Good Song, Bad Song?

Sunday, February 20th, 2005 | now why did you have to tell me that?

I’ve been enjoying a song for the past few weeks on my shuffle, and Michael had to ruin it by telling me it was the theme song for a Coca Cola C2 commercial. Queen’s “I Want Break Free” is just yet another song that has been butchered by the corporate advertising medium. No longer is it the song a song by a legendary rock band fronted by a gay legend who died of AIDS, it is the “C2 song”. The commercial page doesn’t even have the decency to credit Queen for the song.

I Want To Break Free
by Queen

(I want to break free)
(I want to break free)
I want to break free from your lies
You’re so self satisfied I don’t need you
I’ve want to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free

I’ve fallen in love
I’ve fallen in love for the first time
And this time I know it’s for real
I’ve fallen in love, yeah
God knows, God knows I’ve fallen in love

It’s strange but it’s true
I can’t get over the way you love me like you do
But I have to be sure
When I walk out that door
Oh how I want to be free, baby
Oh how I want to break free,
Oh how I want to break free

But life still goes on
I can’t get used to, living without, living without,
Living without you by my side
I don’t want to live alone, hey
God knows, got to make it on my own
So baby can’t you see
God knows, gods know, gods know
I’ve want to break free

1 Comment to Good Song, Bad Song?

Sapientum
February 20, 2005

Unusually for Queen, this track was written by John Deacon, the band’s bassist. Most of their singles were Mercury/May or Mercury/May/Deacon.

The original video which Queen made for this song featured the whole band in drag, playing characters based on a long running UK soap opera called Coronation Street. (A show devised and written in its early days by a gay man). Hence here in the UK the video was well received as a pastiche on a family favourite and the single did really well spending 15 weeks on chart and reaching number 3.

Meanwhile in the USA the video instantly demolished the band’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll” credentials and following its showing on MTV the single only spent 8 weeks in the chart with the highest position of #45. After that Queens record sales went into terminal decline until the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody following Mercury’s death.

Nice Blog - keep on keeping on!

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