music.wikisort.org - Composition

"You're My Best Friend" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by the band's bass player, John Deacon, who wrote it for and about his wife. It was first included on the 1975 album A Night at the Opera, and later released as a single. The ballad[5] also appeared on the Live Killers (1979) live album, and on the compilation albums Greatest Hits (1981), Absolute Greatest (2009) and Queen Forever (2014).

"You're My Best Friend"
Yugoslavian single picture sleeve
Single by Queen
from the album A Night at the Opera
B-side	"'39"
Released	18 June 1976 (UK)[1]
Recorded	1975
Genre	Rock[2] pop[3] twee pop[4]
Length	2:52
Label	Elektra (US) EMI (UK)
Songwriter(s)	John Deacon
Producer(s)	Roy Thomas Baker Queen
Queen singles chronology
"Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) "You're My Best Friend" (1976) "Somebody to Love" (1976)
Music video
"You're My Best Friend" on YouTube

The song reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart and number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[6] It is certified platinum by the RIAA in the US with over one million copies sold. The song has since featured in television, film, and other media, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy.

History

Deacon wrote the song for his wife, Veronica Tetzlaff. In this song, he plays a Wurlitzer electric piano in addition to his bass guitar work.[7] The characteristic "bark" of the Wurlitzer's bass notes plays a prominent role in the song. During live performances, a Grand Piano was used rather than an electric, and it would be played by Freddie Mercury, while Deacon played the bass guitar just like in the original recording. The song would be performed live by the band from the Summer Gigs 1976 Tour up to the end of the North American leg of The Game Tour in 1980. It was then dropped from the rest of the tour, and would not be played live again until after the death of Mercury.

The song was used in several TV shows and films such as Hot in Cleveland, Will & Grace, EastEnders, My Name is Earl, The King of Queens, Good Omens, The Break-Up, the end credits of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Simpsons,[8] Shaun of the Dead, Peter's Friends, The Secret Life of Pets, and the Family Guy episode "Farmer Guy".[9]

Music video

The music video, directed by Bruce Gowers, shows the band in a huge ballroom surrounded by over one thousand candles, including a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling.[10] The video was filmed in April 1976 [10] at Elstree Studios, near London. Additionally, Deacon is seen playing a grand piano rather than the Wurlitzer he used on the recording.[11]

Composition

The song was composed by John Deacon in the key of C major with a meter of 4/4, in swing feel.[12]

The album A Night at the Opera features songs of numerous styles, including this three-minute pop song.[3] Very unusual for the genre, there is no section appearing more than twice; characteristic of many Queen songs, as affirmed by Brian May.[13] On the other hand, in terms of phrases and measures, there are numerous repetitions or variants. The form is cyclic and very similar to that of "Spread Your Wings" (1977). Another similarity between the two songs is the lack of (real) modulation. The arrangement features 3 and 4-part vocal and guitar harmonies, bass (melodic approach), drums, and electric piano. This is Deacon's second recorded song and the first one released on single, some six months after the album-release. Mercury hits two sustained C₅s in the lead vocal track.

Queen comments on the song

The band answered Tom Browne on 24 December 1977 in a live BBC Radio 1 interview, regarding Deacon's control of the piano for the recording:

Well, Freddie didn't like the electric piano, so I took it home and I started to learn on the electric piano and basically that's the song that came out you know when I was learning to play piano. It was written on that instrument and it sounds best on that. You know, often on the instrument that you wrote the song on.

— John Deacon[14]

I refused to play the damn thing [the Wurlitzer]. It's tinny and horrible and I don't like them. Why play those things when you've got a lovely superb grand piano? No, I think, basically what he [John] is trying to say is it was the desired effect.

— Freddie Mercury[7]

Reception

Cash Box said that "the harmonies are smoothly designed to accentuate the hook of the chorus" and that "the beat is really good, on the edge of bubblegum, but still classy."[15]

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]	Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)[29]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Information is taken from the Queen Songs website[30]

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals
• Brian May – guitars, backing vocals
• Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals
• John Deacon – Wurlitzer electric piano, bass guitar

References

External links

• Lyrics at Queen official website
• Queen - You're My Best Friend on YouTube

На других языках

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[de] You’re My Best Friend

You’re My Best Friend ist ein Song der britischen Rockband Queen, der von ihrem Bassisten John Deacon geschrieben wurde. Er wurde 1975 für das Album A Night at the Opera aufgenommen und 1976 als Single (B-Seite: ’39) veröffentlicht. Das Lied erschien außerdem 1979 auf dem Live-Album Live Killers und 1981 auf dem Kompilations-Album Greatest Hits.

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- [en] You're My Best Friend (Queen song)

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[es] You're My Best Friend

"You're My Best Friend" es una canción interpretada por Queen y escrita por John Deacon. Es el tema n.º 4 del álbum A Night At The Opera y fue seleccionado para ser el segundo sencillo de dicho disco en 1976. El sencillo llegó al puesto 7 en el Reino Unido y al 16 en EE. UU.. En 1981 apareció en la primera compilación de Queen, Greatest Hits, y en su versión video en el VHS Greatest Flix. En 2002 fue remasterizada por Brian May y Roy Thomas Baker en el marco del DVD Greatest Video Hits 1, el primero de una serie de DVD pertenecientes a la The DVD Collection.

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[ru] You’re My Best Friend

«You’re My Best Friend» — песня английской рок-группы Queen из альбома A Night at the Opera. Написана Джоном Диконом. Выпущена в качестве сингла. Включена в сборник Greatest Hits.

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