but where did it come from? Queen have used the logo ever since their very first album, and it has become an accurate embodiment of the band as Freddie Mercury’s yellow jacket and Brian May’s hair.
Having attended art college, Freddie Mercury actually designed Queen’s logo, called the ‘Queen crest’, using the astrological signs of the four members: two Leos (John Deacon and Roger Taylor), one Cancer ( Brian May) and one Virgo (Freddie Mercury himself). Although, Freddie claimed not to believe in astrology.
The lions can be regarded embracing a letter Q, while the crab rests on top of the letter with flames rising directly above it. The fairies ( standing for Virgo) are situated below a lion. There is also a crown inside the Q, and the whole emblem is embraced by a huge phoenix. It appears that the symbol resembles the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, particularly with the lions.
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Brian Mays Guitar
Brian’s guitar is over 200 years old. It was built out of the old family mantle piece – with his own hands, when he was 16. What could be more unique?
Brian May himself has said that he doesn’t even have it insured, as it is priceless. It is a one of a kind. A one off, that has been pretty closely replicated, but never exactly duplicated. How do you replicate worm holes in the neck, filled with match sticks?
A man named Everett Wood, in Tennessee, makes and sells replicas of Brian May’s guitar. You can get one that is made from instrument grade wood (Mahogony) for around $6500.00. or a more precise replica (made out of blockboard and veneers) for about $7500.00.
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Queen and Sports Anthemes
We Will Rock You and the rock ballad We Are the Champions became enduring international sports anthems and people still listen to these songs! The two songs represented one of the strangest chart bids ever, even for a band best known for baroque, operatic rock with a theatrical flair.
The band’s members weigh in on why the two irresistible anthems still move us four decades after their recording. The rhythm is irresistible: stomp, stomp, clap, stomp, stomp clap. The chorus is a call to arms for anyone who has ever been beaten up, pushed down or disregarded: ‘We are the champions/No time for losers cause we are the champions/Of the world’.
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Michael Jackson Attended a Queen’s Concert
Michael Jackson attended a concert in Los Angeles and suggested to Freddie Mercury that the song Another One Bites the Dust should be released as a single, and he was right because it stayed on the charts for three weeks.
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Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Freddie wrote Crazy Little Thing Called Love while in the bath. Rumour has it that he had his piano moved to his bathside. Did the piano not get wet? Did his bathwater not get cold?
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Queen Working with David Bowie on the single Under Pressure
Queen’s collaboration with David Bowie on Under Pressure wasn’t planned – Bowie just happened to be by the studio while Queen were recording the song.
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How Come Freddie Mercury Never Fixed His Teeth?
In the new biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie Mercury approaches Brian May and Roger Taylor after their band Smile have just split up, and tell them he wants to be their new singer. Their reply – ‘ Not with those teeth, mate’—clearly hurts the future Queen icon. He comes back with the explanation: ‘I was born with four additional incisors. More space in my mouth means more range.’
In real life, Mercury is frequently said to have been embarrassed about his large overbite. He knew that there was treatment for his alignment issue, and he certainly could have afforded to fix his bite. However, he refused to undergo any treatment for his condition. Freddie believed that this unorthodox bite and teeth were responsible for his incredible range and he did not want to change them in case his voice was negatively affected.
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Not All Artists Are Drop-Outs
It is often assumed that stars dedicate their whole life to music and hence are not much good in studies. This is not the case with the Queen Band. Except Freddie Mercury, every other band member has a post graduate degree. Therefore, the Queen is actually pretty smart! In fact, Brian May has a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London. In 2007, he was appointed Chacellor of Liverpool John Moores University.
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Freddie Mercury AKA Farrokh Bulsara
Freddie Mercury belonged to a Parsi family from Gujarat and he was named Farrokh Bulsara. Despite this, later when he was studying in a boarding school, he adopted the name Freddie Mercury. He and his family were Parsis and practiced Zoroastrian, one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. Even though he hadn’t practiced in years, his funeral was performed by a Zoroastrian priest.
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The Accidental Invention of Stand-Free Mic
Early in Queen’s career, Freddie was apparently mid-show when his mic stand snapped in half. Instead of having it replaced, Freddie just used it as it is. He must have liked the idea, because he used the mic ‘stick’ from then on.
Since then many other singers have incorporated the accidental invention of Mercury in their shows.
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‘I Want It All’ Inspired by Brian’s Wife
Brian May had claimed that the main inspiration behind the song I Want It All was his wife Anita Dobson. He got the idea when his wife said I want it all and I want it now!
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John Deacon Is Much More Than a Bassist
There’s no need to present John Deacon, he plays his bass guitar. But very few people know he is actually a trained electronics engineer. Most of the equipment that the band uses is built by John Deacon himself. One of the most famous invention of John Deacon is the Deacy Amp.
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Queen Honored by England
In 1999, England honored the Queen band by releasing a postage stamp commemorating Freddie Mercury. But this stamp created unpleasantness among the royal family as the photo chosen for the stamp had Roger Taylor in background. According to British tradition, the only living people who can appear on their stamps are the member of Royal Family.
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Freedie Mercury was A Devoted Cat Lover
He loved cats and had as many as 10 at one point. He even had an album and a song dedicated to his cats (Mr. Bad Guy). He wrote a song about his favourite cat, Delilah: ‘Delilah, Delilah, oh my, oh my, oh my – you’re irresistible/ You make me smile when I’m just about to cry/ You bring me hope, you make me laugh – you like it/ You get away with murder, so innocent’.
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Bohemian Rhapsody
In 1975, Queen started recording Bohemian Rhapsody at Rockfield studios, the song was recorded over three weeks. Freddie Mercury had mentally prepared the song beforehand and directed the band throughout the sessions. May, Mercury, and Taylor sang their vocal parts continually for ten to twelve hours a day, resulting in 180 separate overdubs.
The song has no chorus, instead consisting of three main parts: a ballad segment, an operatic passage, and a hard rock section. It became a commercial success, staying at the top of the Uk Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a million copies in a couple of months.
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Freddie Mercury and Time Asia
Back in 2006, Time Asia named Freddie Mercury as one of the most influential Asian heroes of the past 60 years.
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Four Tracks that Drummer Roger Taylor Wrote
Roger Taylor was not that famous for his written songs, but they were actually solid gold. They were Radio Ga Ga, A Kind of Magic, The Invisible Man, and These Are the Days of Our Lives.
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Mercury and His Relations
According to Mercury’s friend David Wigg, the rock star believed his stage image prevented him from keeping relationships: ‘I created a monster. I’m handicapped because people think I’m like that. When I’m trying to get a relationship together I’m the nicest person you could meet, my dear. I’m a peach’, he told his friend.
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Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute
Queen and Paul Rodgers performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute held in Hyde Park.
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Queen’s Stadium Concert in Argentina was performed under very dangerous circumstances
When Queen expanded their concerts into the rest of the world, the group had heard that they were ‘the biggest thing ever in Argentina and Brazil’.
Then a dictatorship, the group had to negotiate with an army general to allow their stadium concerts – which would allow lots of young people to gather together – to go ahead.
