"Killer Queen" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury and recorded for their third album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart and became their first US hit, reaching number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is about a high-class call girl and has been characterised as "Mercury's piano-led paean to a Moët-quaffing courtesan". In 1975, Mercury received an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. The song is included in Queen's first Greatest Hits compilation from 1981, and Absolute Greatest. It is also recorded on the live albumsLive Killers and Queen Rock Montreal.
History and recording
Mercury commented he wrote the lyrics before the melody and music, whereas normally he would do the opposite. He stated that the song was about a high-class call girl, although EMI promoter Eric Hall claims that the song is about him. The song's first verse quotes a phrase falsely attributed to Marie Antoinette: " 'Let them eat cake,' she says, Just like Marie Antoinette. "Killer Queen" retained the essence of Queen's trademark sound, particularly in its meticulous vocal harmonies. Unlike the first two Queen albums, this song was partly recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The recording features elaborate four-part harmonies, and also a multitracked guitar solo by Brian May which makes use of the bell effect. At one point there are two distinct bass guitar lines, one of which diverges into a descending run.
Release
When released as a single, "Killer Queen" was Queen's breakthrough hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and number twelve in the United States. It was released as a double A-side in the UK, the US and Canada, with the song "Flick of the Wrist". Several different versions of "Flick of the Wrist" were used on different releases. In 1986, "Killer Queen" featured as the B-side to "Who Wants to Live Forever".
Queen on the song
Freddie Mercury: Brian May:
Live performances
The song was regularly performed between 1974 and 1981 as part of a medley. In 1974–75, the song was played following "In the Lap of the Gods", and in 1975–76, the song followed "Bohemian Rhapsody". In 1984 and 1985, during The Works Tour, it was reintroduced in a medley following a truncated version of "Somebody to Love".
Critical acclaim and legacy
The song won Mercury his first Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. "Killer Queen" has been described by AllMusic as the true beginning of Queen's "radio sound" and "recalls the cabaret songs of yesteryear, but also shows how Queen was fast becoming a master of power pop". Rock historian Paul Fowles wrote that "Killer Queen", with its "sleazy Parisian imagery", allowed "free rein" to Mercury's "unique brand of rock theater". American pop singer Katy Perry cites "Killer Queen" as an important influence on her, and she named a fragrance after the song. She said: "Queen's track 'Killer Queen' made me discover music and helped me come into my own at the age of 15. The way Freddie Mercury delivered his lyrics just made me feel like a confident woman." An episode of Family Guy is named after the song, and the song also appears in the end credits scene.
In October 2018, Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer released a version of the song ahead of release of Queen's biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody". The cover was released to support the Mercury Phoenix Trust, an organization founded by Queen's band members that aims to provide support in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The song was released to coincide with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Universal Music Group will release 3 tracks by different artists' channeling their inner Freddie Mercury; this is the second installment, following Shawn Mendes' "Under Pressure" released two weeks earlier. According to 5 Seconds of Summer, Queen's "unique harmonies, the fluidity to their songwriting and how they each used their own musicality to back each other up have always inspired us. For us, the exploration of individual vocalists in a band is incredibly important and Queen helped us to see the future of how we want to sing, in addition to how we play our instruments." A portion of the profits from the "Killer Queen" cover will be donated to Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was founded by Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor after Mercury's death to help fight AIDS worldwide.
Reception
Brooke Bajgrowicz from Billboard said "The four-piece pop rock band launch into the anthemic a cappellachorus from the get-go... By the time the full-force chorus arrives, the fluid harmonies and catchy phrasing are instantly recognizable. While somewhat modernised, the single fades out in a style similar to the original Queen banger, and other '70s hits of the time". Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone called the version "Faithful".
