1,560,792 plays (304,252 listeners)
“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[/album]. 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.
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. A live version with Elton John on vocals appeared on Queen’s Greatest Hits III album.
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.
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. A live version with Elton John on vocals appeared on Queen’s Greatest Hits III album.
Video
Added by VVasp
Empty spaces - what are we living for?
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score..
On and on!
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero - another mindless crime.
Behind the curtain,…
Share Video
See 16 more
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score..
On and on!
Does anybody know what we are looking for?
Another hero - another mindless crime.
Behind the curtain,…
Related Tracks
-
Who Wants to Live Forever
Queen -
Innuendo
Queen -
Living on My Own
Freddie Mercury -
Wind Of Change
Scorpions -
Still Loving You
Scorpions -
Under Pressure
Queen & David Bowie
Albums featuring this track
-
Innuendo
Queen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital $7.77
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Greatest Hits II
Queen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Ballads
Queen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Classic Queen
Queen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $3.80
- eBay Search
Shouts
-
l2oot wrote:
nb1
-
rs392000 wrote:
great words and freddie mercury gone to soon.
-
bAzTNM wrote:
Great song. Epic.
-
ABM1708 wrote:
another lump in my throat! I was so fortunate to see them live in Johannesburg - Sun City. Sadly, no more Freddy.
-
davidthemugman wrote:
a great song i love this i wish to listen to this on my phone!
-
tehNaked wrote:
<3 i love queen. My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, Fairy tales of yesterday, will grow but never die, I can fly, my friends!
-
MJandTjrr wrote:
The words are not enough to describe how great and meaningful this song is..
-
molkosis wrote:
Inside my heart is breaking, my make-up maybe flakling but my smile still stays on...
-
Soyerz wrote:
@ davidthemugman: Well that is an interesting well to spell it...
-
Forkandles wrote:
A brilliant, powerful song but listening to it always makes me feel sad.
-
ScarletHawks wrote:
This song is so deep
-
davidthemugman wrote:
a very sad song but this is the best Queen track since 74 bothem rapsde
-
Seremar wrote:
I want this song to be played at my funeral.[6]
-
sneggyuser wrote:
"I have to find the will to carry on", so sad
-
mussarbeitdrei wrote:
I love it
-
fArmFTW wrote:
I want this song to be played at my funeral. [5]
-
SunriderYRX wrote:
One of the best songs ever written. Period.
-
Soyerz wrote:
I want this song to be played at my funeral. [4] Not that we should be thinking about our funeral...
-
SandraSuicide wrote:
I want this song to be played at my funeral. [3]
-
Kleiner-Sturm wrote:
This song is so fucking awesome!! <3
Queen
The Show Must Go On
full track
Listeners
-
alexindigo
Listening now
-
PastelContreras
Top Listener
-
Jul_Jules
Top Listener
-
Darth_Maul666
Top Listener
-
bypriscila
Top Listener
-
shadowmessiah
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
Schumert72, RoteMare, eg7586 and 18 other people loved Queen – The Show Must Go On. 15 minutes ago
-
ThomasHerres added The Show Must Go On to ThomasHerres’s library. yesterday evening
-
SleepyHallow, ChildOfTheStorm, itsFreekzBoy and 2 other people loved Queen – The Show Must Go On. yesterday evening
-
LuKeaKaSmiLeY added The Show Must Go On to the playlist. yesterday evening
-
SteelPress, niteprowler666, DaWipe-Queen and 2 other people loved Queen – The Show Must Go On. yesterday evening
-
paulina1406 wrote about The Show Must Go On in Monthly Top Tracks. yesterday evening
-
furious_iPod added The Show Must Go On to furious_iPod’s library. yesterday afternoon
-
Smidday, finiina, DerDemotape and 7 other people loved Queen – The Show Must Go On. yesterday afternoon
-
JonReb31 added The Show Must Go On to the playlist Queens. yesterday morning
-
JonReb31 added The Show Must Go On to JonReb31’s library. yesterday morning
Related Journals
-
Monthly Top Tracks
by paulina1406 |
1 Dec 2009 | Add comment
-
50 Questions About My Top 50
by JesseKuiper |
10 Nov 2009 | Add comment
-
50 questions about my top 50. D:
by Link-chan |
8 Sep 2009 | 1 comment
