The Queen hit that Brian May took to learn to like

The discography of Queen it is full of different moments. As the band had an experimental vein, their works sound very different from each other. Therefore, it is normal for fans to take a long time to like one or another song.

The most curious thing is that this happened to the members themselves. It’s the case of the guitarist Brian May, that it took a while to appreciate one of the biggest hits of the group: “Don’t Stop Me Now”.

May addressed the issue in an interview with vulture. At the time, he pointed out that the track from the album Jazz (1978) had its virtues since forever, but was too “light” for his taste.

“When I first heard it, I knew it had a real melody. But alongside a lot of the other stuff we were doing, it was light and even too ‘cute’.”

The lyrics written by the late vocalist Freddie Mercury I also didn’t like the “right” May. A party girl, the composition basically addresses the pleasure of having fun and enjoying the moment – which could sound reckless depending on the point of view.

“There is also an indication of recklessness there. In season, Freddie I was entering a different universe. We felt he could be in danger. So I think in the back of my mind, I had a block on this song. I really didn’t want it to be released as a single. It didn’t really feel like it represented what we were like at the time – probably unfairly, because it’s actually quite representative.”

Brian May changes his mind

The public reaction was decisive for Brian May change your opinion about “Don’t Stop Me Now”. The guitarist from Queen reinforced that it took him a while to appreciate it, but when he started to enjoy the song, he dived headlong into it.

“It took me a long time to realize that this is a magnificent anthem in its own right. It motivates people. It brings people joy, so why would I get in the way of that? now i accept ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ as one of the great anthems of Queen. Over the years, she has risen and reached the same level of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ It is ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ as one of the most played songs in the Queen.”

Finally, the musician delved even further into people’s reaction to the song.

“My mind changed when I started experimenting with it at parties. Suddenly you realize that: as soon as people listen ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ they come to life. They are set on fire. They start to smile. I was just like, ‘Oh shit, that’s a good song.’ Besides, selfishly, there wasn’t much I could do about it. You have to deal with that kind of thing when you’re in a band. This particular song is all about piano, drums, bass and vocals. There’s just a small spot in the middle where the guitar takes over the main line. I even like songs like that, but I didn’t feel that I was so present in it. That’s probably another reason why I didn’t really take her that seriously in the beginning.”

The Survival of “Don’t Stop Me Now”

“Don’t Stop Me Now” It was moderately successful at the time of its release. It peaked at number 9 in the UK charts, but reached only number 86 in the United States. It also had repercussions in countries such as Belgium, Germany and Ireland.

Over the years, however, it was “rediscovered” by fans around the world. It started in Sweden, reaching a random 37th place in 2009. In 2015, it climbed to 7th position in the Portuguese ranking. Meanwhile, it grew even more on digital platforms. Until in 2018, with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody, returned to the charts of more than 10 countries, such as the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary and Spain, in addition to segmented lists, in 1st place in the United Kingdom and 7th in the United States. Impressive feats of a song that was already 40 years old.