I really enjoyed both the song and your reaction. Really good observations on this being a flavorful fusion of Spanish and Jamaican/Caribbean styles, with a little bit of Baroque influences. As you say, it really takes good musicians to be able to pull this off, without sounding like a hodge-podge or mishmash of sounds. When Freddie says, "I like it. I like it." I though, yeah that's a good reflection of how I felt about this fun song.
This is a victory song over all the bad relationships we've had in our lives. Deacon sure wrote some wonderful music for this band. I have appreciated his talent more and more through the years. I hope he is enjoying his well-earned retirement. He is a special man.
"Who Needs You" is an underrated, whimsical, spicy little burrito of a song that sounds so laid back, restrained, and spontaneous yet so much fun... Freddie's ad-libs of "oh muchachos" and "I like it" never fails to put a grin to my face...
... ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF QUEEN ALWAYS DID THE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT PARTS FOR THE SONG; there was no ego involved in what they recorded! It was ALWAYS JUST ABOUT THE SONG, AND WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT THEY EVER DID WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE SONG, and What was PERFECT FOR IT! They played so many incredibly versatile types of songs, and everything was ABSOLUTELY, VIRTUALLY PERFECT in style and delivery! They were COMPLETE PERFECTIONISTS, AND IT SHOWS!!!!!!!!!!! Brian actually learned how to play a toy Kyoto for a Japanese song on Day of the races! Their attention to detail was ALWAYS ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON SPECTACULAR!
Queen was the best band that ever existed, as they played any rhythm of music and the voices fit together very well, even in the folds, sometimes joining in the same note as May's guitar. Unique.
There's a surprising amount of musical twists and turns in a song that could easily be dismissed as a charming pastiche. Freddie sings percussively - right on the beat - in the verses of this song more than he usually does. These sweetly biting inflections are in perfect keeping with the lyric. And his timbre is softer; he's really using his voice's tonal possibilities to great effect. Beautiful solo from Brian, too. Such a joyful moment, and it helps give the lyric it's c'est la vie sanguinity. As for the variance in Queen's sound, it harks back to the experimentation of songs that found on Sheer Heart Attack in particular. I can't think of any other band - not even the Beatles - whose range could stretch far enough to incorporate Stone Cold Crazy, Lilly of the Valley and Bring Back that Leroy Brown into one career, let alone one album!
@@alisonrandall3039 Hi to you, too. :) It seems there's quite a bit of debate about this solo on Queen forums! I've not seen a post or comment from Brian that clarifies things either way, but to me, I've always thought it to be Brian primarily due to the style of it rather than the expertise required to play it. I've love to know for certain who it was,!
Freddie always knew, which one of his many different voices, singing styles he had to pull out of his pocket. 😍 The sound and the style is rather Mexican than anything else, at least to me.
Vlad is doing a great job at selecting the songs. The genius and diversity of Queen music is great especially when it comes to introducing a classical musician to other music formats and genres. Unfortunately this diversity diminishes after Hot Space to be resurrected by Innuendo in 1991.
I enjoy your videos very much and thank you for that. This is a great song, the guitar its more influenced by Latinoamerican music ( Boleros) than spanish ( España flamenco music) itself. I understand the reference to Spanish from must people from USA or England but as a Latinoamerican person i must say, those guitars are in the heart of Bolero which is like our blues music. Even the lirics is from that style, broken heart and pain for a sad relationship of love. Its amazing how Brian gets deep in some style for a 10 seconds journey in a solo guitar. When we hear Till there was you ( Beatles) you can also here the same influence of Bolero music in George guitar solo) Those two gentelman touch my soul whit their aprouch in the instrument every time I listen to. Thanks for all you do about music in your life and this channel, I just love it
I love this song because it sounds like the guys are having fun and just jamming 😂 Also Freddie’s little throw in lines… he was always totally Freddie no matter whose song he was singing. Thank you Amy 🌷 You’re the best !!
What a lovely little song! I have been listening to some of Amy's analyses lately, but thus far keeping it to songs I was already familiar with, because hearing these reactions is such a good way to almost bring back the exhilaration of hearing a beloved song for the first time. But, like Amy, I wasn't brought up with a whole lot of exposure to pop music. The first time I ever heard Queen was when I was in college, and one of my roommates had a few singles of theirs. Killer Queen was the first one I ever heard, and it completely blew my mind. The harmonies, and the various little intricacies were unlike anything I had ever heard before. But much as I loved it, I never really went off in search of more of their work. I have no idea why. My husband had a copy of their Greatest Hits album when we were first dating (1984), and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Queen. Now, I feel as though there's a whole world of pop music out there that I have a wonderfully sensitive guide to lead me through! Thanks, Amy!
As a teenager, this album "News of The World" was definitely a favourite to spin from opening to close. The entire musical soundscape is available throughout. Nice choice.
It's a great song with the very style of mexican boleros, (trío los Panchos, los Dandys) and you can picture Freddie wearing a mariachi sombrero when he says "oh muchacho" swinging a good pair of maracas!
Now when we've been through a couple of Queen songs, that I haven't heard before, the humour and mixture of styles makes me think of another band, who also went way beyond traditional guitar-rock with humour and styles: "10cc" 10cc, now mostly forgotten, were quite groundbreaking in '74 and had many similarities with Queen. All four were multi-instrumentalists, and there are many nice details in their music. First album "10cc" (1973) overall sounds like quality re-recodings of '60ies hits; but in fact are all original compositions. Graham Gouldman was already "unknown famous" as he had written '60ies hits for established bands like "For Your Love" (Yardbirds), "Bus Stop" (Hollies) and "No Milk Today" (Herman's Hermits), so they had a solid foundation to play with the '60ies style in humorous ways. "Sheet Music" (1973) was their international breakthrough. As with other UK-bands Radio Luxemburg helped their way and with a humorous selection rather than a mainstream hit choice: "The Worst Band in the World" which has the lyrics: "we hate to admit it we are the worst band in the world but we are working on it so tune up" - and the guitar tunes up! In fact the whole number is build around a rather bizarre guitar-playing that remains in your memory eventhough the song won't hit. I was eleven y. o. and was sold: My fave band for a long time! Second noticeable number is "Somewhere in Hollywood". It begins with some sort of electronic emulation of a harpes full-range arpeggio before turning into a piano piece. The piano is assisted by synth-like guitars, but mostly by drums and percussion, in an everchanging retrospective style reflecting the lyrics - very much like Queen. Ever since 1974 two lines from this song has stayed in my mind, about the guy hiding under the bed: "...and he is dangerous! -ly close, was the weather, when I was a kid..." A remarkable composition! But too long for radio, so the stations of Europe chose the two numbers with most overdriven guitar "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love" to be aired - both became giant hits. Fun fact about "Sheet Music": Paul McCartney was recording an album for his brother in the same studio, so 10cc used Pauls drums for "Sheet Music". Their third album "The Original Soundtrack" (1975) is probably now the most famous. It opens with a micro-opera "Une Nuit a Paris" and is followed by their only real love song "I'm Not in Love", which is now their most remembered number. Though "I'm Not in Love" is a beautiful song, it is not very musically complex, (but it contains strategic placed minorMAJ7 chords). However it's build on a pleasing "blanket sound" of layered choir and acoustic guitar under the main electric piano. This blanket-sound is what many producers try to emulate nowadays, when mixing modern artists, who may have nice songs but not much musical substance. You must dig into 10cc as supplement, a filling main course must have a sweet dessert!
@@danadurnfordkevinblanchdebunk Well, if I was introducing someone to 50 Queen songs, SHA would not be on the list. It is not one of their better ones, in my opinion. Then again, I'm in Love With My Car wouldn't be on the list either, but it was on Vlad's, and he's passed over a number of songs that would be on my 50.
@@toddmathers5075 Agreed, but since she seems to have a relative liking to Queen, she might be more receptive to listen to yet another style by Queen and another rock genre. I wouldn't expect her to like it, but she needs to know what punk music sounds like if she really is appreciative in exploring the different styles. Since she has been exposed to a lot of heavy metal on the channel so far, punk is a logical listen.
Love this song. It’s fun and different from any other Queen song. I love how they experiment with their music. This one makes one want to dance! 💃🏻 Thanks for the analysis! You’re right it is a fusion of influences.
Think I’ll go for baroque here and say Freddie was a great ‘ director’ and ‘editor’ He was known to change songs around when the band was in the studio recording. Roger said in a fun interview that he left and when he came back ‘ that rotter Freddie had changed all the lyrics’ I don’t remember which song Roger was talking about but Roger loved Freddie and was making very light of the situation 😂
That song was "One Vision." Freddie did the same thing with Roger's "Kind Of Magic" later on where he completely rearranged the studio recording while Roger was away, feeling that the song had great commercial potential. When Roger came back and heard what Freddie did, he didn't complain and was fine with it.
That opening lick just screams John Deacon. I always placed him last when it came to Queen songs. I preferred John or Brian's rock & roll, or Freddie's operatic bombast. John just did the cheesy, poppy stuff. As time has passed, I've come to recognise just how clever he was. I still prefer the harder rock feel the others created, but John really brought a sideways element and playfulness that helped make Queen what it was.
This is a bolero, a very popular genre in Cuba, México, Colombia. Take a look to Armando Manzanero, Also, theres a new band called "Daniel me estás matando", check the song "Diez pasos hacía ti"
I have been a loyal Queen fan since my teenage years (long time ago) There's always something new to discover in their catalog, but I am so glad to continue to learn something new when I am listening your reaction. Thank you. (And excuse me for any mistake in my writing. English is not my native language)
What I find so enjoyable in this recording is the quite substantial little bit of fret buzz that comes with the final note of the charming guitar thingy which is the introduction to the song. I think it’s the open A string. So nice and clever in Who Needs You but would certainly be rather annoying in Love of My Life.
This is Queen being.. well, Queen. They'll have a lash at anything, really. And, the vast majority of the time, they manage to pull it off. In a way, it's kind of educational to get to hear various flavours of music within, what might be considered, the safe confines of a band you've grown to trust with presenting different types of music. A smörgåsbord of music, if you will. Tasters of things you might not have otherwise gone out of your way to try. As we know, rock 'n' roll/popular music borrows from all genres of music, whether it be blues, jazz, reggae, latin, you name it, and it is, in it's own way, an introduction to such. This particular song is a rather unassuming little ditty that fits like a glove in Queen's repertoire. As Mercury says in the lyrics, 'I like it, I Like it.'
It's an interesting blend of influences: Spanish, Caribbean, even The Beatles when it comes to the way it's mixed. I love seeing your reaction and how happy you are listening to it. This one's one the same album as 'All Dead, All Dead' (my favourite from that particular LP) and it's so nice to realise they're both so touching in such different ways. A bit of trivia: this is one of three John Deacon songs not to feature him on bass, the other two being 'Arboria' and 'Execution of Flash'.
I’m aware that Americans tend to define things from spanish-speaking Latin-America, and certainly any music with spanish guitar on it, as “Spanish”, but musically this is closer to the Cuban Bolero and Son than anything else, even when it also has some Jamaican flavor to it (the chords, the guitar flourishes, the maracas, the bongos.., sound almost like a bolero trio). For us cubans, “Spanish” would refer to things from Spain, of course.
This guitar remind me the song 'the dreamers ball', that appear in the Queen next album (i mean not a new album, i mean the 'Jazz' album). This kind of style was not particularly new for Queen.. in the 'A night at the Opera' album, there was one very similar called '39'. This song, togheter with 'we are the champions' and 'my melancoly blues' can be considered like a keeping old style by Queen in contrast with their needed of a mood-change requested by the Elektra-EMI discographic agreement, that (those etiquette) considered the old Queen style like passed away and finished. Obviously they cannot use a keeping old-style using as referment-piont songs like Bohemian Rhapsody or Millionaire Waltz because thoses were the unwilled style by Elektra. Than they decided to save their musical personality goin a little bit on with their most, at the time, easy-listening mood that appeared in their first albums. I hope i had rightfully explaned what i mean because my english is not so good.
Hi Amy. I love your analysis...I've commented on this before. 😊 You may find it interesting that on the Deacon penned songs, many of the 6 string electric guitar backdrops are actually performed by John Deacon as opposed to Brian May. There's a tonal difference between the two players. We long time Queen fans (perhaps esp. the musicians among us) can hear this. Ha ha, sounds like you're becoming a fan.
I know that no one has asked, but the second song that I was referring to is Rain Must Fall, which is by Queen but it is said that it is by Deacon, in the case of the song analyzed, perhaps Freddie intervened in some percentage in the lyrics, in the Raw Session from News, you can hear that the lyrics were not finished in some passages....and the last thing I want to comment on is that, my feeling is that at some point, in some of the tone of voice it reminds me of Carmen Miranda ( I know that Brazil is not Caribbean, just as the rhythm is not Jamaican and the guitars sound Spanish)...and there was some reference to Carmen Miranda by Freddie in I'm Going Slightly Mad, so I could have looked for some inspiration in those places and some clichés, I can even think that "Besame Mucho" version of The Beatles may have contributed 0.1% hahaha (my humble opinion)
Thank you for all your valuable insight and contributions to this song that a majority of the time gets overlooked. I really enjoy your breakdown of the songs that are chosen. Again, thanks for the reactions!
I don't have this Queen album and thus I didn't know this song. It sounds rather refreshing and demonstrative of Queen's diversity and versatility. As (an old) Chef I have come to be careful with mixing all the food cultures in a singular meal period or even a single dish, we played with it and it was interesting in the early 90's for a few years but then came the challenges, like how do you sensibly pair wines with a dinner that has both Italian and Thai flavors? I sometimes say to the guys in the kitchen "promise to me that you won't put jalapenos on my pizza and I promise to not put pepperoni in your tacos." For Queen however this mix and match works quite well in this song, I enjoyed it a lot. I should probably get the album.
Thanks, so much, VR - I really appreciate your reactions.. such a fun song!.. (I always felt the Spanish-style guitar.. but there definitely are vocal harmonies...)
This is really not one of Queens most popular songs 😂in fact I'd completely forgotten it existed. There is so much other truly great stuff on this album, that I think it used to be a "think I'll move the needle to the next song" one. It's good to assess it again with fresh ears. You're right though about Queens sophistication, compared to many of their contemporaries,
Yes, but he had a little help from John's 'Deacy Amp'.... Brian said he used it a lot during recording sessions.... creating the 'orchestral' aspect of his guitar....I love this song... Brian & John are both fantastic players.
When I tap on the screen at different times during the first half of this video, I see the different names given to what seem to be randomly selected parts of the video that were named after situations named after various TV actors. I gotta say, I share your and/or Vlad’s sense of humor. After the weekend I just had, I just want to thank you for the laugh!
Not sure if you’ve do e a listen for this band yet, but Florence and the Machine has a harpist so it occurred to me that one of their most popular songs may be a good fit for you!
I never heard anything Jamaican in this song, but it does have a more “tropical” feel. If a Jamaican sound was what they were going for, they could have consulted with Freddie’s best friend, Peter Straker, who was Jamaican!
When this LP came out, Freddie's voice on this song could only be heard with the help of a good record player, so not in my case. I had to listen very carefully to the song in the background to catch the words. Thank you very much for your thoughts and insights to this song.
hola como estas ? aca te escribe Julian desde Argentina , y... es asi como tu dices , es una fusion de ritmos , mas bien latinos , esto es un bolero . ritmo caracteristico de centro america , los boleros son romanticos y suaves , osea en general esta cancion esta bien, lo unico que la voz de Freddie ,al cantar en ingles y con rasgos liricos , lo cambio casi por completo , saludos
Jamaican?? This song is pure Cuban Rumba. Big miss from somebody who is usually spot on with her assessments. Never mind. Great video and great reaction, as always. 👍
According to Wikipedia, It has been described as a "tentative reggae homage", albeit with "Spanish rather than Jamaican guitars". Using tentative to me means they had doubts that it was reggae at all.
Hey Ami! I didn't know this song. I'm deep into Reggae, and I can assure you that this is not. It's clearly a European interpretation of various Caribbean influences. The Spanish style is at his place here because this style had a huge influence in some Caribbean isles. But the base rhythm is absolutely not Reggae, even if a few arrangements give (again) a Caribbean taste, the "one drop" is totally missing. As for Freddie's voice, you're right: he is really in a ballad mode, with far less accentuations than usual; it's not joyful, it's not sad, a little bit ironic maybe. And yes, his voice is so plentiful, that even if it is all panned to the right, it still fills all the space left by the instruments. Also true, the sing/talk style is abundant in Reggae, but Freddie uses this style in many other songs; and that's why he often looks like he is performing on a theater stage. I happened to know somewhere that Brian's aim when playing guitar with Queen was to always complement Freddie's voice, and that, among other things, he did well. All this makes me feel they had a lot of fun over this song. They are all a little out of their zones, experimenting, but they are all so talented that they all master their parts, and such a "together band" that the combined result is excellent. It's pleasant to listen to, but, for me, it is a white European evocation/interpretation very far from the real ting. Also, all artists and craftsmen, when finishing a work after numerous intense hours, want to get to something else. The talented ones succeed at that, the others repeat. The cat asked: how long have you been in Jamaica? Best regards!
Please react to more Evanescence: -Lacrymosa & The End Of The Dream (Synthesis Live) -Lost In Paradise -Far From Heaven -Good Enough (Synthesis Live) -Speak To Me (Synthesis Live)
I don't hear anything Jamaican in this, because to me, Jamaican equals Reggae, and this track ust doesn't contain Reggae elements (like a Reggae beat or the Reggae rhythm guitar or the very recognizable Reggae bass guitar lines).* I hear a lot of the Carribean though. (Maybe Calypso or something? I'm not sure. I don't know enough about it.) Amy, are you sure you hear Jamaican music in this? Or do you think you hear it, because of what you read in advance? Don't believe everything you read! And if there's Jamaican music in this, which Jamaican style may that be then? The same goes for reading scores. The guitar intro has a slide up, but it also had a slide down. Maybe you ignore this, because maybe it wasn't in your score? But why don't you h e a r it? I always think you rely too much on scores when listening to Pop and Rock. You slid up on your harp, but I'd be interested to know if the harp can slide down too. - - - * This view could be too limited, but still, Ska and Reggae are the famous Jamaican musical styles. Hardly anyone knows the pre-Ska styles. So when they write about "Jamaican" music, you can bet 10 to 1 that they're talking about Reggae.
I really enjoyed both the song and your reaction. Really good observations on this being a flavorful fusion of Spanish and Jamaican/Caribbean styles, with a little bit of Baroque influences. As you say, it really takes good musicians to be able to pull this off, without sounding like a hodge-podge or mishmash of sounds. When Freddie says, "I like it. I like it." I though, yeah that's a good reflection of how I felt about this fun song.
The one thing that's eternally true about Queen songs is that Queen songs aren't like other Queen songs.
And yet they're unmistakably Queen songs, every one of them.
This is a victory song over all the bad relationships we've had in our lives. Deacon sure wrote some wonderful music for this band. I have appreciated his talent more and more through the years. I hope he is enjoying his well-earned retirement. He is a special man.
"Who Needs You" is an underrated, whimsical, spicy little burrito of a song that sounds so laid back, restrained, and spontaneous yet so much fun... Freddie's ad-libs of "oh muchachos" and "I like it" never fails to put a grin to my face...
This album's "non-hits" are among Queen's best material, to me.
It’s ridiculously obvious that only a group of genius can give birth to such a perfect song
I think Freddie would have loved you.
Oh he would have. He had such and appreciation for women, he was quite well mannered, ever the gentleman, and Amy is quite the lady.
Your unique style, the way you appreciate music Amy… Yes Freddie definitely would have loved you
Another example of their absolute genius across the board; composition, lyrics, production, instrument mastery and so on. Best band ever.
What I love about Queen is their ability to pull out different flavors and styles and combined them Yet still sound distinctly like Queen.
EXACTLY!
I always find Freddie’s voice is a perfect match for the songs written by John.
More proof that there are few bands as diverse as Queen. You just cannot pigeonhole them into one genre. Just so much talent. Legendary.
can't wait for melancholy blues
Same😊👍
me too
Totally
Both Freddy’s voice and the composition as a whole are quite playful. A delightful song.
... ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF QUEEN ALWAYS DID THE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT PARTS FOR THE SONG; there was no ego involved in what they recorded! It was ALWAYS JUST ABOUT THE SONG, AND WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT THEY EVER DID WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE SONG, and What was PERFECT FOR IT! They played so many incredibly versatile types of songs, and everything was ABSOLUTELY, VIRTUALLY PERFECT in style and delivery! They were COMPLETE PERFECTIONISTS, AND IT SHOWS!!!!!!!!!!! Brian actually learned how to play a toy Kyoto for a Japanese song on Day of the races! Their attention to detail was ALWAYS ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON SPECTACULAR!
Queen was the best band that ever existed, as they played any rhythm of music and the voices fit together very well, even in the folds, sometimes joining in the same note as May's guitar. Unique.
May’s electric gtr orchestrations are syrupy smooth, clever & some of his most different sounding (tone) Brilliant of course.
There's a surprising amount of musical twists and turns in a song that could easily be dismissed as a charming pastiche. Freddie sings percussively - right on the beat - in the verses of this song more than he usually does. These sweetly biting inflections are in perfect keeping with the lyric. And his timbre is softer; he's really using his voice's tonal possibilities to great effect. Beautiful solo from Brian, too. Such a joyful moment, and it helps give the lyric it's c'est la vie sanguinity. As for the variance in Queen's sound, it harks back to the experimentation of songs that found on Sheer Heart Attack in particular. I can't think of any other band - not even the Beatles - whose range could stretch far enough to incorporate Stone Cold Crazy, Lilly of the Valley and Bring Back that Leroy Brown into one career, let alone one album!
Hi it’s actually John playing the solo.
@@alisonrandall3039 Hi to you, too. :) It seems there's quite a bit of debate about this solo on Queen forums! I've not seen a post or comment from Brian that clarifies things either way, but to me, I've always thought it to be Brian primarily due to the style of it rather than the expertise required to play it. I've love to know for certain who it was,!
Freddie always knew, which one of his many different voices, singing styles he had to pull out of his pocket. 😍 The sound and the style is rather Mexican than anything else, at least to me.
Vlad is doing a great job at selecting the songs. The genius and diversity of Queen music is great especially when it comes to introducing a classical musician to other music formats and genres. Unfortunately this diversity diminishes after Hot Space to be resurrected by Innuendo in 1991.
I enjoy your videos very much and thank you for that. This is a great song, the guitar its more influenced by Latinoamerican music ( Boleros) than spanish ( España flamenco music) itself. I understand the reference to Spanish from must people from USA or England but as a Latinoamerican person i must say, those guitars are in the heart of Bolero which is like our blues music. Even the lirics is from that style, broken heart and pain for a sad relationship of love. Its amazing how Brian gets deep in some style for a 10 seconds journey in a solo guitar. When we hear Till there was you ( Beatles) you can also here the same influence of Bolero music in George guitar solo) Those two gentelman touch my soul whit their aprouch in the instrument every time I listen to. Thanks for all you do about music in your life and this channel, I just love it
I love this song because it sounds like the guys are having fun and just jamming 😂 Also Freddie’s little throw in lines… he was always totally Freddie no matter whose song he was singing. Thank you Amy 🌷 You’re the best !!
I love this song, even when the lyrics are sad the music is uplifting. Queen's so-called sad songs always have a hopeful side. Great reaction.
What a lovely little song! I have been listening to some of Amy's analyses lately, but thus far keeping it to songs I was already familiar with, because hearing these reactions is such a good way to almost bring back the exhilaration of hearing a beloved song for the first time. But, like Amy, I wasn't brought up with a whole lot of exposure to pop music. The first time I ever heard Queen was when I was in college, and one of my roommates had a few singles of theirs. Killer Queen was the first one I ever heard, and it completely blew my mind. The harmonies, and the various little intricacies were unlike anything I had ever heard before. But much as I loved it, I never really went off in search of more of their work. I have no idea why. My husband had a copy of their Greatest Hits album when we were first dating (1984), and that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge of Queen. Now, I feel as though there's a whole world of pop music out there that I have a wonderfully sensitive guide to lead me through! Thanks, Amy!
As a teenager, this album "News of The World" was definitely a favourite to spin from opening to close. The entire musical soundscape is available throughout. Nice choice.
Songs like this one help prove why Queen has earned their place on the Mount Rushmore of rock bands! Brilliant stuff, great reaction as always, Amy!!
It's a great song with the very style of mexican boleros, (trío los Panchos, los Dandys) and you can picture Freddie wearing a mariachi sombrero when he says "oh muchacho" swinging a good pair of maracas!
Now when we've been through a couple of Queen songs, that I haven't heard before,
the humour and mixture of styles makes me think of another band, who also went way
beyond traditional guitar-rock with humour and styles: "10cc"
10cc, now mostly forgotten, were quite groundbreaking in '74 and had many similarities
with Queen. All four were multi-instrumentalists, and there are many nice details in
their music.
First album "10cc" (1973) overall sounds like quality re-recodings of '60ies hits;
but in fact are all original compositions.
Graham Gouldman was already "unknown famous" as he had written '60ies hits for
established bands like "For Your Love" (Yardbirds), "Bus Stop" (Hollies) and
"No Milk Today" (Herman's Hermits), so they had a solid foundation to play with the
'60ies style in humorous ways.
"Sheet Music" (1973) was their international breakthrough. As with other UK-bands
Radio Luxemburg helped their way and with a humorous selection rather than a mainstream
hit choice:
"The Worst Band in the World" which has the lyrics:
"we hate to admit it
we are the worst band in the world
but we are working on it
so tune up"
- and the guitar tunes up! In fact the whole number is build around a rather bizarre
guitar-playing that remains in your memory eventhough the song won't hit.
I was eleven y. o. and was sold: My fave band for a long time!
Second noticeable number is "Somewhere in Hollywood". It begins with some sort of
electronic emulation of a harpes full-range arpeggio before turning into a piano piece.
The piano is assisted by synth-like guitars, but mostly by drums and percussion, in an
everchanging retrospective style reflecting the lyrics - very much like Queen.
Ever since 1974 two lines from this song has stayed in my mind, about the guy hiding
under the bed:
"...and he is dangerous!
-ly close, was the weather, when I was a kid..."
A remarkable composition! But too long for radio, so the stations of Europe chose
the two numbers with most overdriven guitar "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love"
to be aired - both became giant hits.
Fun fact about "Sheet Music": Paul McCartney was recording an album for his brother
in the same studio, so 10cc used Pauls drums for "Sheet Music".
Their third album "The Original Soundtrack" (1975) is probably now the most famous.
It opens with a micro-opera "Une Nuit a Paris" and is followed by their only real
love song "I'm Not in Love", which is now their most remembered number.
Though "I'm Not in Love" is a beautiful song, it is not very musically complex, (but
it contains strategic placed minorMAJ7 chords). However it's build on a pleasing
"blanket sound" of layered choir and acoustic guitar under the main electric piano.
This blanket-sound is what many producers try to emulate nowadays, when mixing modern
artists, who may have nice songs but not much musical substance.
You must dig into 10cc as supplement, a filling main course must have a sweet dessert!
Ooo, 2 deaky classics back to back, can't wait! . I would guess melancholy blues is the next one on the list (?)
Hopefully It's Late is next on the list, then My Melancholy Blues
@@toddmathers5075 Whet about Sheer Heart Attack? Would be her first punk song.
@@danadurnfordkevinblanchdebunk Well, if I was introducing someone to 50 Queen songs, SHA would not be on the list. It is not one of their better ones, in my opinion. Then again, I'm in Love With My Car wouldn't be on the list either, but it was on Vlad's, and he's passed over a number of songs that would be on my 50.
@@toddmathers5075 Agreed, but since she seems to have a relative liking to Queen, she might be more receptive to listen to yet another style by Queen and another rock genre. I wouldn't expect her to like it, but she needs to know what punk music sounds like if she really is appreciative in exploring the different styles. Since she has been exposed to a lot of heavy metal on the channel so far, punk is a logical listen.
Love this song. It’s fun and different from any other Queen song. I love how they experiment with their music. This one makes one want to dance! 💃🏻 Thanks for the analysis! You’re right it is a fusion of influences.
An underrated piece , but it's brilliant.
Regards,
Think I’ll go for baroque here and say Freddie was a great ‘ director’ and ‘editor’ He was known to change songs around when the band was in the studio recording. Roger said in a fun interview that he left and when he came back ‘ that rotter Freddie had changed all the lyrics’
I don’t remember which song Roger was talking about but Roger loved Freddie and was making very light of the situation 😂
That song was "One Vision." Freddie did the same thing with Roger's "Kind Of Magic" later on where he completely rearranged the studio recording while Roger was away, feeling that the song had great commercial potential. When Roger came back and heard what Freddie did, he didn't complain and was fine with it.
@@MrvictorfernandesTY ✌🏼😊
That opening lick just screams John Deacon. I always placed him last when it came to Queen songs. I preferred John or Brian's rock & roll, or Freddie's operatic bombast. John just did the cheesy, poppy stuff. As time has passed, I've come to recognise just how clever he was. I still prefer the harder rock feel the others created, but John really brought a sideways element and playfulness that helped make Queen what it was.
This is a bolero, a very popular genre in Cuba, México, Colombia. Take a look to Armando Manzanero, Also, theres a new band called "Daniel me estás matando", check the song "Diez pasos hacía ti"
I have been a loyal Queen fan since my teenage years (long time ago) There's always something new to discover in their catalog, but I am so glad to continue to learn something new when I am listening your reaction. Thank you. (And excuse me for any mistake in my writing. English is not my native language)
What I find so enjoyable in this recording is the quite substantial little bit of fret buzz that comes with the final note of the charming guitar thingy which is the introduction to the song. I think it’s the open A string. So nice and clever in Who Needs You but would certainly be rather annoying in Love of My Life.
This is Queen being.. well, Queen. They'll have a lash at anything, really. And, the vast majority of the time, they manage to pull it off. In a way, it's kind of educational to get to hear various flavours of music within, what might be considered, the safe confines of a band you've grown to trust with presenting different types of music. A smörgåsbord of music, if you will. Tasters of things you might not have otherwise gone out of your way to try. As we know, rock 'n' roll/popular music borrows from all genres of music, whether it be blues, jazz, reggae, latin, you name it, and it is, in it's own way, an introduction to such. This particular song is a rather unassuming little ditty that fits like a glove in Queen's repertoire. As Mercury says in the lyrics, 'I like it, I Like it.'
It's an interesting blend of influences: Spanish, Caribbean, even The Beatles when it comes to the way it's mixed. I love seeing your reaction and how happy you are listening to it. This one's one the same album as 'All Dead, All Dead' (my favourite from that particular LP) and it's so nice to realise they're both so touching in such different ways.
A bit of trivia: this is one of three John Deacon songs not to feature him on bass, the other two being 'Arboria' and 'Execution of Flash'.
Love your intricate reactions. I have only heard this song once before. I didn’t realise how good it was.
A truly magnificent band. I've been listening to them for almost 50 years now, and I love them as much as ever.
I doubt it would happen, but i wish It's Late would be done. For later on, Bijou.
I’m aware that Americans tend to define things from spanish-speaking Latin-America, and certainly any music with spanish guitar on it, as “Spanish”, but musically this is closer to the Cuban Bolero and Son than anything else, even when it also has some Jamaican flavor to it (the chords, the guitar flourishes, the maracas, the bongos.., sound almost like a bolero trio). For us cubans, “Spanish” would refer to things from Spain, of course.
Totally agree. I´m spanish, and this song has never given me spanish vibes. I always got a sort of latin/tropical vibe.
It's definitelly a Mexican/cuban bolero. Or cuban/Mexican. But a bolero
My imediate thought was Cuban guajira
@@ppike__ well yeah! now that you mention it I can hear it at least in the figure that starts the song.
This guitar remind me the song 'the dreamers ball', that appear in the Queen next album (i mean not a new album, i mean the 'Jazz' album). This kind of style was not particularly new for Queen.. in the 'A night at the Opera' album, there was one very similar called '39'. This song, togheter with 'we are the champions' and 'my melancoly blues' can be considered like a keeping old style by Queen in contrast with their needed of a mood-change requested by the Elektra-EMI discographic agreement, that (those etiquette) considered the old Queen style like passed away and finished. Obviously they cannot use a keeping old-style using as referment-piont songs like Bohemian Rhapsody or Millionaire Waltz because thoses were the unwilled style by Elektra. Than they decided to save their musical personality goin a little bit on with their most, at the time, easy-listening mood that appeared in their first albums. I hope i had rightfully explaned what i mean because my english is not so good.
Always loved this song
Hi Amy. I love your analysis...I've commented on this before. 😊
You may find it interesting that on the Deacon penned songs, many of the 6 string electric guitar backdrops are actually performed by John Deacon as opposed to Brian May. There's a tonal difference between the two players. We long time Queen fans (perhaps esp. the musicians among us) can hear this. Ha ha, sounds like you're becoming a fan.
in the section "Queen songs with Caribbean influence" Deacon has had an influence on two of them
I know that no one has asked, but the second song that I was referring to is Rain Must Fall, which is by Queen but it is said that it is by Deacon, in the case of the song analyzed, perhaps Freddie intervened in some percentage in the lyrics, in the Raw Session from News, you can hear that the lyrics were not finished in some passages....and the last thing I want to comment on is that, my feeling is that at some point, in some of the tone of voice it reminds me of Carmen Miranda ( I know that Brazil is not Caribbean, just as the rhythm is not Jamaican and the guitars sound Spanish)...and there was some reference to Carmen Miranda by Freddie in I'm Going Slightly Mad, so I could have looked for some inspiration in those places and some clichés, I can even think that "Besame Mucho" version of The Beatles may have contributed 0.1% hahaha (my humble opinion)
How can anyone not love this song? John's lyrics always cut to the chase.
This is the other John Deacon song on the album, amazing you chose this, fun track, fun guitars and Freddie's vocals are so whimsical.
I love this song. Everyone thinks it’s Brian playing but it’s actually John.
Definitely in my top 3 for Queen.
I'm glad you reacted to this song. A hidden gem from this album.
IT'S LATE NEXT PLEASEEEEEEEE
This has always been one of my favorite vocals in Queens vocal wonderland.
Thank you for all your valuable insight and contributions to this song that a majority of the time gets overlooked. I really enjoy your breakdown of the songs that are chosen. Again, thanks for the reactions!
Great reaction❤John is such a great musician❤Love all his work.❤Thank you❤
makes me smile throughout. Thanks for the review !
I don't have this Queen album and thus I didn't know this song. It sounds rather refreshing and demonstrative of Queen's diversity and versatility.
As (an old) Chef I have come to be careful with mixing all the food cultures in a singular meal period or even a single dish, we played with it and it was interesting in the early 90's for a few years but then came the challenges, like how do you sensibly pair wines with a dinner that has both Italian and Thai flavors?
I sometimes say to the guys in the kitchen "promise to me that you won't put jalapenos on my pizza and I promise to not put pepperoni in your tacos."
For Queen however this mix and match works quite well in this song, I enjoyed it a lot. I should probably get the album.
Thanks, so much, VR - I really appreciate your reactions.. such a fun song!.. (I always felt the Spanish-style guitar.. but there definitely are vocal harmonies...)
This is really not one of Queens most popular songs 😂in fact I'd completely forgotten it existed. There is so much other truly great stuff on this album, that I think it used to be a "think I'll move the needle to the next song" one. It's good to assess it again with fresh ears. You're right though about Queens sophistication, compared to many of their contemporaries,
You are just fantastic, I could listen to you all day. Thank you ❤
There is definately an element of music hall in this song, especially towards the end.
Fun fact, it could be the first song in this Queen 50 series that nobody requested before ;)
Queen are genius 4 ever🎉🎉
Love love love this song love you
that's so funny I always thought it had a bossa nova sound I never really heard the Jamaican execpt at the beginning drums. Now I hear it.
yeah, i forget this one.. that's simply a funny little peace of musical pop-art
I hope you're not skipping "Sheer Heart Attack"...
Brian May pulls sounds from a guitar that no one else could.
Yes, but he had a little help from John's 'Deacy Amp'.... Brian said he used it a lot during recording sessions.... creating the 'orchestral' aspect of his guitar....I love this song... Brian & John are both fantastic players.
It’s not Brian playing but John.
Thank you so much, Amy
I always learn something
When I tap on the screen at different times during the first half of this video, I see the different names given to what seem to be randomly selected parts of the video that were named after situations named after various TV actors. I gotta say, I share your and/or Vlad’s sense of humor. After the weekend I just had, I just want to thank you for the laugh!
Love this song. It's so interesting
The timbre of the "baroque" guitar bit sounds like a pedal steel/"Hawaiian" guitar, adding to the "tropical island" feel.
Not sure if you’ve do e a listen for this band yet, but Florence and the Machine has a harpist so it occurred to me that one of their most popular songs may be a good fit for you!
I never heard anything Jamaican in this song, but it does have a more “tropical” feel. If a Jamaican sound was what they were going for, they could have consulted with Freddie’s best friend, Peter Straker, who was Jamaican!
When this LP came out, Freddie's voice on this song could only be heard with the help of a good record player, so not in my case. I had to listen very carefully to the song in the background to catch the words. Thank you very much for your thoughts and insights to this song.
It feels more Cuban than Jamaican.
hola como estas ? aca te escribe Julian desde Argentina , y... es asi como tu dices , es una fusion de ritmos , mas bien latinos , esto es un bolero . ritmo caracteristico de centro america , los boleros son romanticos y suaves , osea en general esta cancion esta bien, lo unico que la voz de Freddie ,al cantar en ingles y con rasgos liricos , lo cambio casi por completo , saludos
Maybe it's the reggae (?) beat, but also Freddie Mercury's voice in this reminds me of Sting and The Police.
Another call for the song "Travel" by The Gathering, the TG25 live version. "I wish you knew your music was to stay forever".
Could we spread these videos on Brian May's account? It would be great if he could see these beautiful analyses.
Remniscent of McCartney's "I Will" for me.
Please I beg you, listen to "My Melancholy Blues"
12:23 - wait, has Amy experienced the B-52s yet? Because that’s a prompt for doing so if I ever heard one!
There is again a raw version which is soooo much better :)
Jamaican?? This song is pure Cuban Rumba. Big miss from somebody who is usually spot on with her assessments. Never mind. Great video and great reaction, as always. 👍
Oh muchachos!!!!😅😅
For that soft spoken higher tone reggae check out Jimmy cliff, I'm quite sure he would have been the key influence for the vocals on this song
According to Wikipedia, It has been described as a "tentative reggae homage", albeit with "Spanish rather than Jamaican guitars".
Using tentative to me means they had doubts that it was reggae at all.
18.35 deacy amp.
Please do: “BRING BACK THAT LEROY BROWN”
Hey Ami! I didn't know this song.
I'm deep into Reggae, and I can assure you that this is not. It's clearly a European interpretation of various Caribbean influences. The Spanish style is at his place here because this style had a huge influence in some Caribbean isles. But the base rhythm is absolutely not Reggae, even if a few arrangements give (again) a Caribbean taste, the "one drop" is totally missing. As for Freddie's voice, you're right: he is really in a ballad mode, with far less accentuations than usual; it's not joyful, it's not sad, a little bit ironic maybe. And yes, his voice is so plentiful, that even if it is all panned to the right, it still fills all the space left by the instruments. Also true, the sing/talk style is abundant in Reggae, but Freddie uses this style in many other songs; and that's why he often looks like he is performing on a theater stage.
I happened to know somewhere that Brian's aim when playing guitar with Queen was to always complement Freddie's voice, and that, among other things, he did well. All this makes me feel they had a lot of fun over this song. They are all a little out of their zones, experimenting, but they are all so talented that they all master their parts, and such a "together band" that the combined result is excellent. It's pleasant to listen to, but, for me, it is a white European evocation/interpretation very far from the real ting.
Also, all artists and craftsmen, when finishing a work after numerous intense hours, want to get to something else. The talented ones succeed at that, the others repeat.
The cat asked: how long have you been in Jamaica?
Best regards!
This song has more depth, musicality, melodic singing and flavor than ANY music that has come out of the 21st century. Just sayin…🤷♂️
Please react to more Evanescence:
-Lacrymosa & The End Of The Dream (Synthesis Live)
-Lost In Paradise
-Far From Heaven
-Good Enough (Synthesis Live)
-Speak To Me (Synthesis Live)
Sounds like something Paul McCartney would have written.
Good Company has paul written all over it
@@henryweiland7761 And that one.
He didn't have the talent
I now know why I don't enjoy this song when listening on headphones.... (I'm deaf in my right ear!)
Ma’am, could you consider this song as a mexican bolero?
It's really More a latín bolero than reggae.
ES UN BOLERO. No es reggae.
No Sheer Heart Attack Vlad. Shame on you.
I don't hear anything Jamaican in this, because to me, Jamaican equals Reggae, and this track ust doesn't contain Reggae elements (like a Reggae beat or the Reggae rhythm guitar or the very recognizable Reggae bass guitar lines).* I hear a lot of the Carribean though. (Maybe Calypso or something? I'm not sure. I don't know enough about it.)
Amy, are you sure you hear Jamaican music in this? Or do you think you hear it, because of what you read in advance? Don't believe everything you read! And if there's Jamaican music in this, which Jamaican style may that be then?
The same goes for reading scores. The guitar intro has a slide up, but it also had a slide down. Maybe you ignore this, because maybe it wasn't in your score? But why don't you h e a r it? I always think you rely too much on scores when listening to Pop and Rock.
You slid up on your harp, but I'd be interested to know if the harp can slide down too.
- - -
* This view could be too limited, but still, Ska and Reggae are the famous Jamaican musical styles. Hardly anyone knows the pre-Ska styles. So when they write about "Jamaican" music, you can bet 10 to 1 that they're talking about Reggae.
Oh it is the Queen/Beatles/PinkFloyd (the wall) reaction channel 🥱💤😴
Not compulsory to click on the video.
As the biggest Queen fan, let me say: The best 25 songs would have been enough 😹👑💛
Oh no