| "Brighton Rock" | |
|---|---|
| Song byQueen | |
| from the albumSheer Heart Attack | |
| Published | Queen Music Ltd. |
| Released | 8 November 1974 (1974-11-08) |
| Recorded | July–September 1974 |
| Studio | |
| Genre | Hard rock[1] |
| Length | 5:11 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriter | Brian May |
| Producers |
|
"Brighton Rock" is a song by Britishrock bandQueen, written by lead guitaristBrian May. The song is the opening track on their 1974 third studio albumSheer Heart Attack. The song features one of Queen's longest guitar solos which is more than three minutes long. The solo has been performed live by Brian May at most concerts since its release. The song gained popularity after its prominent use in the 2017Edgar Wright filmBaby Driver.[2]
May wrote the song shortly before the completion ofQueen II in 1973, but because the band did not have enough time to record it, it was not included. Before the song was recorded in 1974, variations of the solo were part of "Son and Daughter".[3]
The song, the first track on the 1974 albumSheer Heart Attack, tells the story of two young lovers named Jenny and Jimmy meeting inBrighton on apublic holiday.[4] Jenny cannot linger because she is afraid her mother will find out "how I spent my holiday", but afterwards "writes a letter every day"; Jimmy, who was eager on the day, responds that he is afraid of discovery by "my lady".[5]
The song samples the track "Carnival Midway" fromstock sound effect library series titledAuthentic Sound Effects compiled byJac Holzman who signed Queen toElektra Records in theUS.[6][7] During the sound effect, it features the song "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside" whistled byRoy Thomas Baker, which goes back to the previous song "Seven Seas of Rhye" at the end ofQueen II.
The song was listed amongGuitar World's Top 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, ranking at #41.[8]
The song was prominently featured in two scenes in the 2017Edgar Wright filmBaby Driver: early in the film, when Baby (portrayed byAnsel Elgort) and Buddy van Horn (portrayed byJon Hamm) discuss it and Baby describes it as "his killer track", and during the climactic face-off between Baby and Buddy, who plays the song on his car stereo because of the earlier conversation. The song's usage in the film and itssoundtrack led to a resurgence of popularity for the track.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
The song is probably best known for its lengthy guitar solo interlude.[4] This featured May's technique of using multiple echoes used to build up guitar harmony andcontrapuntal melodic lines. The studio version only contains one "main" guitar and one "echoed" guitar for a short section, but live, he would usually split his guitar signal into "main" and two "echoed", with each going to a separate bank of amplifiers.
The live piece is often between 9 and 13 minutes long. May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo at theclosing ceremony of the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon.[15]
