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 - The Game: Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Album: The Game
Composer: Roger Taylor
Meter: 4/4
Key: G Major,
     alternate interpretation: A Major, intro: D mixolydian Major,
Form: 

        Intro | Verse | Chorus I-II |
              | Verse | Chorus I-II-III|
        | Solo (Verse)| Chorus I-II-II-III |


- Simple form. Instead of Bridge we have a solo.
- Only six chords, all Major, no inversions (see also "Crazy Little Thing"). Due mixed modes we have function-wise intersesting harmony for both interpretation.
- The feel of G is reinforced by the intro starting with the tonic, having the basic three chord, moreover the song also closes on the tonic.
- The feel of D and A being the key is reinforced by the intro interpreted as being in mixolydian mode and its third phrase having a double plagal cadence (C > G > D as in "Crazy Little Thing"). Th Chorus II strongly sounds being in A Major.
- The guitar works consist of a simple power chord pumping and a lead guitar track with riffs and lead fills.
- Similarly the drum tracks consist of a simple monotone pumping beat (drum loop) and a "normal" but still simple drum track.
- Percussive flanged synth appears briefly in the last two choruses.


walkthrough
-----------

Intro I-II

|No chord| -     |

- Intro I:  percussive. Flanged drums sound like a locomotive. 


  /---- 2x ---\
  | G   | D   |
G:| I   | V   |
D:| IV  | I   |


  | D   | C   | G   | D   |
G:| V   | IV  | I   | V   |
D:| I   | bVII| IV  | I   |

- Intro II: Phrasing: 2+2+4=8 measures, square,
- Third phrase: double plagal cadence,
- Lead and harmony vocals by Roger only (3 parts),


Verse

  | A   | -   | E   | -   |
G:| V/V | -   |V/V/V| -   |
A:| I   | -   | V   | -   |

  | C   | -   | G   | -   |
G:| IV  | -   | I   | -   |
A:| bIII| -   |bVII | -   |

  | A   | -   | E   | -   |
G:| V/V | -   |V/V/V| -   |
A:| I   | -   | V   | -   |

- phrasing: 4+4+4=12, square
- second phrase parallels the first chord-wise. The arch-shaped lead vocal is the same (three notes) as in the first phrase, but the switch of the mode in the harmony vocals makes it sound different. Third one is the same as the first, the lead vocal changes to talking bluesy.
- the borrowed chords attack the feel of tonal center.
- subtle changes in the arrangement verse by verse.
- lead vocal: two part harmony (Freddie multitracked)
- backing harmonies: the oooh-s are sung by Roger multitracked (3 parts).
- Bass guitar octave spikes rhythmically reinforce the rhythm guitar fills.
- Guitar solo: the position of the pentatonic scale shifts up for this phrase. The solo ends with hard to hear tremolo dive extravagancas.


Chorus:

I-II


  | D   | -   |
G:| V   | -   |
A:| IV  | -   |

  | A   | -   | -   | -   |
G:| V/V | -   | -   | -   |
A:| I   | -   | -   | -   |

  | D   | -   | E   | -   |
G:| V   | -   | VI  | -   |
A:| IV  | -   | V   | -   |

extension (III):

  | C   | -   | D#  | -   | G6  | -   |
G:| IV  | -   | bVI | -   | I   | -   |
A:| bIII| -   | bV  | -   | bVII| -   |

- All three choruses are form- and arrangement-wise different.
- Simple three chords except the extension with weak-tonality progression.
- III: It sounds cadentical arriving to G with a tonic feel. See also the add6 ending in "who Needs You" (and also in many swing-era songs).
- song-closing "yeah" is sustained for 10 seconds. Fermata ending in measure 15.
- I-II: Freddie leads, Roger is backing, in the third Chorus (title phrase) Freddie alone (?) sings the backing harmonies.
- III: more of them (probably just Freddie and Roger) sing in harmony.
- In the second Chorus-I Roger sings low harmony (see also in "Action This Day").
- Bass:
   I: one long note,
   II: pumping,
   III: octave spikes
- I : "they always...": syncopation:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1
 *** *** *** ***    : see this particular pattern also in "Death On Two Legs".

The second half of the intro is also similar rhythm-wise