Killer Queen (Mercury)

Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, showed a group who'd really begun to hit their stride and this confidence, now combined with an almost invincible pop sensibility which had been only hinted at on their previous two albums, was at its best with Freddie's ode to a high-class call girl.

Musically, this is a real change from the previous two singles, a break from the heavy, guitar-based rock that the group had showcased so far, on their singles at any rate. They replace that with a wistful, much more leisurely sound, based more around Freddie's piano and some excellent vocal work, both by Mercury on lead vocals and the three regular backing singers (Mercury, May and Taylor - John Deacon apparently elected not to sing on Queen records).

Wich is not to say May's guitar is unimportant: his solo, hinting at the tune yet not replicating it, suits the song to perfection, and the "der-der" interludes after the first verse, during the solo and the outro give space to the song and add just a touch of (very English) drama.

But this is Freddie's best vocal performance of the three singles released thus far. Regularly straying into falsetto, yet never doing more than the song requires, he gives his lyrics the required wistfulness, nostalgia and maybe even longing. You sometimes get the feeling listening to Queen that Freddie was at his most comfortable singing his own words and here he knows exactly what he wants to do with the song.

The backing vocals excel as well. Queen's "oohs" were always the best, least self-concious "oohs" and you get an impression of how well the three voices sat together. And the interplay between the lead and backing vocals during the second half of verse 2 (from "Geisha minor" onwards) is just perfect.

And what of those lyrics? Well, written down they're not stunning: perhaps too many easy rhymes ("Met a man from China/went down to Geisha Minor", "She's a Killer Queen, gunpowder, gelatine"). But then Freddie never rated himself as a lyricist. The picture they paint, especially sung, is strong: of decadence (always one of Mercury's favourite subjects) with just a hint of the truth of the situation ("Recommended at the price/insatiable an appetite/Wanna try?"). Freddie was at his worst as a lyricist when he went for the explicit; here he plays his cards close to his chest and the song is all the better for it... 9

Video: Again, Queen didn't make a video for the song. Most videos compilation show their performance on Top of the Pops, with Roger miming very poorly and Freddie in the most alarming combination of fur coat and tight silver trousers.