It's a kind of magic: Reflecting on the music of Queen
From theatrical cheese to emotional balladry, classic rock band is a go-to source of musical comfort
Posted: Monday, December 1, 2014 11:00 pm | Updated: 12:38 am, Tue Dec 2, 2014.
Sure, every person of my generation probably grows up with some unconscious awareness of Queen. In the early to mid ’90s, you couldn’t watch a sports movie without hearing “We are the Champions” at some point in the film. I remember kids in my elementary school shouting garbled lyrics to “We Will Rock You” at each other during every dodgeball match in gym class.
But I also remember the first time I actually really listened to Queen.
The summer before fourth grade, my parents dug up their Queen’s Greatest Hits CD and put on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” While now it’s impossible to disassociate that song from off-key singalongs and head-banging a la Wayne’s World, I remember clearly how I felt that evening, lying on the couch and absorbing the words of the song. Freddy Mercury’s sorrow seemed to flood the room as he apologized to his mother for killing a man. I felt sad for reasons my 9-year-old self could not really explain.
That was the night I fell in love with Queen.
There are few things more tragic in life than falling in love with a band that is no longer together, but that was my fate from the day I was born: The band’s original lineup tragically was separated with the death of the lead singer in 1991. Mercury was a rock god whose time on earth was far too short, but he has left his mark on the world with his powerful vocals and inimitable stage presence.
Mercury, along with bandmates Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, redefined rock music in their 21-year career together. With May’s soaring riffs, Mercury’s raw voice and the group’s over-the-top theatrics, the group created powerful tunes that could be listened to over and over, as well as stellar live shows and bombastic (and at times baffling) music videos.
It’s refreshing to see the influence that Queen’s unrestrained spirit and theatricality have had on rock music today. Every time I hear a guitar chord that lingers so long it breaks my heart or when I see a lead singer throw a microphone stand around stage like a dance partner, I catch a glimpse of Queen and I know Freddy would be proud.
But though I will never see Queen in a sold-out stadium like in their glory days (at least no longer with their fantastic frontman), I still have golden memories of the band acting as the soundtrack of my life in one way or another.
My first MP3 player could hold only about 31 songs, but I still made a point of fitting in as many Queen songs as I could, the better to soundtrack my young-adult life.
During my awkward, bloated middle-school days, I listened to “Fat Bottomed Girls” to remind myself that it’s good to celebrate your body type, because someone out there will love you for it. “Somebody to Love” was my song of choice as I tentatively dipped my toes into romantic relationships for the first time in early high school. “The Show Must Go On,” one of the last songs the band recorded before Mercury’s death, was a somber yet powerful reminder not to give up, even when facing down terrifying peer pressure.
Perhaps the most powerful Queen song of them all was “Don’t Stop Me Now,” which my mom and I would play on the way to and from school on big test days. The song’s positive energy and its cocky, self-assured lyrics made me forget to be nervous. Plus, jamming out on the way home was a fun way for my mom and me to celebrate and let off some steam; it’s hard to feel down on yourself when you’re singing “Don’t stop me now! Yes I’m having a good time! I don’t want to stop at all!” at the top of your lungs.
To this day, I take solace in the fact that there is not an emotion for which Queen doesn’t have a song. Their style was always in flux — “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” sounds nothing like “I Want to Break Free” — but you can feel the same passion in each piece the band created. I know I can always turn to Queen — like a supportive old friend — and feel uplifted in the good times and the bad.
http://www.diamondbackonline.com/diversions/music/article_4128bd94-79b2-11e4-a73a-93c88d04981e.html
No comments:
Post a Comment