Somebody to Love (Queen song)

Composition and lyrics

Like "Bohemian Rhapsody", the major hit from Queen's previous album A 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 a gospel choir arrangement, with Mercury, May and Taylor multitracking their voices to create the impression of a 100-voice choir. Written in the key of A major, the glam rock and gospel song features dramatic intervallic contrasts,Multiple sources:

• ranging from F2 to A5 in the harmonies and from E3 to C5 in full voice (and up to an A5 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 and existence of God. This is reinforced by frequent use of word 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.

Release

"Somebody to Love" went to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A promotional video was made combining a staged recording session at Sarm Studios (where the A Day at the Races album was recorded) and film footage of the band's record breaking performance at Hyde Park that September. Peter Hince, the head of Queen's road crew, recalled to Mojo 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." The song was included on their first Greatest Hits, released in 1981.

Critical reception

Billboard stated that the song grabs attention with gimmicks such as changes in volume and tempo and the use of classical music elements. 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 from A Night at the Opera", and that "there's a grand finale, with handclapping and thundering percussion." 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". Los Angeles Times critic Robert 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.

"Somebody To Love" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Live performances

The song was a staple of the A Day at the Races and News of the World tours in 1977–78. For the Jazz and Live Killer tours, it was also played consistently. During the 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 for South America Bites the Dust, Live at the Bowl and Queen Rock Montreal. Later during the Works Tour, a shortened version was played as a medley preceding "Killer Queen". A live version from the 1984/85 tour was recorded and filmed on the concert film, Final Live in Japan 1985.

When performed live, Mercury would often alter the melodies of the song, but would generally hit the sustained A4 notes throughout the song. The A4 at the peak of the building line "can anybody find me" 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 on bootlegs from the band's performance at Earls Court in June 1977 and at the Houston Summit in December 1977.

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. At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at Wembley Stadium, the song was performed by George Michael. Michael's performance of "Somebody to Love" has been hailed as "one of the best performances of the tribute concert". The song was later re-released in 1993 as the lead track of an EP called Five Live, which reached No. 1 in the UK. This version is also available on Greatest Hits III, released in 1999.

The song was performed on the setlists of their Queen + Adam Lambert tours in 2012, 2014–2015 and 2016 featuring Adam Lambert and at the iHeartRadio Festival 2013 as Queen + Fun.

Personnel

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano
• Brian May – guitars, backing vocals
• Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals
• John Deacon – bass

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

George Michael and Queen version

| B-side = Dear Friends

• George Michael

English singer-songwriter George Michael performed "Somebody to Love" with Queen's remaining members at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992. It was included as the first track on the 1993 EP Five Live, credited to George Michael and Queen with Lisa Stansfield. As part of the EP, the cover reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Troye Sivan version

| B-side =

In November 2018, Australian singer Troye Sivan released a version of the song. The song was released to coincide with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Universal Music Group released three tracks by different artists channeling their inner Freddie Mercury; this is the third and final installment, following Shawn Mendes' "Under Pressure" and 5 Seconds of Summer's "Killer Queen" released in October 2018. Similarly to the aforementioned tracks, proceeds from the single benefit the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

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."

Reception

Queen's manager Jim Beach said Sivan's version "is both moving and totally original". Luke Schatz of Consequence 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."

References

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