I make it no secret that bassist John Deacon is my least favorite member of Queen. I mean, I don't hate him or anything, but between my appreciation of RT, my new found crush on Dr. May, and Freddie Mercury, who's awesomeness speaks for itself, there's not a lot of room in my world for John Deacon love. That said, I went back and looked at past Queen Songs of the Week and was shocked that I've only featured one John Deacon song (click here).
Well yesterday was John Deacon's birthday and since RT and Dr. May got Queen Songs of the Week in their honor on their birthdays (click here and here), Deaky gets one on his birthday too! It's only fair that way!
Spread Your Wings was written by John Deacon and appeared on Queen's 1977 album News of the World. It was released as a single in the U.K. and peaked at #34 on the charts. One rather unusual feature of Spread Your Wings is that it contains absolutely no harmonies. This was virtually unheard of in the early days of Queen.
This is a rather catchy song, but the thing that I always associate with Spread Your Wings is the music video. Shot on a blisteringly cold day at RT's newly purchased home, the band also decided to shoot a video for We Will Rock You at the same time. Unfortunately the previous owners of the home had yet to move out, forcing the boys to stay outdoors the entire time. Poor Deaky and Dr. May couldn't wear gloves because they needed to be able to "play" their instruments and Freddie Mercury attempted to warm himself by consuming just a bit too much alcohol. It's also rumored that he nicked a pair of ratty gloves from a gardener working in the yard. You can also see RT shivering throughout which I find equal parts absolutely adorable and completely pathetic.
This is one of those Queen songs that I like, but always forget about. So it's rather fitting that Deaky wrote it since a lot of people probably feel the same way about him. In the future I'll try to feature a Deaky song as a Queen Song of the Week more often. I promise!
Happy Listening!
Ooh, I got all excited because I confused this song with one they always play on Sirius. Apparently I am thinking of "Keep Yourself Alive." My brain was just inserting "Spread your wings and fly" instead. Lol. This song is good too though! It does seem crazy not to hear any harmonies.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny that you confused this with Keep Yourself Alive because I always confuse Don't Stop Me Now with Keep Yourself Alive. LOL
ReplyDeleteHi there, I'm a friend of Emily's; I was super excited when she told me she has another friend who is just as enthralled with this band as I am. And, I so totally agree with you on the Deacon sentiment; I've never been thrilled with him. This is a fantastic song from what is (at least this week) my favorite Queen album
ReplyDeleteSarah - HI! Emily told me about you! I was like, "Who is this fellow Queen fan and why have I never met her!" LOL And I know what you mean about your favorite album this week - every time I decide I love one, I rediscover one of the others and change my mind!
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