Queen » Tracks » The Show Must Go On

Queen – The Show Must Go On (4:38)

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About This Track

“The Show Must Go On”, written primarily by guitarist Brian May, is a song by English rock band Queen and is featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. As on the previous album, The Miracle, all songs on Innuendo were credited to the band as a whole.

The initial idea for the song came from a chord sequence Roger Taylor and John Deacon were working on. May then decided to use the sequence, and both he and Freddie Mercury decided the theme of the lyrics and wrote the first verse together. From then on May finished the lyrics, did the vocal melody and wrote the bridge.

The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his life. The title is derived from the phrase “the show must go on”, and may be in reaction to the numerous press speculations about lead singer Mercury’s critically declining health since the late 1980s. Much of the lyrics and imagery of the song can also be construed to be a reflection on life and imminent death. It is regarded as one of Queen’s most emotive, powerful songs by many fans.

Brian May remembers that Freddie could hardly walk when the band recorded the song in 1990. “I said, ‘Fred, I don’t know if this is going to be possible to sing,’ ” May says. “And he went, ‘I’ll fucking do it, darling’ — vodka down — and went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal.”

It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on October 14, 1991 in promotion for the Greatest Hits 2 Album, just six weeks before Mercury died. Following Mercury’s death in November 1991, the song re-entered the British charts and spent longer in the top 75 than it did on its original release, eventually reaching a peak of 16.
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Albums featuring this track

  • Greatest Hits II
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  • Innuendo
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  • Classic Queen
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  • Greatest Hits Platinum Collection
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See all 26 albums

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  • CuntyWunty

    So much emotion in this one. Amazing

    19 days ago

  • Metality

    Love this so much.

    20 days ago

  • relicblackout

    I sing this to John Cena, he don't know. But my heart does

    last month

  • TheSuiciderr

    Goosehumps... everytime i hear this one.

    last month

  • young-pilgrim

    EPIC DEFINED !

    last month

  • Panecea

    ♥

    last month

  • shellbyrne

    TRUE STORY!

    last month

  • onaira

    I hope my neighbors like the queen

    last month

  • MissBongiovi

    On and on... Does anybody know what we are living for?

    March 2012

  • PRagdoll

    Given Freddie's health at the time and how he still pushed himself to give us every last bit of performance he had left, the lyrics become even more gut-wrenching. [2] With out Freddy, there is no Queen... Only memories

    March 2012

  • mooseweed46420

    1 of their best

    March 2012

  • aineb

    2 782 262 scrobbli 489 921 Słuchaczy

    March 2012

  • RevolutionECW

    Greatest song!

    March 2012

  • i20254ever

    My show will go on in a happy way now that the curtain closed on a show that I want my money back from. Love rejected me, but happiness showed me its path with a better love

    March 2012

  • DavCnuk

    One of the most epic and emotional songs I ever heard. Legendary.

    February 2012

  • sammyfunster

    estupendo tema

    January 2012

  • NoleDjoko

    great!

    January 2012

  • keanequeen

    Hino

    December 2011

  • ChoedanKal

    Given Freddie's health at the time and how he still pushed himself to give us every last bit of performance he had left, the lyrics become even more gut-wrenching.

    December 2011

  • Lou_rock

    Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die.

    December 2011
See all 833 shouts

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2,874,272 Scrobbles 502,361 Listeners

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