Working with Freddie Mercury on Queen for decades was never a hardship for Brian May, who was constantly surprised by the magic his bandmate could create in the studio. The erratic vocalist worked on a different wavelength than his peers, and his risk-taking techniques propelled Queen to prominence.
Mercury was a unique thinker who approached problems in unconventional ways. His daring strategies and tendency for living life on the fast track concerned May at times, but they proved to be the impetus for Queen’s rise to the top of their game. Mercury reveled in hedonism in the late 1970s and wanted to keep the good times going forever, which inspired the smash song ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. The aforementioned track, which appeared on the band’s album Jazz, was recorded in Switzerland in 1978, with Mercury authoring the lyrics as his sole contribution. Everything was going well in his life, and he wanted to capture these feelings forever, so he wrote a song.
Despite initially failing to meet Queen’s high standards as a single, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ went on to become one of the group’s most popular songs. However, even May was first uncertain of the song, believing it conveyed an unsuitable message that did not align with the band’s moral compass. However, the guitarist changed his mind after seeing how it resonated with the common populace, who adopted it as their hedonistic anthem. May turned full circle, from perceiving ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ as an irresponsible musical act to admiring it as the “stroke of genius” that it was.
In a 2011 interview with Absolute Radio, May stated, “I thought it was a lot of fun, but I did have an undercurrent feeling of, ‘Aren’t we talking about danger here,’ because we were worried about Freddie at this point.
” “That sensation stays, but it’s become almost the most popular Queen song in terms of what people play in their cars or at weddings. It’s become a massively popular hit and an anthem for those who wish to be hedonistic. “It was Freddie’s stroke of genius,” he explained. Similar to May, Queen drummer Roger Taylor was initially unimpressed with ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, but the way the song’s meaning has evolved over time makes him proud. Taylor told Mojo in 2019: “I don’t necessarily think it’s one of our best songs, but I like the sentiment ‘call me Mr. Fahrenheit.’”
It’s amusing and has become a rallying cry.” ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ captures Mercury at his happiest and most carefree. While he was subsequently unjustly deprived of his life, this song depicts the person he would like to be remembered as.
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