The Book

Introduction What is it all good for? Scope of work Project History

Music theory in nutshell Harmony Chord notation used in the analyses The degrees of notes Chord functions Keys, Sharps and flats, neighbour keys Guitar friendly and piano-friendly keys Modulations, key changes Parallel key modulations Relative key modulations Neighbour key modulations Combined modulations Step-up/down modulations Unusual modulations Key-shifts Pivot Modulation Borrowed chords Cliche chord progressions Modes Ambigous harmony Rhythms Exercies Syncopations Shuffle beat Metrical modulations, metrical anomalies Compound meters Disorienting Rhythms Songforms General aesthatics of popular and rock music

Repetitions and variants

Queen - The four of them as musicians Brian May Roger Taylor Freddie Mercury John Deacon

Songwriting Analyses Smile Ibex "No Synth" era Queen Keep Yourself Alive Doing All Right Great King Rat My Fairy King Liar The Night Comes Down Modern Times Rock'n'roll Son And Daughter Jesus Seven Seas Of Rhye Silver Salmon Hangman Mad The Swine Queen II Procession Father To Son White Queen (As It Began) Some Day One Day The Loser In The End Ogre Battle The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Nevermore March Of The Black Queen Funny How Love Is Seven Seas Of Rhye See What A Fool I've Been Sheer Heart Attack Brighton Rock Killer Queen Tenement Funster Flick Of The Wrist Lily Of The Valley Now I'm Here In The Lap Of The Gods Stone Cold Crazy Dear Friends Misfire Bring Back That Leroy Brown She Makes Me In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited A Night At The Opera Death On Two Legs Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon I'm In Love With My Car You're My Best Friend Sweet Lady '39 Seaside Rendezvous The Prophet's Song Love Of My Life Good Company Bohemian Rhapsody God Save The Queen A Day At The Races Tie Your Mother Down You Take My Breath Away Long Away The Millionaire Waltz You And I Somebody To Love White Man Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy Drowse Teo Torriate News Of The World We Will Rock You We Are The Champions Sheer Heart Attack All Dead All Dead Spread Your Wings Fight From The Inside Get Down Make Love Sleeping On The Sidewalk Who Needs You It's Late My Melancholy Blues Feelings Jazz Mustapha Fat Bottomed Girls Jealousy Bicycle Race If You Can't Beat Them Let Me Entertain You Dead On Time In Only Seven Days Dreamers Ball Fun It Leaving Home Ain't Easy Don't Stop Me Now More Of That Jazz Live performances in the 70s Modern-era Queen The Game Play The Game Dragon Attack Another One Bites The Dust Need Your Loving Tonight Crazy Little Thing Called Love Rock It (prime Jive) Don't Try Suicide Sail Away Sweet Sister Coming Soon Save Me Human Body Sandbox Flash Gordon Flash's Theme In The Space Capsule Ming's Theme The Ring Football Fight In The Death Cell Execution Of Flash The Kiss Arboria Escape From The Swamp Flash To The Rescue Vultan's Theme Battle Theme The Wedding March Marriage Of Dale And Ming Flash's Theme Reprise Crash Dive On Mingo City The Hero Hot Space Staying Power Dancer Back Chat Body Language Action This Day Put Out The Fire Life Is Real Calling All Girls Las Palabras De Amor Cool Cat Under Pressure Soul Brother The Works Radio Ga Ga Tear It Up It's A Hard Life Man On The Prowl Machines (or 'Back To Humans') I Want To Break Free Keep Passing The Open Windows Hammer To Fall Is This The World We Created? I Go Crazy A Kind Of Magic One Vision A Kind Of Magic One Year Of Love Pain Is So Close To Pleasure Friends Will Be Friends Who Wants To Live Forever Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) Don't Lose Your Head Princes Of The Universe The Miracle Party Khashoggi's Ship The Miracle I Want It All The Invisible Man Breakthru Rain Must Fall Scandal My Baby Does Me Was It All Worth It Hang On In There Chinese Torture Hijack My Heart My Life Has Been Saved Stealin' New Life Is Born Dog With A Bone Guess We're Fallin Out Innuendo Innuendo I'm Going Slightly Mad Headlong I Can't Live With You Don't Try So Hard Ride The Wild Wind All God's People These Are The Days Of Our Lives Delilah The Hitman Bijou The Show Must Go On Lost Opportunity Face It Alone Self Made Man My Secret Fantasy Made In Heaven It's A Beautiful Day Made In Heaven Let Me Live Mother Love My Life Has Been Saved I Was Born To Love You Heaven For Everyone Too Much Love Will Kill You You Don't Fool Me A Winter's Tale My Life Has Been Saved It's A Beautiful Day (reprise) No-One But You Live performances in the 80s

Appendix Special instruments Special effects Special playing techniques Classical quotes Musical terms Index References

Path: Queen Songs - The Book - Songwriting Analyses - Innuendo - Innuendo - Innuendo - Innuendo: These Are The Days Of Our Lives

These Are The Days Of Our Lives

Composer: Roger Taylor (credited to the band)
Album: Innuendo (1991)
Single: 2 December, 1991, Double A-side with Bohemian Rhapsody (re-release)
Meter: 4/4
Key: C Major
Form:

      Intro | Verse | Chorus |
            | Verse | Chorus |
             | Solo | Chorus'| Outro (Intro') |



 Stylistically this song is a pop-ballad with heart-felt nostalgic lyrics. The songform ballad-like alternates Chorus and Verse except the bridge-like Solo section (with different chord progression) substitutes the Verse in the third cycle. This is one of the most simple form in the entire Queen songbook. The harmony is not very adventurous, the home key stays clear throughout, each phrase starts on the tonic chord (except the Bridge-solo). We have modal infections (ie. flat seventh) in the harmony.
 The main instrument of the backing track is the synth. Brian on guitar (beside the long guitar solo) plays some lead and rhythm fills in remarkably varied styles (strummed and arpeggiated chords, lead fills, slow scales). There are no guitar harmonies nor *backing* vocal harmonies in the song only the lead vocal is harmonized in parallel thirds in the Chorus (Freddie double tracked). John on bass plays some nice arch-like motifs in both Verse and Chorus sections (shades of "The Show...")
 The range of the lead vocal is round one octave (G-G). Freddie uses his softer voice throughout the song.



Walkthrough
-----------

Intro:
It's a four measure percussion figure with asymmetric 3+5 beat arranged for congas (played by David Richards) and hi-hats. The figure keeps playing during most of the song except the first half of the second Verse and a short pause before the outro. The combination of a four measure rhythm figure and the often non-four-sqare phrasing results the two getting out of phase and remaining so for most of the time. Check it out!

Verse:
This section is 18 measures long (4+4+10). The harmonic phrase-form is AAB, the melodic phrase-form is ABC. Omitting some passing chords the harmonic rhythm is constant throughout. Note the chain of fourths in the last phrase. The passing chords and parallel sixths in the accompaniment often use 3+5 and 3+3+2 rhythmic pattern foreshadowning the Chorus.


/-------------- 2x ----------------\
| C     | - (F) | F     | -  (Bb)  |
| I     | - (IV)| IV    | - (IV/IV)|


| C/G  | -   | G   | -   | Dm  | -   | Am  | -   | G   | -   |
| I    | -   | V   | -   | ii  | -   | vi  | -   | V   | -   |

The melodic phrases start shortly after downbeats.
The arrangement is added some interesting percussions. Note the off-beat guitar scale in the first Verse, and three descending scales in the second Verse.


Chorus:
It's 15 measures long, but the phrasing is square until the closing (4+4+4+3, AAA'B). Harmony vocal is added in parallel thirds. Queen have never used two part parallel third vocal harmonies so extensively before this song. The only curious thing in the chord progression is the third phrase with the "chromatic bVII" progression (see also in "...To Pleasure"), some inverted chords (both second and first inversion), and the counterpart like bassline in the third phrase. This section has the quickest harmonic rhythm.


/------------ 2x -----------\
| C    | G/B  | F    | -    |
| I    |  V   | IV   | -    |


| C  Dm C | G/B Am G | Bb *  Bb | F/A   |   * : C3#57
| I       | V        | bVII     | IV    |


| C/G   | G    | F    |
| I     | V    | IV   |

The lead phrases strart on downbeats and are dominated by descending figures. The rhythm department is dominated by the asymmetric 3+3+2 accents (more strongely than in the other sections) except the last phrase.
The last Chorus adds more lead guitar fills. The last chord is prolonged for four measures then it resolves back to the tonic (plagal cadence) where the conga figure enters again and starts the Outro. While the guitar play a last jazzy figure and Freddie whispers his legendary good-bye ("I still love you") the synth fades out then slowly the congas too.


Solo (Bridge):
This 20 measures long section consists of two long phrases with identical chord progression. The harmony makes contrast with the rest of the song by not using the tonic chord. This and the position of the section (around 2/3 into the song) makes this section work as an instrumental Bridge.

/--------------------------------- 2x -------------------------------\
| Dm   | -    | Am   | -    | Em   | -    | Bb   | Am   | G    | -   |
| ii   | -    | vi   | -    | iii  | -    | bVII | vi   | V    | -   |

Note the Am > Em > Bb > Am progression is also a variant of the "chromatic bVII" progression.
The two halves of the solo are different in style. The first one is a slow "meditative" tune with some non-quantized rhythms. The second half is busier and effected with echo. Note the bell-trees.