| "Somebody to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byQueen | ||||
| from the albumA Day at the Races | ||||
| B-side | ||||
| Released | 12 November 1976[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:56 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producer | Queen | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Somebody to Love" onYouTube | ||||
"Somebody to Love" is a song by the Britishrock bandQueen, written bylead singer andpianistFreddie Mercury. It debuted on the band's 1976 albumA Day at the Races and also appears on their 1981 compilation albumGreatest Hits.[2]
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 agospel choir. It reachedNo. 2 in the UK and No. 13 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[3][4] The song demonstrated that "Queen could swing as hard as it could rock, by channeling the spirit of gospel music".[5]
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:Freddie Mercury,Brian May, andRoger Taylor. Mercury's fascination and admiration forAretha 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 albumsQueen Rock Montreal andQueen on Fire – Live at the Bowl.[6] 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 duringthe Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, withGeorge Michael on lead vocals.[7]
Like "Bohemian Rhapsody", the major hit from Queen's previous albumA 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 agospel choir arrangement,[8] with Mercury, May and Taylormultitracking their voices to create the impression of a 100-voice choir.[9] Written in the key of A♭ major, theglam rock andgospel song features dramatic intervallic contrasts,[10][11] ranging from F2 to A♭5 in the harmonies and from E♭3 to C5 in full voice (and up to an A♭5 in falsetto) in Mercury's lead vocals.
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 andexistence of God.[2] This is reinforced by frequent use ofword 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. 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.[12]
— Roger Taylor
"Somebody to Love" went to No. 2 on theUK Singles Chart and No. 13 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[13][4] A promotional video was made combining a staged recording session atSarm Studios (where theA Day at the Races album was recorded) and film footage of the band's record breaking performance atHyde Park that September.[9][14] Peter Hince, the head of Queen's road crew, recalled toMojo 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."[15] The song was included on their firstGreatest Hits, released in 1981.[2]
Billboard stated that the song grabs attention with gimmicks such as changes in volume and tempo and the use ofclassical music elements.[16]Cash Box said that "sounding like the Harvard Chorale on the opening and backing up Freddie Mercury might be their idea of a logical progression fromA Night at the Opera", and that "there's a grand finale, with handclapping and thundering percussion."[17]Record World said that "the group continues to stretch the limitations of the commercial single" by incorporating "operatic overtures" along the lines of "Bohemian Rhapsody".[18]Los Angeles Times criticRobert Hilburn said that "its gospel-tinged urgency maintain's the English band's knack for arrangements that are at once off-beat, yet well within the broad rock mainstream.[19]
"Somebody To Love" was named one ofThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
The song was a staple of theA Day at the Races andNews of the World tours in 1977–78.[20][21] For theJazz and Live Killer tours, it was also played consistently.[22] Duringthe Game Tour, it was only performed early on, and then only rarely, being practically absent in the first three legs, but would return as a staple to the set by early March in South America. It was also played forSouth America Bites the Dust,Live at the Bowl andQueen Rock Montreal.[6][23] Later duringthe Works Tour, a shortened version was played as a medley preceding "Killer Queen".[24] A live version from the 1984/85 tour was recorded and filmed on the concert film,Final Live in Japan 1985.[25]
When performed live, Mercury would often alter the melodies of the song, but would generally hit the sustained A♭4 notes throughout the song. The A♭4 at the peak of the building line "can anybody findme" on the studio version was not part of Mercury's original melody, but the other band members felt that it worked better than his. Live, Mercury sang his original take on this line.
This was also one of few tracks where Deacon sang backing vocals when performed live. His voice was clearly heard onbootlegs from the band's performance atEarls Court in June 1977 and at theHouston Summit in December 1977.[20]
Even after Mercury's death in 1991, renditions of "Somebody to Love" have been performed live with the remaining band members, May and Taylor, and a number of different lead singers. Atthe Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held atWembley Stadium, the song was performed byGeorge Michael. Michael's performance of "Somebody to Love" has been hailed as "one of the best performances of the tribute concert".[26][27] The song was later re-released in 1993 as the lead track of anEP calledFive Live, which reached No. 1 in the UK. This version is also available onGreatest Hits III, released in 1999.[2]
The song was performed on the setlists of theirQueen + Adam Lambert tours in2012,2014–2015 and2016 featuringAdam Lambert[28] and at theiHeartRadio Festival 2013 asQueen +Fun.[29]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[61] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[63] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[64] | 2× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[66] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[67] 2011 release | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[68] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Somebody to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byGeorge Michael andQueen | ||||
| from the EPFive Live | ||||
| B-side | "Dear Friends" | |||
| Released | 19 April 1993 (1993-04-19)[69] | |||
| Recorded | 20 April 1992 | |||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium (London) | |||
| Length | 5:17 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| George Michael singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Somebody to Love" (live) onYouTube | ||||
English singer-songwriterGeorge Michael performed "Somebody to Love" with Queen's remaining members atthe Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992. It was included as the first track on the 1993 EPFive Live, credited to George Michael and Queen withLisa Stansfield.[70] As part of the EP, the cover reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[7]
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[71] | 19 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[72] | 15 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[73] | 8 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[74] | 13 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[75] | 11 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[76] | 29 |
| Europe (European Hit Radio)[77] | 1 |
| France (SNEP)[78] | 16 |
| Germany (GfK)[79] | 21 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[80] | 2 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[81] | 1 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[82] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[83] | 5 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[84] | 6 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[85] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[86] | 1 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[87] | 7 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[88] | 30 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[89] | 42 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[90] | 15 |
| USCash Box Top 100[91] | 32 |
| Chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop)[92] | 59 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[93] | 88 |
| Europe (European Hit Radio)[94] | 24 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[95] | 51 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[96] | 47 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[97] | 68 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[98] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Somebody to Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byTroye Sivan | ||||
| Released | 2 November 2018[99] | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Length | 2:25 | |||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producer | Leland | |||
| Troye Sivan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In November 2018, Australian singerTroye Sivan released a version of the song. The song was released to coincide with the release of the filmBohemian Rhapsody.Universal Music Group released three tracks by different artists channeling their innerFreddie Mercury; this is the third and final installment, followingShawn Mendes' "Under Pressure" and5 Seconds of Summer's "Killer Queen" released in October 2018.[100][101][102] Similarly to the aforementioned tracks, proceeds from the single benefit the Mercury Phoenix Trust.[103][104]
In a statement, Sivan said, "I'm so beyond honored to have been asked to cover 'Somebody to Love' by Queen, a masterful song by the most legendary band."[105]
Queen's manager Jim Beach said Sivan's version "is both moving and totally original".[103] Luke Schatz ofConsequence of Sound said, "While Mercury's version soared with choir-like vocals and dramatic instrumentation, Sivan employs a more mellow, minimalist approach. Here, his calming voice is accompanied by little more than bass and keys."[105]
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