Innuendo (album)

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Professional reviews
Innuendo
Image:Queen Innuendo.png
Studio album by Queen
Released	February 4, 1991
Recorded	March 1989 - November 1990 Metropolis Studios, London, England Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland
Genre	Rock
Length	53:44
Label	Parlophone Hollywood Records (U.S.)
Producer(s)	Queen David Richards
Rolling Stone Image:3 stars.svg link St. Petersburg Times - link AMG (3/5)
Queen chronology
Image:Queen The Miracle.png The Miracle (1989)	Image:Queen Innuendo.png Innuendo (1991)	Image:Queen Made In Heaven.png Made in Heaven (1995)

Innuendo is a 1991 album by English rock band Queen. It was the band's fourteenth studio album and the last to be composed entirely of new material. It was also the final studio album to be released while lead singer Freddie Mercury was still alive. The album was praised by critics and fans as one of the strongest albums of Queen's later career^{[citation needed]}. It reached number one on the UK album charts (2 weeks) as well as in the Netherlands (4 weeks), in Switzerland (8 weeks), Germany (6 weeks), and Italy. The album was released in the US one day after it was released in England. The album would be the first Queen album to go Gold in the US upon its release since 1984's The Works. It peaked at number thirty in the United States.

The album was recorded when Mercury was in the final stages of a battle with AIDS. Much of the material on the album deals with the band's coming to terms with his imminent death. The morbid theme is also reflected in the music, which can be heavy and arresting ("Innuendo" and "Headlong"), but also bleak and dark ("The Show Must Go On" and "Don't Try So Hard"), and very often both ("Bijou").

"Innuendo" was released as a single in January 1991, and as an album the following month. It was a top-ten hit in almost every country in which it made the charts.

The album cover was designed by Queen and Richard Gray. The booklets and single covers from the album are by Grandville, or are inspired by his illustrations.

1 Track listing
2 Personnel
3 Singles
4 Charts

[edit] Track listing

On the album all songs (except "All God's People") are credited to "Queen".

"Innuendo" (Mercury/Taylor) -
"I'm Going Slightly Mad" (Mercury) -
"Headlong" (May) -
"I Can't Live with You" (May) -
"Don't Try So Hard" (Mercury) -
"Ride the Wild Wind" (Taylor) -
"All God's People" (Mercury/Mike Moran) -
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" (Taylor) -
"Delilah" (Mercury) -
"The Hitman" (Mercury) -
"Bijou" (May/Mercury) -
"The Show Must Go On" (Queen) -

[edit] Innuendo

Main article: Innuendo (song)

"Innuendo" began as a jam session in Switzerland amongst May, Taylor and Deacon in spring 1989. Mercury was upstairs and heard them playing the beat, and turned it into a song, creating the melody and starting off the lyrics. From then on they all four worked on polishing the track and Taylor took over the lyrics (which were written as a tribute to Led Zeppelin). The middle part which Mercury wrote was included later and it featured a synth-orchestra programmed by producer David Richards and a flamenco interlude played by Yes guitarist Steve Howe who had come to visit them and was asked to play what May himself admitted he couldn't.

[edit] I'm Going Slightly Mad

Main article: I'm Going Slightly Mad

"I'm Going Slightly Mad" was begun in Mercury's London flat, after he'd got the idea of writing a song about madness, inspired by Noel Coward's camp one-liners. Most of the lyrics (like "banana tree" or "one needle") came from both him and his friend Peter Straker. The music is Mercury's as well and it's one of the earliest songs they were working on in Montreux when Steve Howe came in.

[edit] Headlong

Main article: Headlong (song)

"Headlong" came from May at the studio they'd got in Switzerland. He recorded it for the solo album he was doing at the same time. Once, May heard Mercury singing it, and instantly decided that it worked better as a Queen track. Then the band took it over and they all made modifications.

[edit] I Can't Live with You

"I Can't Live with You" was also written for May's solo album. He gave it to the band as well since Taylor, Deacon and Mercury were fond of the track. Drums were programmed on synth by May, and the keyboard-pads were added by the producer.

[edit] Don't Try So Hard

"Don't Try So Hard" came from Mercury. The intro "rain" is actually the pre-set sound of the Korg M1, which appears when it's switched on.

[edit] Ride the Wild Wind

"Ride The Wild Wind" was composed by Taylor, who recorded a demo with his own vocals. The definitive version is still a duet between Mercury and Taylor.

[edit] All God's People

"All God's People" started off as part of Mercury's Barcelona project under the title "Africa by Night" (hence the co-writing credit with Mike Moran). He'd asked May to play guitar, then one thing led to another and the entire band played. Piano was recorded by Mike Moran. The song features Mercury singing a head-voiced high-F note, as well as some very low ones.

[edit] These Are the Days of Our Lives

Main article: These Are the Days of Our Lives

"These Are the Days of Our Lives" was written by Taylor. It's harmonically and structurally one of the simplest songs of the band's catalogue. Keyboards were programmed by the four of them in the studio, and Conga percussion was recorded by David Richards. The video featured Mercury's last appearance on a music video.

[edit] Delilah

"Delilah" was a song Mercury penned for his favourite housecat, a female tortoiseshell cat, named Delilah. May recorded his solo using a talkbox.

[edit] The Hitman

"The Hitman" was written by Mercury as well. The original version was apparently on keyboards and in a completely different key. May took Mercury's riff, changed the key to make it playable on guitar, and recorded a demo of the heavy version. Deacon then re-arranged the structure and they all filled the gaps in lyrics and recorded it. All of the backing vocals were done by May.

[edit] Bijou

"Bijou" was an idea Mercury and May had of making a song "inside-out" (having guitar doing the verses and the vocal doing the break). Mercury put the chords, title and lyrics, and the two of them worked on the guitar parts. Mercury sang the first line and then May transferred the melody to his Red Special. The song was finished in about one hour without any input from Taylor or Deacon.

[edit] The Show Must Go On

Main article: The Show Must Go On (Queen song)

"The Show Must Go On" is arguably the only song actually co-written by the entire band. The initial idea was a chord sequence Taylor and Deacon were working on. Then May decided to use the sequence, and both he and Mercury decided the theme of the lyrics and wrote the first verse together. From then on May finished the lyrics, did the vocal melody and wrote the bridge, inspired by Pachelbel's Canon. Some keys and ideas were suggested by the producer too.

[edit] Personnel

All lead vocals by Freddie Mercury except "Ride the Wild Wind" (Mercury & Roger Taylor)
All backing vocals by Freddie Mercury except:
- "I'm Going Slightly Mad": Mercury & Brian May
- "Headlong": Mercury, May & Taylor
- "I Can't Live with You": May & Taylor
- "The Hitman": May
- "The Show Must Go On": May & Taylor
All drums and timpani by Taylor except:
- Conga percussion in "These Are the Days of Our Lives" by David Richards
- Synth-drum programming in "I Can't Live with You" by May
- Drum machine on "Delilah" by Mercury
All bass guitars by John Deacon
All electric guitars by May
Spanish rhythm guitar in "Innuendo" by Steve Howe
All keyboards by Mercury except:
- "All God's People": Mike Moran
- "Innuendo": Mercury & Richards
- "I Can't Live with You": Richards
- "These are the Days of Our Lives": programmed by Queen
- "The Show Must Go On": May

[edit] Singles

Four singles were released from the album:

"Innuendo" was the lead single from the album in most countries save the United States where Headlong was released as the first single. One of Queen's heaviest works, the song was a 6:31 track that included a flamenco guitar solo in the middle, performed by Yes-guitarist Steve Howe. It was released on January 14, 1991 in Europe and March, 1991 in the US and became Queen's 12th number-one single. The song also achieved modest success in the U.S., charting at seventeen on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Still, the length and style of the track limited its appeal, and it only spent a week at number one in the UK and quickly slid down the chart, spending only six weeks in the top seventy-five.

"I'm Going Slightly Mad" was released on March 4, 1991. It reached number twenty-two in the UK charts. Backed by a voice synthesizer track, the song consists of various observations that work to gradually convince the listener of the singer's madness. Despite being an infectious pop song and the catchiest single released from the album, the song's lyrics raised questions about whether Mercury was merely penning a humorous account or whether the song was in fact inspired by AIDS-induced dementia. It peaked at number 1 in Hong Kong.

"Headlong" was released in January, 1991 in the US and on May 13, 1991 in the UK. It was one of the most successful songs from the album, and actually served as the lead single in the United States. It entered the UK charts at number fourteen, and reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

"The Show Must Go On" was released on October 14, 1991 in the UK and January, 1992 in the US. The song is about the effort of keeping up a public image while private issues take up the power required to do so. This may be in reaction to the numerous press speculations about Mercury's declining health since the late 1980s. A lot of the lyrics and imagery of the song can also be construed to be a reflection on life and imminent death. The single peaked at number sixteen in the UK charts. After Mercury's death in November, the song re-entered the British charts and spent longer in the top seventy-five than it had on its original release. An Elton John reworking of this track appeared on the third Queen greatest-hits album. This single was released just six weeks before Mercury died. The song was released as a double A-side with "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the US and reached #2 in the US.

Following Mercury's death, Queen re-released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a double A-side with "These Are the Days of Our Lives". The video for the song, filmed in black-and-white, was the last to be filmed while Mercury was alive; his appearance is frighteningly gaunt. The single was the UK's Christmas number one of 1991.

[edit] Charts

Country	Charts			Sales
	Peak position	Weeks	Certification
United Kingdom	1	37	Platinum	600.000
United States	30		Gold	900.000

Discography
Queen
John Deacon \| Brian May \| Freddie Mercury \| Roger Taylor History \| Live performances \| Songs
Studio albums: Queen \| Queen II \| Sheer Heart Attack \| A Night at the Opera \| A Day at the Races \| News of the World \| Jazz \| The Game \| Flash Gordon \| Hot Space \| The Works \| A Kind of Magic \| The Miracle \| Innuendo \| Made in Heaven
Live albums: Live Killers \| Live Magic \| Live at Wembley '86 \| Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl \| Return of the Champions
Compilation albums: Greatest Hits \| At the Beeb \| Greatest Hits II \| Classic Queen \| Queen Rocks \| Greatest Hits III \| Stone Cold Classics
DVDs: We Will Rock You \| The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert \| Greatest Video Hits 1 \| Live at Wembley Stadium \| Greatest Video Hits 2 \| Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl \| Return of the Champions \| Super Live in Japan
Related Articles
Queen + Paul Rodgers \| Smile \| The Cross
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