31 May 1984 – Freddie recorded early versions of ‘Made In Heaven’ and ‘Foolin’ Around’ at MusicLand Studios, Germany with Reinhold Mack
In the early version of ‘𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧,’ there are some notable vocal parts that aren't finished or fully fleshed out yet and some interesting lyric differences. Even though this version is in the early stages, it’s very nice. Freddie’s vocals are beautiful , full of emotion as usual, quite superb. You definitely can hear which direction the song is heading.
This song is more heartfelt and profound than Freddie’s more frivolous tracks. He certainly accepted his natural-born status as a true romantic. The final version of ‘Made In Heaven’ was in a style more familiar to Queen fans.
Freddie enjoyed recording in Munich as he always said that he loved the freedom offered by the city, joking that it was perfect “apart from the fact that everyone speaks German!” 😁
Freddie ended up gifting this beautiful song to his godson, Freddie Mack: "My godfather dedicated the song 'Made In Heaven to me'. Every time I hear it, I am overcome with emotion.” ♥️
Early version https://youtu.be/FUbMXejx7Ag?si=oSwZ5WcFLSS9N1IP
The track ‘𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧‘ 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝‘ is still a work in progress. An interesting find from the archives was this earlier version of ‘Foolin’ Around.’
While some lines were later altered, it featured a completely new introductory verse as well as real drums (a drum-machine appears only on the album version), and is certainly worth listening to. https://youtu.be/HBe1cFIu40k?si=61RTRnPlMTUx8cJi
"I love the fact that I can make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just half an hour of their lives, if I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile"
— Freddie Mercury
Pic: Queen Live Performance! Freddie Mercury on stage - Oakland, CA, USA, Oakland Coliseum Arena, September 7, 1982
Random person: Hi—
Me: Freddie Mercury and Brian May grew up 300 yards apart and didn't meet each other until they were in college where they formed a band and believed in one another more than they believed in themselves they would take the bus together to defend the band to their rotten management and had matching stage costumes made out of an old wedding dress which all then later added up to their motif of black and white they also shared rooms on tour!!! and then many years later Freddie came out as gay and Brian changed his songwriting to be much more ambiguous and inclusive for his sake!!!! Brian always hated Don't Stop Me Now btw because he was worried about people taking advantage of Freddie's loyal nature and pushing him to extremes he also wrote a hit song (!!!) about Freddie's unsatisfying love and sex life which Freddie knew about and sang on stage for years while Brian played the piano for him and this isn't even touching on the fact that Freddie used his interactions with Brian on stage to express his gayness when that was still beyond dangerous and not only did Brian not bat an eyelash he continuously engaged in it for years because fuck homophobes !!! and Freddie always felt so comfortable around him inviting him to hang out with his friends his home and writing a 4-minute song calling him his soullllllll and then there's Brian turning around and writing a metaphor about Freddie's soul being beautiful and transformative like the wings of butterflies while he was dying and barely able to sing anymore but this isn't even touching on the years after Freddie's passing when Brian took Love of My Life and single-handedly made it into a tribute while he was depressed and struggling with suicidal thoughts because he couldn't play music without honoring Freddie in some—
please spill more of your thoughts about harold may
*cracks knuckles*
Based on everything Brian has said, it seems as if Harold had a certain idea of what he wanted his son to be, namely a traditional patriarch (the husband, the father, the head of the family) with an academic education. This is the role that Harold himself had (For instance, Brian has talked about Harold not allowing his wife to obtain a driver's license), and he wanted Brian to follow in his footsteps. This isn't uncommon, of course, but it evidently was a lot of pressure for Brian to shoulder, especially as an only child.
Brian has talked at length about Harold disapproving of his putting aside his education to focus on Queen - disapproving to the point where he refused to speak to him for a long time! And economic insecurity wasn't the issue here. The problem was, as Brian has said, that Harold himself had been "forced" to give up his musical dreams to settle down with his family. So, basically, he just resented Brian for being able to follow a dream he himself had to lay to rest. I think this is incredibly messed up. As a parent, you should want your child to achieve their dreams instead of actively blaming them for trying. (It's also worth noting that this might be the reason why Brian didn't fully consider his musical career a "worthy job" until he was in his fucking fifties/sixties!)
There's also the issue of marriage. I think there's enough evidence to suggest that Brian wouldn't have married his first wife if he hadn't been eager to please his father. He said in an interview with Howard Stern (while talking about his first marriage) that he felt he'd tried to "live the dreams of his parents" instead of doing "what he actually wanted to do," and that says it all, I think. The values imposed on him by his father kept him from living the life he really wanted for himself.
And then, of course, I have to be controversial and say that Brian has expressed feelings of shame related to "issues with" his "heterosexuality" that I can't help thinking are also connected to the way he was raised and the values he's internalized. I mean, there's a tape of Brian in his late fifties openly stating that he sees beauty "not only in women (...) in things I've been insulated from in the past," heavily implying that he's been prevented from recognizing his own attraction to men, specifically because of or by something. So there's also that.
(tl; dr: Harold May imposed rigid traditions and values based on his own failings onto Brian, which instilled in him feelings of shame and worthlessness, in relation to his marriage, his profession, and his sexuality).
To this day, it makes me sad that Brian has such unconditional love for a father who resented his success to the point where he literally refused to speak to him. Please. Any child deserves better than that.
This might have been sent four (4) years ago, I'm not quite sure. I took a break from writing for Queen for a while, but I'm back and hotter than ever. This is sad and it's gay, but I think I missed the mark on sweet. I think I missed the mark pretty wide lol. Bittersweet, maybe. Definitely.
CW for alcohol use and some post-breakup self-flagellation
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It just doesn’t seem fair, Freddie thinks, staring into his glass. The ice is melting, watering down his drink. Also unfair, although he supposes it’s no one’s fault but his own for not drinking it faster.
The volume inside the bar is almost loud enough to keep his thoughts from spiraling, but his penchant for self-pity is nothing if not determined. Maybe it is a bit pathetic to have sequestered himself in a corner of the bar, but it isn’t for lack of trying on Freddie’s part. Roger is out on his Monthly Date Weekend with Dominique, Phoebe has to work, and Peter is god knows where doing god knows what. Fuck Paul.
If he hadn’t broken up with David, he wouldn’t be sitting alone drowning himself in vodka tonics. But then again… if he hadn’t broken up with David, he wouldn’t be sitting alone drowning himself in vodka tonics.
What a genuine nightmare that had been. He’s embarrassed about how that went down, how the semi-public Crash And Burn of it all surely reflects poorly on his inability to maintain any sort of romantic relationship. Everyone who knew about them saw that coming—they said as much to his face. It’s not as reassuring as they might think it is, being told that your relationship is clearly headed for the end and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop it. In reality, the sheer fact that you are involved has almost certainly sealed its fate.
Freddie brings his glass back up to his mouth, catching an ice chip on this sip of a drink that doesn’t even taste particularly good anymore but that he can’t bring himself to waste. He bites down, focusing hard on the sharp sting of cold against his teeth. It doesn’t feel nice, the deep ache down through his jaw, but at least it feels like something other than sadness.
Fuck it, what is he even sad for? David was a bit of a prick. More than a bit. He had a monstrous personality and even all of Freddie’s sparkling redeemable qualities couldn’t counteract that. He’s better off without David. Plenty of people have told him that too. He doesn’t know if he actually believes it quite yet. How can it be possible that the more favorable outcome is to exist alone rather than be with someone even if they only sort of give a shit about you?
Even watered down, the vodka burns his throat as he swallows and his eyes water. It’s a shitty bottom shelf vodka serving its purpose for the evening. The bartender must not have added enough tonic water.
He’s being uncharitable… David wasn’t all that bad. Not all the time. Freddie wouldn’t have dated him to begin with if he’d been a complete shitbag.
Despite what others may say, he does have some standards and they aren’t that low.
Sometimes, though (like right now), Freddie thinks that the bar was on the ground and David had gotten out a shovel.
At least he was willing to put in the effort to dig. Not everyone is so loyal.
Darling, your writing is GORGEOUS!!! I love love LOVE it. It's a fantastic glimpse into that post-breakup quagmire. I especially liked the physicality of it (the detail with the ice, the burn of the vodka), it really made it immersive. 😍
I'm still thinking about this. Brian didn't even say anything a decade ago when Mary was an asshole (surprise, surprise) and accused the band of "abandoning" her and not appreciating Freddie enough, so it speaks to how incredibly upset he must be by Freddie's things disappearing forever into the hands of rich strangers for him to have even posted about the auction.
