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 Miracle - The Miracle - The Miracle: Was It All Worth It

Was It All Worth It

Main composer: Freddie Mercury
Album: The Miracle
Meter: 4/4
Key: c-minor (intro II), a-minor, C-Major (Chorus), (A-Major)
Form:

Intro I-II-III (II') | Verse | Break 1 | Chorus I-II-III (AAB) |
| Intro III' | Verse | Break 2 | Chorus I-II-III (AB) |
| Intro III" | Solo(Verse')-Break 3 | Chorus I-II-III (AAB')|
| Intro III" - outro |

Chorus I = Verse ending'

This great song closes the Miracle (on vinyl and tape releases) and demonstrates how much this album is underrated in terms of creativity. The most interesting parts are the instrumental parts. In Classical music the vocal music (songs) are averagely less complex than the instrumental compositions.
The form is based on three cycles where each cycles start with the main hook. The Verses and Choruses are intervened by different breaks in each cycles, similarly to "Staying Power" and "Miracle". There are other subtle variant-changes between the cycles. The verses and choruses have relatively ordinary harmony and phrasing.
The Intro III, the Verses and Chorus I are in a-minor while Chorus II modualtes to the relative (C-) Major key.

Walkthrouhgh
------------

Intro I
The fade intro I is psychadelic mixture of synths and glissandos for both vocal and guitar, and also the backward played Intro II (see also "Ogre Battle") setting the harmony to Cm, the homekey of Intro I and II.

Intro II
From the miraculous Intro I enters the main synth motif of Intro II. The synth-work roughly outlines the following harmony, which we have heard reversed in Intro I:

/----------- 2x -----------\
| Cm | Bb1 | Ab1 | Gm F | - | Gm F | - | Gm F | - |
| i |"VII" |"VI" | v IV | - | v IV | - | v IV | - |

The main phrase us repeated and in the second cycle the ending is repeated as a triple-tag song endings.

Intro III
The last subsection of the Intro shifts the key abruptly to a-minor. The tonic is articluted by guitar power chords and melodic minor thirds. The phrasing is 4+4+4+8, foursquared except the last phrase. The first three measures of the riff-phrases are more or less the same the endings are changing each time.
For the second half the arrangement instrumentation is added extra guitar in octaves, then yet another harmony guitar (also in double octaves)

a:
| A5...| D5...| - | C5 |
| i | IV...| - |"III" |

| A5...| D5...| - | B5 G5 A5 |
| i | IV...| - | II VII i |

| A5...| D5...| - | E1...|
| i | IV...| - |"III" |

| A5...| D5...| D | E1 | C1 | B/D D5 | - | - G |
| i | IV...| - |"v" |"III" |"VII" V" | - | - VII|

Note the use of IV chord (m.14) instead of iv. It is done multitrack guitars.

There is a re-Intro section before the other two cycles. The one opening the second cycle consists of two phrases of the hook played on synth and guitar doubling the bass-line. It's added a pentatonic guitar fill and is closing with long guitar chord with descending drum-fill. If you count out you will notice a half measure there.
The last cycle also starts with the main hook,this time played only once. Again the last chord is sustained creating a half measure. A drum fill leaing in the bombastic guitar solo.
The Outro is also developed from the intro hook played on guitar four phrases long as in the Intro III but this time the third phrase repeats the second and the last phrase is closed with a descending diatonic scale in triplets. After the last electric guitar chord fading away the main hook returns again for a last time played on synth. The F chord followed by D instead of the original Em > Am cadence.

Verse
The 16 measure Verses have relatively simple harmony and phrasing: 4+4+2+2+2+2 AABB'CC'.

/------------ 2x -----------\
| Am | - | - | - G |
| i | - | - | - VII|

| F | - |
| VI | - |

| Dm | - |
| iv | - |

| G* | - |
| VII | - |

| /D | /G |
| - | - |

The G* chord is a combination of G chord and inner lines ascending in parallel sixths.

Break 1:
After the first Verse we have a 8 measure connector break with two measure guitar phrases and also some vocal phrases. Harmonically it sustaines the tonic chord throughout.

| Am | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

Chorus I
The first subsection of the Chorus (could be transcribed as pre-chorus) is a variant of the second half of the Verse...

| Fmaj7b5 | - |
| VI | - |

| Dm | - |
| iv | - |

| G* | - | - | - |
| VII | - | - | - |
|V-of-C|

...but the ending is different to lead in the Chorus.
The second cycle is varied slightly for example triplets in m.5. Here we can hear more clearly the first Maj7th resolving to 8th and simultainously the b5th degree resolving to 4th.

Chorus II
The core of the chorus can be parsed into two AA' cycles of two phrases (2+4). The first of these is the title phrase which is already appeared at the end of the Verses and also a variant of it in the preceding "pre-Chorus". Here in the Chorus II the title phrase is harmonized. The second A phrase rhythmically alters the title phrase.

| C | - |
| I | - |

| Bb | F | G | C |
| bVII | IV | V | I |

| C | - |
| I | - |

| Bb | F | G | Am |
| bVII | IV | V | vi |

Beside the use of the modal bVII chord the most interesting thing to note is how the G chord is accompanying a lead melody with three notes NOT featuring in the G Major triad. This is something rare in pop/rock music (see also in "My Love Is Dangerous" and "Ticket To Ride" - Beatles)
The second chorus drops he first half, but it returns for the third chorus again.

Chorus III
The last subsection of the Chorus starts with another variant of the title phrase doubled up. These two phrases are added a concluding third phrase where the bVII chord resolves to Am. We have a 3+5 type syncopation.

/----- 2x -----\
| G Am|- |
| V vi|- |

| Bb7(9)| - |
|bVII | - |
|bII-of-a

The in m.3 of the second chorus III the G chord is (second) inverted. Also in the second chorus the third phrase is twice as long and added a bass figure. The vocal phrase is restricted for its second half.
In the third chorus the second phrase is altered with an acapella break:

| G Cm7/Eb|>6 |
| V iii | |

Break 2
The second break is arranged for synth-orchestra and we have also vocal harmonies in m.3-4 chromatically descending in major triades.

| A A | A A | A A | A G | bass notes
| Am F | Am F | Eb D | Db C | chords
| i VI |...

The second phrase is not harmonized. Chromatic vibrating treble synth-strings provide crazy backing for the already crazy figure which is reminiscent of the "Death On Two Legs" intro-hook.

| A1 E1 | A1 Eb1 | A1 Eb1 Bb1 | - |

Solo
The main guitar solo starts as a instrumental Verse for ten measures, three phrases. From here for four measures the solo is built upon an ascending chromatic line cliche similar to the one in "Flash" (the "Vivaldi" progression). The ending makes the harmony ambiguous.

| F | D/F# | G | E/G# | A | B |A Bb ... |
| VI | V/VII| VII | V | I

The last chord is fading into a climactic build-up with harmonizered guitar. This sub-section has no backing beat, and its chord progression is non-functional:

| Dm Bbm/Db Ab/Eb Ebm/Gb | (A)

The tension created by the chord progression and the arrangement is resolved in the next synth-orchestral break (Break 3).

Break 3
This section remains one of the craziest moments of Queen. For the Miracle album in 1989 Mercury had quite a few crazy orchestration behind him. This one has two subsections. The first of these has three phrases: 3+1+2. The tonal centre is A throughout the first

| A | A Em/A A Em/A | A1 (9)|
| I | I (v) | I |

Measure 3 features tympany tuned to A and also a car horn adding a dissonant 9th. (See also Gershwin's "An American In Paris")

The second phrase is built on a three parted harmony:

| C# B C C# | :S
| A G C A | :T
| A G A E | :A
| I bVII ? I |

The last two measure phrase has synth-strings orchestra playing chromatic asending scale with pedal bass below. In the second meausre a synth is added playing fast triplets following the pattern of one step down two steps up.

The second subsection is characterized by 3+3+3+3+2+2 rhythms, treble pedal points, and chromatich descending lines.

3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 2 = 16/8 = two measures
| A... pedal point
| A Ab G Gb F E |

The second phrase is harmonized in parallel thirds:

3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 2
| C...
| C B Bb A Ab G |
| A Ab G Gb F E |

| C G/B C7/Bb |
| I V I7 |

The last phrase ends with fermata chord with synth glissandos. The harmony follows a line cliche we saw also in "Teo Torriate". The transition back to the last Chorus is remarkably smooth considering the big change in the instrumentation.