| "'39" | |
|---|---|
 The back sleeve of the Italian single sleeve for "You're My Best Friend" | |
| Song byQueen | |
| from the albumA Night at the Opera | |
| A-side | "You're My Best Friend" |
| Published | Queen Music Ltd. |
| Released | 18 June 1976 |
| Recorded | August–November 1975 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:30 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter | Brian May |
| Producers |
|
"'39" is a song by Britishrock bandQueen. Composed by lead guitaristBrian May, it is the fifth track on their fourth studio albumA Night at the Opera. The song was also the B-side to "You're My Best Friend".
Inspired by May's studies inastrophysics, the song relates the tale of a group of astronauts who embark on what is, from their perspective, a year-long voyage. Upon their return, however, they realise that a hundred years have passed on Earth due to the effects oftime dilation from traveling atrelativistic speeds, and the loved ones they left behind are now all dead or aged.[5]
I felt a little like that about my home at the time, having been away and seen this vastly different world of rock music which was totally different from the way I was brought up. People may not generally admit it but I think that when most people write songs there is more than one level to them – they'll be about one thing on the surface, but underneath they're probably trying, maybe even unconsciously, to say something about their own life, their own experience – and in nearly all my stuff, there is a personal feeling.
May sings lead vocal on the studio recording of the song, one of his few lead vocals on Queen recordings.
May had asked bassistJohn Deacon to playdouble bass as a joke but a couple of days later he found Deacon in the studio with the instrument, and he had already learned to play it.[7]
May had been working on his thesis inastrophysics, but eventually abandoned his studies to pursue his career with Queen. In 2006, he resumed his studies and eventually completed his thesis, titledA Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud, and received hisPhD in 2008.[8]
Since Queen had named their albumsA Night at the Opera andA Day at the Races after two of theMarx Brothers' most popular films, surviving brotherGroucho Marx invited Queen to visit him at his Los Angeles home in March 1977 (five months before he died). The band thanked him, and performed "'39" a cappella.[9]
The song is the 39th album track released by the band when counting each album track from the debut album onwards.
The song was a live favourite throughout the 1970s, often being used as a singalong in concert.[10] It was first performed in Edinburgh in September 1976 and remained in setlists until December 1979, although the song was briefly performed in 1984. Instead of May singing the lead vocals live, Mercury did.The Guardian later commented that live performances of the song were played as "a raucous, rollicking sea shanty".[6]
The version recorded at concert at Festhalle Frankfurt on 2 February 1979 is featured on the live albumLive Killers.[11]
George Michael performed "'39" at theFreddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992.[12][13] Michael cited this song as his favourite Queen song, claiming he used tobusk it on theLondon Underground.[14]
Later the song was included by Queen on the setlists of theirQueen + Adam Lambert tours in2012 and2014–2015 featuringAdam Lambert[15] & bothQueen + Paul Rodgers Tours, which wereQueen + Paul Rodgers Tour &Rock the Cosmos featuringPaul Rodgers; as on the album, it is sung by May.
Information is taken from the album's Liner Notes[16] except where noted
