Queen's Somebody To Love is released
The song has similarities to Queen's earlier hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" with its complex harmonies and guitar solos; however instead of mimicking an English choir, the band turned to a gospel choir. It reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song demonstrated that "Queen could swing as hard as it could rock, by channeling the spirit of gospel music".
Written by Mercury at the piano, "Somebody to Love" is a soul-searching piece that questions life without love. Through voice layering techniques, Queen was able to create the soulful sound of a 100-voice choir from three singers: Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor. John Deacon did not sing backing vocals on the recorded album. Mercury's fascination and admiration for Aretha Franklin was a major influence for the creation of this song.
Queen played "Somebody to Love" live from 1977 to 1985, and a live performance of the song is featured on the album Queen Rock Montreal, Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl.[8] In addition to these live performances, there were collaboration tributes to "Somebody to Love" after Mercury's death in 1991. The song was performed live on 20 April 1992 during the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with George Michael on lead vocals.[9]
Since its release, the song has appeared in several television shows, such as the Idol franchise, The X Factor, and Glee, as well as films, including Happy Feet and Ella Enchanted. It has also been covered by many artists, including Taylor Hawkins.
Like "Bohemian Rhapsody", the major hit from Queen's previous album A Night at the Opera (1975), "Somebody to Love" has a complex melody and deep layering of vocal tracks. But while "Bohemian Rhapsody" was based on English choir styles, "Somebody to Love" was based on a gospel choir arrangement.[10] It was the first single from A Day at the Races, on which Mercury, May and Taylor multitracked their voices to create the impression of a 100-voice gospel choir.[11] The lyrics, especially combined with the gospel influence, create a song about faith, desperation and soul-searching; the singer questions both the lack of love experienced in his life, and the role and existence of God. This is reinforced by frequent use of word painting. The lyrics also speak to the feelings of desperation and isolation that accompany trying to find love as a queer man in an unaccepting and lonely world ("I just gotta get out of this prison cell. Someday I'm gonna be free."). Staying true to Queen's guitar-driven style, it was also filled with intricate harmonies and a notable guitar solo by May, and it went to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[12][6] Written in the key of A♭ major, the song features dramatic intervallic contrasts, ranging from F2 in the harmonies on the line "Can anybody find me?" to A♭2 to a C5 in full voice up to an A♭5 in falsetto in the lead vocals, all sung by Mercury.[13] The band have spoken of sections of the song which were recorded but never made it onto the final mix of the song, some of which have been leaked online.
"Somebody to Love" is Aretha Franklin-influenced. Freddie's very much into that. We tried to keep the track in a loose, gospel-type feel. I think it's the loosest track we've ever done.
— Roger Taylor
A promotional video was made combining a staged recording session at Sarm Studios (where the A Day at the Races album was recorded) and film footage of the band's record breaking performance at Hyde Park that September. Peter Hince, the head of Queen's road crew, recalled to Mojo magazine: "Aesthetically, you had to have all four around the microphone, but John (Deacon) didn't sing on the records. By his own admission, he didn't have the voice. He did sing on-stage but the crew always knew to keep the fader very low." The song was included on their first Greatest Hits, released in 1981
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