Killer Queen
Killer Queen is een nummer van de Britse rockband Queen. Met deze vierde single bereikten ze begin 1975 de tweede plaats in de Engelse hitlijsten en werden ze bekend bij het grote publiek. Het nummer is geschreven door zanger en pianist Freddie Mercury en is verschenen op het album Sheer Heart Attack.
Killer Queen
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Single van: Queen | |||||||
Van het album: Sheer Heart Attack | |||||||
B-kant(en) | Flick of the Wrist | ||||||
Uitgebracht | 11 oktober 1974 | ||||||
Soort drager | vinyl (7") | ||||||
Opname | 1974 | ||||||
Genre | Glamrock | ||||||
Duur | 2:58 | ||||||
Label | EMI (Verenigd Koninkrijk), Elektra (Verenigde Staten) | ||||||
Schrijver(s) | Freddie Mercury | ||||||
Producent(en) | Roy Thomas Baker en Queen | ||||||
Hoogste positie(s) in de hitlijsten | |||||||
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Queen | |||||||
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Mercury heeft aangegeven dat hij bij het schrijven van dit nummer beïnvloed is door onder andere vroege nummers van The Beatles en The Beach Boys en tekstueel door Noël Coward. De tekst is geschreven voordat de complexere muzikale stukken werden geschreven.
Opnamesessies
In plaats van een vleugel zoals hij normaal gebruikte, nam Mercury het nummer op met een buffetpiano om het nummer een Vaudeville-gevoel te geven. De zang is gedeeltelijk vierstemmig, voornamelijk in de refreinen, maar ook in de achtergrondzang bij de coupletten. De gitaarsolo van Brian May bestaat uit drie tracks.
Interpretatie
Freddie Mercury:[1]
People are used to hard rock, energy music from Queen, yet with this single, you almost expect Noel Coward to sing it. It's one of those bowler hat, black suspender belt numbers - not that Coward would wear that. [...] It's about a high class call girl. I'm trying to say that classy people can be whores as well. That's what the song is about, though I'd prefer people to put their own interpretation upon it - to read what they like into it. |
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— Freddie Mercury |
Brian May:[2]
"Killer Queen" was the turning point. It was the song that best summed up our kind of music, and a big hit, and we desperately needed it as a mark of something successful happening for us... I was always very happy with this song. The whole record was made in a very craftsmanlike manner. I still enjoy listening to it because there's a lot to listen to, but it never gets cluttered. There's always space for all the little ideas to come through. And of course I like the solo, with that three-part section, where each part has its own voice. What can say? It's vintage Queen. The first time I heard Freddie playing that song, I was lying in my room in Rockfield, feeling very sick. After Queen's first American tour I had hepatitis, and then I had very bad stomach problems and I had to be operated on. So I remember just lying there, hearing Freddie play this really great song and feeling sad, because I thought, 'I can't even get out of bed to participate in this. Maybe the group will have to go on without me.' No one could figure out what was wrong with me. But then I did go into the hospital and I got fixed up, thank God. And when I came out again, we were able to finish off 'Killer Queen.' They left some space for me and I did the solo. I had strong feelings about one of the harmony bits in the chorus, so we had another go at that too. |
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— Brian May |
Covers
Verschillende bands hebben coverversies van het nummer gespeeld:
- Sum 41 nam het nummer op als onderdeel van Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (2005).
- In de computerspellen Guitar Hero en Taiko: Drum Master voor de PlayStation 2 is Killer Queen ook opgenomen. Ook de speelhalvarianten van deze spellen, Guitar Freaks en Drummania bevatten het nummer.
- Panic! at the Disco speelde het nummer live tijdens hun Nothing Rhymes with Circus tour.
- 5 Seconds of Summer heeft het nummer gecoverd ter promotie van de Queen-film Bohemian Rhapsody uit 2018.
Verwijzingen
- De langst bestaande Queen-tributeband heet Killer Queen. Zij spelen het lied ook bij elk optreden.
- The Killer Queen is een belangrijk personage in de Queenmusical We Will Rock You. Het is de antagonist die jacht maakt op de vrijgevochten bohemians.
- Een scène van de film Shaun Of The Dead heeft de titel Killer Queen. In deze scène wordt het Queen-nummer Don't Stop Me Now gespeeld.
Hitnotering
"Killer Queen" in de Nederlandse Top 40 - binnen: 14-12-1974 | ||||||||||||
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Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
Nummer | 28 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 25 | 36 | uit |
"Killer Queen" in de Nederlandse Single Top 100 - binnen: 14-12-1974 | ||||||||||
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Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
Nummer | 29 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 26 | uit |
Radio 2 Top 2000
Nummer met notering(en) in de Radio 2 Top 2000[noot 1] |
'99 | '00 | '01 | '02 | '03 | '04 | '05 | '06 | '07 | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | '19 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Killer Queen | 179 | 146 | 173 | 154 | 155 | 185 | 230 | 257 | 512 | 250 | 257 | 333 | 248 | 261 | 288 | 306 | 316 | 319 | 310 | 88 | 106 |
- Een getal geeft de plaats aan; een '*' dat het nummer niet genoteerd kon zijn, omdat het nog niet was uitgekomen, een '-' dat het nummer niet genoteerd was en een '?' betekent dat de notering nog niet verwerkt is. Een vetgedrukt getal geeft aan dat dit de hoogste notering betreft.
Bronnen, noten en/of referenties |
Queen (1973): | Keep Yourself Alive · Doing All Right · Great King Rat · My Fairy King · Liar · The Night Comes Down · Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll · Son and Daughter · Jesus · Seven Seas of Rhye... · (Mad the Swine) |
Queen II (1974): | Procession · Father to Son · White Queen (As It Began) · Some Day One Day · The Loser in the End · Ogre Battle · The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke · Nevermore · The March of the Black Queen · Funny How Love Is · Seven Seas of Rhye · (See What a Fool I've Been) |
Sheer Heart Attack (1974): | Brighton Rock · Killer Queen · Tenement Funster · Flick of the Wrist · Lily of the Valley · Now I'm Here · In the Lap of the Gods · Stone Cold Crazy · Dear Friends · Misfire · Bring Back That Leroy Brown · She Makes Me (Stormtrooper in Stilettos) · In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited |
A Night at the Opera (1975): | Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...) · Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon · I'm in Love with My Car · You're My Best Friend · '39 · Sweet Lady · Seaside Rendezvous · The Prophet's Song · Love of My Life · Good Company · Bohemian Rhapsody · God Save the Queen |
A Day at the Races (1976): | Tie Your Mother Down · You Take My Breath Away · Long Away · The Millionaire Waltz · You and I · Somebody to Love · White Man · Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy · Drowse · Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) |
News of the World (1977): | We Will Rock You · We Are the Champions · Sheer Heart Attack · All Dead, All Dead · Spread Your Wings · Fight from the Inside · Get Down, Make Love · Sleeping on the Sidewalk · Who Needs You · It's Late · My Melancholy Blues · (Feelings, Feelings) |
Jazz (1978): | Mustapha · Fat Bottomed Girls · Jealousy · Bicycle Race · If You Can't Beat Them · Let Me Entertain You · Dead on Time · In Only Seven Days · Dreamer's Ball · Fun It · Leaving Home Ain't Easy · Don't Stop Me Now · More of That Jazz |
The Game (1980): | Play the Game · Dragon Attack · Another One Bites the Dust · Need Your Loving Tonight · Crazy Little Thing Called Love · Rock It (Prime Jive) · Don't Try Suicide · Sail Away Sweet Sister · Coming Soon · Save Me · (A Human Body) |
Flash Gordon (1980): | Flash's Theme · In the Space Capsule (The Love Theme) · Ming's Theme (In the Court of Ming the Merciless) · The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction of Dale) · Football Fight · In the Death Cell (Love Theme Reprise) · Execution of Flash · The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash) · Arboria (Planet of the Tree Men) · Escape from the Swamp · Flash to the Rescue · Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men) · Battle Theme · The Wedding March · Marriage of Dale and Ming (And Flash Approaching) · Crash Dive on Mingo City · Flash's Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations) · The Hero |
Hot Space (1982): | Staying Power · Dancer · Back Chat · Body Language · Action This Day · Put Out the Fire · Life Is Real (Song for Lennon) · Calling All Girls · Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love) · Cool Cat · Under Pressure (met David Bowie) · (Soul Brother) |
The Works (1984): | Radio Ga Ga · Tear It Up · It's a Hard Life · Man on the Prowl · Machines (Or 'Back to Humans') · I Want to Break Free · Keep Passing the Open Windows · Hammer to Fall · Is This the World We Created...? · (I Go Crazy) |
A Kind of Magic (1986): | One Vision · A Kind of Magic · One Year of Love · Pain Is So Close to Pleasure · Friends Will Be Friends · Who Wants to Live Forever · Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme) · Don't Lose Your Head · Princes of the Universe · (Blurred Vision) · (A Dozen Red Roses for My Darling) · (Forever) |
The Miracle (1989): | Party · Khashoggi's Ship · The Miracle · I Want It All · The Invisible Man · Breakthru · Rain Must Fall · Scandal · My Baby Does Me · Was It All Worth It · (Hang On in There) · (Stealin') · (Hijack My Heart) · (My Life Has Been Saved) · (Chinese Torture) |
Innuendo (1991): | Innuendo · I'm Going Slightly Mad · Headlong · I Can't Live with You · Don't Try So Hard · Ride the Wild Wind · All God's People · These Are the Days of Our Lives · Delilah · The Hitman · Bijou · The Show Must Go On · (Lost Opportunity) |
Made in Heaven (1995): | It's a Beautiful Day · Made in Heaven · Let Me Live · Mother Love · My Life Has Been Saved · I Was Born to Love You · Heaven for Everyone · Too Much Love Will Kill You · You Don't Fool Me · A Winter's Tale · It's a Beautiful Day (Reprise) · Yeah · Track 13 · (Rock in Rio Blues) |
The Cosmos Rocks (2008, | met Paul Rodgers): Cosmos Rockin' · Time to Shine · Still Burnin' · Small · Warboys · We Believe · Call Me · Voodoo · Some Things That Glitter · C-lebrity · Through the Night · Say It's Not True · Surf's Up... School's Out! · Small Reprise · (Runaway) |
Queen Forever (2014): | Let Me in Your Heart Again · Love Kills - The Ballad · There Must Be More to Life Than This (William Orbit Mix) |
Non-albumtracks: | Thank God It's Christmas (1984) · No-One but You (1997) |