Queen's second single, and Mercury's first, is much, much better than KYA. A brisk, fun blast of heavy rock that doesn't outstay its welcome (less than 3 minutes long), refuses to succumb to the leaden-footedness (if that's a word) that marred the group's early albums, this is really just good fun.
Freddie's opening piano lifts the curtain (damn hard to play, that, actually) and we get a much more typically Queen-sounding record: Brian's strident blasts of guitar in the intro; the close, tight harmonies with Roger's voice sitting at the top; the inescapable sense of tongue firmly in cheek; loads of overdubs - it's all there.
Lyrically, it's pretty indecipherable; something about Lords and Lady preachers fearing someone, Freddie commanding their very souls, him lying for people... no doubt there's all sorts of under and overtones going on, but, as said before, it's normally wise not to look at lyrics to Queen songs too deeply. Unless they're by Brian.
For a heavy rock song, it has a lightness of touch that prevents it from ever getting boring or becoming a dirge. Brian's guitar solo is nigh-on perfect for the song (he even makes his guitar sound vaguely like a fiddle at the beginning of it - is this some kind of hoe-down?) and the fact that at the end it collapses into a rousing rendition of "Oh I do like to be beside the seaside" (albeit with the wrong words) caps it beautifully. Even Brian's guitar counter-melody on the second verse doesn't overpower the song, but nicely complements the main melody.
All in all, much better. But even better was still to come... 8
Video: None was made. Queen performed the song "live" on Top of the Pops, but the footage has been rarely seen since.
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