| "Seven Seas of Rhye" | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental byQueen | |
| from the albumQueen | |
| Released | 13 July 1973 |
| Recorded | April – 30 July 1972 |
| Studio | Trident, London |
| Length | 1:15 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury |
| Producers | |
| "Seven Seas of Rhye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byQueen | ||||
| from the albumQueen II | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released |
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| Recorded | August 1973 – February 1974[2][3] | |||
| Studio | Trident, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producers |
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| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Seven Seas of Rhye" onYouTube | ||||
"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by the British rock bandQueen. It was written byFreddie Mercury along withBrian May who contributed the secondmiddle-eight. A rudimentary instrumental version appears as the final track on the group'sself-titled debut album (1973), with the final version on the follow-upQueen II (1974).[6]
The completed version served as the band's third single, and after performing the song on the BBC'sTop of the Pops in February 1974 it became their first hit, reaching number 10 on theUK Singles Chart. It is the earliest-released song to appear on theirGreatest Hits album, with the exception of some versions where their first single, "Keep Yourself Alive", is included. "Seven Seas of Rhye" is inspired by the fantasy world of Freddie Mercury and his sister, Kashmira Bulsara when they were children.
Initially "Seven Seas of Rhye" was simply an "instrumental musical sketch closing their first album".[6] An expanded rendition, planned to be included on the albumQueen II, was publicly premiered when Queen was offered a sudden chance to appear on the BBC'sTop of the Pops in February 1974, and was rushed tovinyl two days later on 22 February.[6] It became their first chart entry after gaining airtime onBBC Radio 1,[6] peaking at number 10 on theUK Singles Chart,[7] which in turn persuaded Freddie Mercury to take up Queen as his full-time career.[6]
The song features a distinctivearpeggiatedpiano introduction.[nb 1][8]
The version onQueen II ends with a cross fade, instruments blending into the band singing "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside", accompanied by astylophone played byRoy Thomas Baker, which was a sole exception to their "nosynths" statement.[9] Its inclusion here on the final track ofQueen II is briefly mirrored via whistling during the first few seconds of "Brighton Rock", which opens their next album,Sheer Heart Attack.
In a 1977 radio interview, Mercury described the subject of the song as a "figment of his imagination". In the Queen musicalWe Will Rock You, the Seven Seas of Rhye is a place where the Bohemians are taken after they are brain-drained by Khashoggi.[10]
Cash Box called it a "high energy rocker withLed Zeppelin overtones," stating that "the group's extraordinary talents are perfectly displayed here in heavy metal fashion."[11]Record World said that Queen's "'rock in the royal tradition' is looking for its own top 40 chart crown."[12]
The song was dropped from the live set in 1976 and was not played in concert again untilThe Works Tour eight years later.[13]
In September 2016 it was the opening song of the set at the first performance ofQueen + Adam Lambert's tour of Asia inTel Aviv'sPark HaYarkon inIsrael.[14]
Instrumental Version[15]
Queen
Guest musician
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
February 23 (1974): Queen releases "Seven Seas of Rhye" 7" single in UK
August 1973
the intricately-woven hard rock single Seven Seas of Rhye from the Queen II album
