I Want to Break Free
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| "I Want to Break Free" | ||
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| Single by Queen | ||
| from the album The Works | ||
| Released | 22 April 1984 | |
| Format | vinyl record (7", 12") | |
| Recorded | 1983 | |
| Genre | Rock, Pop | |
| Length |
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| Label | EMI / Capitol | |
| Writer(s) | John Deacon | |
| Producer(s) | Queen and Mack | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Queen singles chronology | ||
| "Radio Ga Ga" (1984) |
"I Want to Break Free" (1984) |
"It's a Hard Life" (1984) |
"I Want to Break Free" (sample ) is a song performed by Queen, which was written exclusively by bassist John Deacon. It featured on the 1984 album The Works. In the UK Chart, it peaked at number 3, and remained in the chart for fifteen consecutive weeks.
Two differing versions of the song are in circulation. The version on The Works album itself is in fact shorter than the single remix by nearly a minute, which is the direct opposite to Hammer To Fall, a song which was edited down by thirty seconds from the album version to be released as a single.
The music video was a parody of the British soap opera Coronation Street. During part of the video, the band members dressed in drag, as mildly similar characters found in the soap at the time. The video also depicted the band in what appeared to be a dark cave in their normal look, and it also features a ballet piece with the Royal Ballet, for which Freddie Mercury shaved off his trademark moustache to portray Nijinsky. The video was initially banned by MTV in the U.S., but the ban was lifted in 1991 when it aired on VH1's My Generation 2-part episodes devoted to Queen hosted by guitarist Brian May. The video received renewed attention when it was used in a media advertising campaign for the soft drink Coca-Cola C2.
When Queen performed the song live at the Rock in Rio concert, Mercury appeared in drag, earning him a chorus of boos from the audience; the crowd was not aware of the Coronation Street parody, leading the audience to think that Mercury was mocking the song, which had become a song of protest in Brazil.
At the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Lisa Stansfield performed the song. She entered the Wembley stage wearing hair curlers (a la Hilda Ogden) and pushing a vacuum cleaner in a direct reference and tribute to the song's video.
[edit] Covers
In the late 90's, The spanish TV program "El Informal" made a parody of the videoclip of the song. The song was called "Me Quiero Reir" (I Want to Laugh) and it features the presenters dressed as the band members and performing funny sketches.
| Queen |
| John Deacon | Brian May | Freddie Mercury | Roger Taylor History | Live performances | Songs |
| Discography |
|---|
| 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 | We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions | Super Live in Japan |
| Related Articles |
| Ibex | Larry Lurex | Smile | The Cross | Queen + Paul Rodgers |
