Sign of the Gypsy Queen

"Sign of the Gypsy Queen" is a song written and originally recorded by Lorence Hud, but made popular by Canadian hard rock band April Wine. Hud's version appeared on his debut album Dancin' With My Head (1972), though it failed to find success. It was made famous when April Wine released it as the second single from their album The Nature of the Beast (1981). The song became a moderate success in Canada and the United States, reaching #40 on the Canadian Hot 100, #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #19 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.^[1][2]

"Sign of the Gypsy Queen" achieved popularity when April Wine release it in 1981, and remains a live staple for the band, and has become a staple of album-oriented rock radio stations, getting frequent airplay.

Background

The song was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Lorence Hud, who released it on his debut album Dancin' With My Head (1972). The song was an acoustic folk rock song. April Wine gained more success with a hard rock version, and it became a big hit and one of the group's signature songs. It is one of the few songs in the band's catalogue to not be written by Myles Goodwyn.

In Popular Culture

"Sign of the Gypsy Queen" gained a brief resurgence in popularity when it as featured in an episode of the American television series Breaking Bad in 2013. The episode "Granite State", received critical acclaim, and is one of the most popular episodes in the series history

Charts

References