Sara Collantes: GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

While I am writing this, the last vinyl I bought, “Greatest Hits II” by Queen, keeps spinning and playing loudly. I have to stand up every four songs to turn the volume down but, you know, that’s the magic of vinyls.

On a day like today in 1991 Freddie Mercury, the frontman, main composer, lead singer and the heart and soul of Queen, died because of a bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS.

I was only 8 when Freddie passed away and little did I know at the time about R ‘n’ R; however, what I do remember clearly is listening to lots of rock bands such as Deep Purple, Dire Straits and, above all, Queen. All of them used to play on my father’s car radio or at home while doing the weekly cleaning of the house on Sundays. It’s a kind of the soundtrack of my early days. Many years later I rediscovered the band and I’ve been absolutely hooked since then.

It’s undeniable that he was unique and a great performer, but it’s not as simple as that. Away beyond just being a musical artist, not merely a singer, he was widely known for his strength, magnetism and thrilling performances on stage. He was a really shy man and famous for his scarce interviews but as a performer he was like a burst of energy, an explosion of good feelings, a mixture of powerful vocals and a flamboyant attitude.

The worldwide known soprano, Montserrat Caballé, with whom Freddie recorded an album, said: “His technique was astonishing. His phrasing was subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or expressive nuance for each word”. Considering the source of this statement I believe it is a huge compliment.

In his last years he was seriously ill although nobody knew except his closest friends and band mates. During those years they penned some of the saddest songs ever written, such as “The show must go on”. I’ve always believed it was his final farewell. 

“The show must go on

The show must go on

I'll face it with a grin

I'm never giving in”

Last February I was in London with my boyfriend visiting a friend when we had the opportunity to see Brian May in concert. He played a small gig at St. Pancras Station to raise money as part of a campaign by an organization called “Save Tigers Now”. It was only 30 minutes long and most of the songs were covers from other bands but the last one he played was “A crazy little thing called love”. I was excited, absolutely delighted to see him perform so I cried out of sheer happiness to be there. Now I just wonder what it would have been like with Freddie himself on stage.

At least we have all inherited his amazing songs and memorable live performances. They are the long-lasting legacy he left us. Freddie died but his songs will never do.

Thanks Sara! I almost forgot it was Freddie's death anniversary, which is unforgivable being myself a lifelong fan of the band (and Freddie indeed!). I sometimes can't believe what a major crush I had on them as a rock-oriented teenager in secondary school. I would spend all day long listening to their songs, learning their lyrics by heart (I guess it helped my English a lot at the time!) and finding out as much as I could about the band's members' personal lives. Then I must admit I sort of almost hated Queen when in 1980 they released "Hot Space", their tenth studio album, which I found so so naff and tacky! (and still do today, I just can't help it however much I love their music!). 

I mean, I was a staunch follower of their classic albums, you know, "Queen II","A Night at the Opera" and stuff, and I admit I was even more outraged to watch their provocative, humorous clip of "I want to break free", featuring good old Freddie and the rest of the band in women's gear, with the lead singer infamously dressed as a moustached housewife doing the hoover. "These are not my Queen, no way!", I thought then. From that moment on I stubbornly kept listening to their classic albums - the earlier the better - and only when they recorded "A kind of Magic" and above all, "Innuendo" did I agree to listen to their new productions.

Actually, Sara has sent me the link to the video of a relatively late song by Queen, from their 1989 album The Miracle called "Breakthru". I guess it is a perfect example of the band juggled the old style (the operatic feel of the intro - those great voices!) with a more modern, late 80s sound. Enjoy:

Freddie's sad untimely death was a huge, devastating blow to me. It's amazing how time flies, I can't believe twenty-two long years have gone by. I just wish I could have seen them perform live just the one time, but it wasn't to be. Dear Freddie, may you rest in peace wherever you are ...