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| "The Show Must Go On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Queen_The_Show_Must_Go_On.png) Artwork for UK release | ||||
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album Innuendo and Greatest Hits II | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 14 October 1991[1] | |||
| Recorded | October 1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | Queen (Brian May) | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Show Must Go On" on YouTube | ||||
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by British rock band Queen, featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album, Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but was primarily written by guitarist Brian May.[3] The song chronicles the effort of frontman Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his life, although his diagnosis with HIV/AIDS had not yet been made public in spite of ongoing media speculation that he was seriously ill.[4] When the band recorded the song in 1990, Mercury's condition had deteriorated to the point that May had concerns as to whether he was physically capable of singing it. May recalls; "I said, 'Fred, I don't know if this is going to be possible to sing.' And he went, 'I'll fucking do it, darling' — vodka down — and went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal".[5]
The power ballad[6] was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991 in promotion for the Greatest Hits II album, just six weeks before Mercury died. Following Mercury's death on 24 November 1991, the song re-entered the British charts and spent as many weeks in the top 75 (five) as it did upon its original release, initially reaching a peak of 16. A live version with Elton John on vocals appeared on Queen's Greatest Hits III album.[7]
The song was first played live on 20 April 1992, during The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, performed by the three remaining members of Queen, with Elton John singing lead vocals and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi playing rhythm guitar.[8] It has since been played live by Queen + Paul Rodgers and Queen + Adam Lambert with Rodgers citing one of the performances as the best of his career. Since its release, the song has appeared on television, film (including an operatic version in Moulin Rouge!), and has been covered by a number of artists. In 2014, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada used the song in their closing montage after the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup, in the final CBC NHL game before Rogers Sportsnet took over.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 12 October 1991. p. 25.
- ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. ABC-CLIO. p. 501. ISBN 9781440803406.
Innuendo also contain powerful hard rock energy with 'Headlong' and 'The Show Must Go On,'
- ^ "Readers' Poll: 10 Greatest Queen Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ Donald A. Guarisco. Queen – The Show Must Go On Archived 4 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Allmusic. Retrieved 23 May 2011
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RollingStonewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "50 Best Power Ballads of All Time". Q105. 14 February 2024.
- ^ Queen - Greatest Hits III. Allmusic. Retrieved 25 April 2021
- ^ The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert: The Show Must Go On Archived 17 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 25 June 2011