'39

"'39"
Single by Queen
from the album A Night at the Opera
A-side "You're My Best Friend"
Released 21 November 1975
Recorded August–November 1975
Genre Progressive rock[1]
Length 3:30
Label
Songwriter(s) Brian May
Producer(s)
A Night at the Opera track listing

"'39" is a song by British rock band Queen. Composed by lead guitarist Brian May, it is the fifth track on their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera. The song was also the B-side to "You're My Best Friend".

The song relates the tale of a group of space explorers who embark on what is, from their perspective, a year-long voyage. Upon their return, however, they realise that a hundred years have passed, because of the time dilation effect in Einstein's special theory of relativity, and the loved ones they left behind are now all dead or aged.[2] If one adds all previous Queen songs together on their first three albums, not including non-album songs, "'39" is the 39th Queen song in order to be released.[3]

Recording

May sings lead vocal on the studio recording of the song, one of his few lead vocals on Queen recordings.

May had asked bassist John Deacon to play double bass as a joke but a couple of days later he found Deacon in the studio with the instrument, and he had already learned to play it.[4]

Since Queen had named their albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races after two of the Marx Brothers' most popular films, surviving brother Groucho Marx invited Queen to visit him at his Los Angeles home in March 1977 (five months before he died). The band thanked him, and performed "'39" a cappella.[5]

Live performances

The song was first performed in Edinburgh in September 1976 and remained in setlists until December 1979, although the song was briefly performed in 1984. Instead of May singing the lead vocals live, Mercury did.

The song is featured on the live album Live Killers.

George Michael performed "'39" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992.[6][7] Michael cited this song as his favourite Queen song, claiming he used to busk it on the London Underground.[8]

Recently, Queen have included the song on the setlists of their Queen + Adam Lambert tours in 2012 & 2014-2015 featuring Adam Lambert [9] & both Queen + Paul Rodgers Tours which were Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour & Rock the Cosmos featuring Paul Rodgers; as on the album, it is sung by May.

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "A Night at the Opera". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "'39". songfacts.com. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  3. ↑ The first album has 10 songs, Queen II has 11, Sheer Heart Attack has 13 and this is track 5 of this album. 10+11+13+5=39
  4. ↑ Brian May. "Queen Legends".
  5. ↑ Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. p.96. Voyageur Press, 2009
  6. ↑ The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Ultimate Queen Retrieved 6 July 2011
  7. ↑ Queen & George Michael – '39 (Freddie Mercury Tribute) Retrieved 6 July 2011
  8. ↑ A Night At The Opera QueenZone.com Retrieved 6 July 2011
  9. ↑ "Queen + Adam Lambert Set List: Calgary, Saddledome". Queen Online. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
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