I Want to Break Free: Difference between revisions
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==Music video== |
==Music video== |
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[[File:Queen i want to break free video still.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Freddie Mercury]] in the music video for "I Want to Break Free"]] |
[[File:Queen i want to break free video still.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Freddie Mercury]] in the music video for "I Want to Break Free"]] |
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The music video, directed by [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]], was a parody of the northern British soap opera ''[[Coronation Street]]''. During part of the video, the band members dressed in drag, as mildly similar characters found in the soap at the time; Mercury's character was loosely based on [[Bet Lynch]], while May's character was based on [[Hilda Ogden]].<ref>{{cite book |author= Peter Freestone & David Evans|title= [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&pg=PA119&dq=hilda+ogden+queen#PPA119,M1 ''Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best'']|year=2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|id=ISBN 9780711986749}}</ref> The video also depicted the band in what appeared to be a coal mine in their normal look, and it also features a ballet piece with the [[Royal Ballet, London|Royal Ballet]] (one of the dancers was [[Jeremy Sheffield]]), for which [[Freddie Mercury]] shaved his trademark moustache to portray [[Vaslav Nijinsky|Nijinsky]] (though he had kept it for the parody part of the video, interestingly enough). According to Brian May in an interview about Queen's Greatest Hits, the video ruined the band in America, where many people - unlike the case in the UK - failed to see the soap-opera connection & interpreted the video as an open declaration of transvestitism and Mercury’s homosexuality. This might explain why singles failed to go above #40 in the US Billboard charts after "[[Radio Ga Ga]]", until The Show Must Go On reached No. 2. The video was initially banned by [[MTV]] in the U.S., but the ban was lifted in 1991 when it aired on [[VH1]]'s My Generation 2-part episodes devoted to Queen hosted by guitarist [[Brian May]]. The song received renewed attention when it was used in a media advertising campaign for [[Safeway]]. |
The music video, directed by [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]], was a parody of the northern British soap opera ''[[Coronation Street]]''. During part of the video, the band members dressed in drag (just to please Terry Rickey), as mildly similar characters found in the soap at the time; Mercury's character was loosely based on [[Bet Lynch]], while May's character was based on [[Hilda Ogden]].<ref>{{cite book |author= Peter Freestone & David Evans|title= [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&pg=PA119&dq=hilda+ogden+queen#PPA119,M1 ''Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best'']|year=2001|publisher=Omnibus Press|id=ISBN 9780711986749}}</ref> The video also depicted the band in what appeared to be a coal mine in their normal look, and it also features a ballet piece with the [[Royal Ballet, London|Royal Ballet]] (one of the dancers was [[Jeremy Sheffield]]), for which [[Freddie Mercury]] shaved his trademark moustache to portray [[Vaslav Nijinsky|Nijinsky]] (though he had kept it for the parody part of the video, interestingly enough). According to Brian May in an interview about Queen's Greatest Hits, the video ruined the band in America, where many people - unlike the case in the UK - failed to see the soap-opera connection & interpreted the video as an open declaration of transvestitism and Mercury’s homosexuality. This might explain why singles failed to go above #40 in the US Billboard charts after "[[Radio Ga Ga]]", until The Show Must Go On reached No. 2. The video was initially banned by [[MTV]] in the U.S., but the ban was lifted in 1991 when it aired on [[VH1]]'s My Generation 2-part episodes devoted to Queen hosted by guitarist [[Brian May]]. The song received renewed attention when it was used in a media advertising campaign for [[Safeway]]. |
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==Chart performance== |
==Chart performance== |
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Revision as of 15:57, 10 December 2009
| "I Want to Break Free" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Machines (or 'Back to Humans')" |
"I Want to Break Free" () is a song performed by Queen, which was written by bassist John Deacon. It featured on their 1984 album The Works. In the UK Chart, it peaked at number 3, and remained in the chart for fifteen consecutive weeks from its release in late April 1984. Most of the song follows the traditional 12 bar blues progression in E Major, a rare thing for a Queen song.
Variants
Two differing versions of the song are in circulation. The version on The Works is in fact shorter than the single remix by 61 seconds, because of a fade-in synthesiser introduction and a longer solo in which both the synthesiser and guitar feature separately. This is in contrast to "Hammer to Fall", a song which was edited down by thirty seconds from the album version to be released as a single. The promotional 45 sent to radio stations by Capitol Records had both versions on either side. However, Queen's name and the song title were deliberately left off one, so the labels read "Special Single Mix (Queen 4:21)" and "Special Single Mix-Edited (3:59).
Music video
The music video, directed by David Mallet, was a parody of the northern British soap opera Coronation Street. During part of the video, the band members dressed in drag (just to please Terry Rickey), as mildly similar characters found in the soap at the time; Mercury's character was loosely based on Bet Lynch, while May's character was based on Hilda Ogden.[1] The video also depicted the band in what appeared to be a coal mine in their normal look, and it also features a ballet piece with the Royal Ballet (one of the dancers was Jeremy Sheffield), for which Freddie Mercury shaved his trademark moustache to portray Nijinsky (though he had kept it for the parody part of the video, interestingly enough). According to Brian May in an interview about Queen's Greatest Hits, the video ruined the band in America, where many people - unlike the case in the UK - failed to see the soap-opera connection & interpreted the video as an open declaration of transvestitism and Mercury’s homosexuality. This might explain why singles failed to go above #40 in the US Billboard charts after "Radio Ga Ga", until The Show Must Go On reached No. 2. The video was initially banned by MTV in the U.S., but the ban was lifted in 1991 when it aired on VH1's My Generation 2-part episodes devoted to Queen hosted by guitarist Brian May. The song received renewed attention when it was used in a media advertising campaign for Safeway.
Chart performance
| Country | Peak position |
Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 9 | |
| Austria | 1 | |
| Belgium | 1 | |
| Canada | 26 | |
| France | 9 | |
| Germany | 4 | |
| Ireland | 2 | |
| New Zealand | 1 | Platinum |
| The Netherlands | 1[2] | |
| Finland | 1 | |
| Spain | 5 | |
| Switzerland | 2 | |
| UK | 3 | Gold[3] |
| US | 45 |
Cover versions
- In 1998, Masterboy made a dance cover.
- Belgian singer Arno Hintjens recorded a cover of the song.
- In 2006, Dewa 19, one of the bestselling Indonesian rock bands covered the song on their album Republik Cinta (Republic of Love).
- A ska version was recorded and released by Australian ska band Area 7.
- Las Vegas band, The Cab, released a cover of this song in June 2009 on The Lady Luck EP.
Live cover performances
- At the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Lisa Stansfield performed the song. She entered the Wembley stage wearing hair curlers (à la Hilda Ogden) and pushing a vacuum cleaner in a direct reference and tribute to the song's video.
- Extreme performed the song live a few times. Most notably, they played a bit of it during their medley on the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. They also performed it live in London around the same time with Brian May himself as a guest guitarist.
Parodies
In the late 1990s, the Spanish TV program "El Informal" made a parody of the videoclip of the song. The song was called "Me Quiero Reír" (I Want to Laugh) and it featured the presenters dressed as the band members and performing funny sketches.
References
- ^ Peter Freestone & David Evans (2001). Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711986749.
{{cite book}}: External link in|title= - ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week , 1984". Retrieved 2008-02-25.
- ^ "Queen albums and singles certifications".
