Don't Stop Me Now
| "Don't Stop Me Now" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side |
|
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by the British rock band Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz that was released as a single in 1979. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes (Alpes-Maritimes), France, and is the twelfth track on the album.[1]
Musically the song builds on Mercury's piano playing, with John Deacon and Roger Taylor providing a bass guitar and drums backing track. The song also provides an example of Queen's trademark style of multitrack harmony vocals for the chorus lines.[2]
On the studio version, Brian May's only guitar playing is in his guitar solo, but on live versions performed on the band's 1979 Jazz and Crazy tours, May would also play rhythm guitar throughout the rest of the song to give more of a feel of rock music. A live version of the song features in the band's 1979 album Live Killers.[3] The song also appears in the band's 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits, and in June 2011, as part of Queen's 40th anniversary celebrations, an old take of the song containing more guitar parts was included on the bonus EP of the re-released and remastered Jazz album.[4][5]
In 2015, the electronics company Alba conducted a survey of 2000 UK adults, which asked respondents to name their favourite uplifting song, and 'Don't Stop Me Now' was the most popular response.[6]
Reception
The single reached number 9 in the UK charts but only number 86 in the US; as the album was a top-10 hit, the song got some airplay on U.S. album-oriented rock stations despite its low chart ranking as a single. Viewed at the time of release as one of the lesser songs in the Queen canon, it was only performed live during 1979, with the last performance in the Crazy Tour.[7] Despite this the song has grown in stature with time and has been popularised not only by consistent airplay, but by its use in advertisements, television programmes and films, and through cover versions. It has subsequently become one of Queen's most popular songs.[8][9][10] The single also has reached Platinum status in the United Kingdom.
Music video
The video for the song was directed by J. Kliebenstein and filmed at the Forest National, Brussels, Belgium on 26 January 1979.[11]
Single
On the Japanese, USA, Canadian and Australian release, "More Of That Jazz" was the B-side.
In popular culture
 | This section contains a list of miscellaneous information. (January 2018) |
- In the musical We Will Rock You, the song is used in the scene where Killer Queen prematurely begins to celebrate, thinking that Galileo and Scaramouche have been captured.
- In 2005, this song was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by viewers of the BBC television program Top Gear.[12]
- This song was included in the list of songs for use in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, and released that same year alongside Queen's "Jealousy" single in the Soviet Union.
Usage in media
- The song's use in a scene for the zombie/comedy film Shaun of the Dead, where the main characters attack a zombie to the song's beat was well received by critics.[13][14]
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[15] | Gold |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Platinum |
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum |
Personnel
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) |
Queen
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano
- Brian May – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, tambourine, triangle, backing vocals
- John Deacon – bass guitar
Cover versions
Notable cover versions include:
- McFly, the cover is the official song for Sport Relief 2006. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 29 July 2006.[18]
- The Vandals, on their 2004 album Hollywood Potato Chip. A music video filmed for the song features guitarist and producer Warren Fitzgerald busking in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre while in costume as Freddie Mercury.[19]
- The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.[20]
- Olly Murs sang this on 14 November during "Queen Week" of The X Factor 2009
- Kitty Brucknell sang this on 12 November during "Lady Gaga vs Queen Week" of The X Factor 2011
- MNEK covered the song on 7 October 2016.[citation needed]
Chart positions
- United Kingdom – #9
- Ireland – #10
- Netherlands – #14
- Germany – #35
- Sweden – #37
- United States – #86
- Australia (2008) – #85[21]
References
- ^ Jazz - Don't Stop Me Now Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 2 July 2011
- ^ Donald A. Guarisco, "Don't Stop Me Now". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 July 2011
- ^ Live Killers Allmusic. Retrieved 12 July 2011
- ^ Queen Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 Allmusic. Retrieved 12 July 2011
- ^ Jazz (Remastered) Queen Archived 17 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine iTunes. Retrieved 12 July 2011
- ^ "Science Unveils Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' As The Most Feel-Good Song Of All Time". Huffington Post. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Queen live on tour: Crazy tour Queen Concerts. Retrieved 2 July 2011
- ^ Official: Top 25 karaoke songs The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2011
- ^ Queen interview: Brian May on Don't Stop Me Now Absolute Radio. Retrieved 21 December 2011
- ^ Don't Stop Me Now Tops HMV Lyric Poll Queen Online. Retrieved 21 December 2011
- ^ "Queen Promo Videos". Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Queen win Top Gears Best Driving Song ever poll Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Queen Zone. Retrieved 28 May 2011
- ^ Delingpole, James (30 March 2004). "Masters of the comic horror". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ Knapp, Alex (13 January 2012). "The Geek Playlist: Fight Songs!". Forbes. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Don't Stop Me Now" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Don't Stop Me Now" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "British single certifications – Don't Stop Me Now". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Don't Stop Me Now in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American single certifications – Don't Stop Me Now". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
- ^ Unstoppable McFly top music chart BBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2011
- ^ "The Vandals - 'Don't Stop Me Now' Kung Fu Records". YouTube. Kung Fu Records. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ Don't Stop Me Now Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
