#Songwriting
Song: It’s Late/Queen
Intro - Verse 1 - Chorus 1 - Verse 2 - Chorus 2 - Bridge - Guitar Solo - Guitar Solo (double time) - Build up back into verse - Verse 3 - Extended Final Chorus - Vocal Break - Outro (double time)
Writer: Brian May, guitarist of Queen
The song is off News of The World, an album produced by the band and co-produced and engineered by Mike Stone. It was released in 1977. It didn’t connect with the mainstream as much as other News of The World singles like “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions,” but it is regarded by fans as one of Queen’s greatest rock songs.
It’s Late, in my opinion, is a piece of songwriting gold. The lyrics are poetic and beautiful and each syllable fits perfectly into the music. One of my favorite things about this song is how the vocal fills the melodic gaps over the simplistic guitar riff in the verses. Everyone knows Brian May can play incredibly complex guitar riffs, but he uses a simplistic one to provide space for a beautiful and more complex vocal melody.
Another fantastic element of this song is its abundance of tasteful musical nuances. Details like the drum and F# bass accent on the pick up in the line before the chorus make the song more fun to listen to. That accent, along with other subtle fills from the guitar and the bass, break up the monotony of the same riff over and over. The refrain is infectious despite being repeated so many times and the musicianship is out of this world.
When Brian May wrote the song, he treated it as though it was a three act play, which is evident in its theatrical and emotional lyrics. The song is about something that everyone can relate to: the agony of a slowly dying love. The lyrics are just sheer poetry. I can confidently say that anyone who listens to this song could pick out a line that is relevant to them. When I first heard this song I didn’t hear the original version, but instead a live cover from my fellow musicians while I was on tour. Every time they played this song, the audience was completely captivated, which is just a tribute to how emotional and beautiful the song is.
Primary instrumentation elements:
Lead Vocal (performed by Freddie Mercury)
Lead Guitar (performed by Brian May)
Bass Guitar (performed by John Deacon)
Drums (performed by Roger Taylor)
Secondary instrumentation elements:
Rhythm Guitar (Brian May)
Supporting Vocals (Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor)
Key Production Moves:
1. Keeping it simple - Just drums, bass, guitar and vocals.
2. Great back up vocals.
3. Using double time breaks to up the dynamic of the song and excite the listener.
Key Songwriting Moves:
1. The lyrics are beautiful and eloquent but not over complicated.
2. The lyrics provoke emotion and they’re about something relatable.
3. The main refrain (It’s late it’s late it’s late…) is memorable.