Seven Seas of Rhye

Last updated

"Seven Seas of Rhye"
Instrumental by Queen
from the album Queen
Released13 July 1973
RecordedApril – 30 July 1972
Studio Trident, London
Length1:15
Label
Songwriter(s) Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)
"Seven Seas of Rhye"
Seven Seas of Rhye.png
Single by Queen
from the album Queen II
B-side
Released
  • 25 February 1974 (UK) [1]
  • 20 June 1974 (US)
RecordedAugust 1973 – February 1974 [2] [3]
Studio Trident, London
Genre
Length2:47
Label
Songwriter(s) Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)
Queen singles chronology
"Liar"
(1974)		"Seven Seas of Rhye"
(1974)		"Killer Queen" / "Flick of the Wrist"
(1974)
Music video
"Seven Seas of Rhye" on YouTube

"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was primarily written by Freddie Mercury, with Brian May contributing the second middle-eight. The song is officially credited to Mercury only. A rudimentary instrumental version appears as the final track on the group's self-titled debut album (1973), with the final version on the follow-up Queen II (1974). [6]

Contents

The completed version served as the band's third single, and after performing the song on the BBC's Top of the Pops in February 1974 it became their first hit, reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. It is the earliest-released song to appear on their Greatest Hits album, with the exception of some versions where their first single, "Keep Yourself Alive", is included. "Seven Seas of Rhye" is inspired by the fantasy world of Freddie Mercury and his sister, Kashmara Bulsara when they were children.

Background

Initially "Seven Seas of Rhye" was simply an "instrumental musical sketch closing their first album". [6] An expanded rendition, planned to be included on the album Queen II, was publicly premiered when Queen was offered a sudden chance to appear on the BBC's Top of the Pops in February 1974, and was rushed to vinyl two days later on 25 February. [6] It became their first chart entry after gaining airtime on BBC Radio 1, [6] peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, [7] which in turn persuaded Freddie Mercury to take up Queen as his full-time career. [6]

Style, construction and interpretation

The song features a distinctive arpeggiated piano introduction. [nb 1] [8]

The version on Queen II ends with a cross fade, instruments blending into the band singing "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside", accompanied by a stylophone played by Roy Thomas Baker, which was a sole exception to their "no synths" statement. [9] Its inclusion here on the final track of Queen II is briefly mirrored via whistling during the first few seconds of "Brighton Rock", which opens their next album, Sheer Heart Attack .

In a 1977 radio interview, Mercury described the subject of the song as a "figment of his imagination". In the Queen musical We Will Rock You , the Seven Seas of Rhye is a place where the Bohemians are taken after they are brain-drained by Khashoggi. [10]

Reception

Cash Box called it a "high energy rocker with Led Zeppelin overtones," stating that "the group's extraordinary talents are perfectly displayed here in heavy metal fashion." [11] Record World said that Queen's "'rock in the royal tradition' is looking for its own top 40 chart crown." [12]

Live performances

The song was dropped from the live set in 1976 and was not played in concert again until The Works Tour eight years later. [13]

In September 2016 it was the opening song of the set at the first performance of Queen + Adam Lambert's tour of Asia in Tel Aviv's Park HaYarkon in Israel. [14]

Personnel

Instrumental Version [15]

Vocal version [16] [17] [18]

Queen

Guest musician

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ These piano runs were later sampled in "It's a Beautiful Day (reprise)", on the album Made in Heaven .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bohemian Rhapsody</span> 1975 single by Queen

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack of a refraining chorus and consisting of several sections: an intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part and a reflective coda. It is one of the few progressive rock songs of the 1970s to achieve widespread commercial success and appeal to a mainstream audience.

<i>Queen II</i> 1974 studio album by Queen

Queen II is the second studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 8 March 1974 by EMI Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US. It was recorded at Trident Studios and Langham 1 Studios, London, in August 1973 with co-producers Roy Thomas Baker and Robin Geoffrey Cable, and engineered by Mike Stone. It is significant for being the first album to contain elements of the band's signature sound of multi-layered overdubs, vocal harmonies, and varied musical styles.

<i>Sheer Heart Attack</i> 1974 studio album by Queen

Sheer Heart Attack is the third studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 8 November 1974 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Digressing from the progressive themes featured on their first two albums, the album featured more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the "classic" Queen sound. It was produced by the band and Roy Thomas Baker, and launched Queen to mainstream popularity in the UK and throughout the world.

<i>Queen</i> (Queen album) 1973 debut studio album by Queen

Queen is the debut studio album by the British rock band Queen. Released on 13 July 1973 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US, it was recorded at Trident Studios and De Lane Lea Music Centre, London, with production by Roy Thomas Baker, John Anthony and the band members themselves.

<i>The Miracle</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Queen

The Miracle is the thirteenth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 22 May 1989 by Parlophone Records and Capitol Records in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. respectively, where it was the band's only studio album to be released on latter label. The album was recorded as the band recovered from Brian May's marital problems and Freddie Mercury's HIV diagnosis in 1987. Recording started in January 1988 and lasted for an entire year. The album was originally going to be called The Invisible Men, but three weeks before the release, according to Roger Taylor, they changed the name to The Miracle. It was also the last Queen album with a photo of the band on the front cover.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Queen album) 1981 greatest hits album by Queen

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, released worldwide on 26 October 1981. The album consisted of Queen's biggest hits since their first chart appearance in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye", up to their 1980 hit "Flash". There was no universal track listing or cover art for the album, and each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles had been released there and which were successful. In 1992, the US version of the album Classic Queen was released following the band's rekindled popularity in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Was Born to Love You (song)</span> 1985 single by Freddie Mercury

"I Was Born to Love You" is a 1985 song by Freddie Mercury that was released as a single from his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy. After Mercury's death, Queen re-worked this song for their album Made in Heaven in 1995, by having the other members play their instrumental parts over the original track, transforming the song from disco to rock. The Queen version from the Made in Heaven album also includes snippets of Mercury's ad-lib vocals taken from "A Kind of Magic" and from "Living on My Own".

"Love of My Life" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song is a sentimental ballad, notably featuring a harp played by Brian May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)</span> 1997 single by Queen

"No-One But You " is the final single recorded by the British rock band Queen. Recorded and released in 1997, six years after the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury, it is the only Queen recording to feature a three-piece lineup: guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon. May and Taylor share lead vocals. The song was released on the album Queen Rocks and it was also released as a double a-side single with "Tie Your Mother Down". It was later included on the compilation album Greatest Hits III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Going Slightly Mad</span> 1991 single by Queen

"I'm Going Slightly Mad" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury but credited to Queen, with uncredited lyrical contributions by Peter Straker, it was released as the second single from the band's 1991 album Innuendo. The song was released as a single on 4 March 1991, a month after the release of the album. The lyrics and the accompanying music video project the song as humorous and light-hearted, despite the lyrics dealing with the mental decline Mercury was experiencing as one of the effects of advancing AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Too Much Love Will Kill You</span> 1988 song by Queen

"Too Much Love Will Kill You" is a song written by British guitarist Brian May of Queen, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The song reflected the breakdown of May's first marriage and attraction to his future wife, Anita Dobson. It was first recorded by Queen around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on the band's The Miracle album in 1989, but did not make the cut due to legal disputes following the band's decision that all songs on the album would be written by the group as opposed to individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven for Everyone</span> 1988 single by the Cross

"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. It originally appeared on his side project the Cross's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it is the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven where it was the seventh track, and was released as the first single – four years after Mercury's death. Queen's version reached number two on the UK Singles Chart while peaking at number one in Hungary and becoming a top-ten hit in several other European nations. In 1999 it was included in Queen’s compilation album Greatest Hits III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Now I'm Here</span> 1974 song by Queen

"Now I'm Here" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by lead guitarist Brian May, it was the sixth song on their third album, Sheer Heart Attack (1974). The song is noted for its hard riff and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the song reached #11 on the charts when released as a single in 1975. The song was a live favourite, performed at virtually every concert from late 1974 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Palabras de Amor</span> 1982 single by Queen

"Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)" is a rock ballad by the British rock band Queen. It was released as the third single from their 1982 album Hot Space. It is sung mostly in English, but with several Spanish phrases. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song proved more popular in the United Kingdom than their previous single ("Body Language"), reaching No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends Will Be Friends</span> 1986 single by Queen

"Friends Will Be Friends" is a song performed by Queen, written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, released on 9 June 1986 as a single for the album A Kind of Magic. It was the band's 30th single in the UK upon its release, reaching number 14 in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flick of the Wrist</span> 1974 single by Queen

"Flick of the Wrist" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as a double A-side with "Killer Queen" in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States and most other territories. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Miracle (song)</span> 1989 single by Queen

"The Miracle" is the fifth and final single from Queen's 1989 studio album of the same name. It was composed by the entire band, though Freddie Mercury and John Deacon were the main writers. It was released as a single on 27 November 1989 and it was the band's final single release of the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let Me Live</span> 1996 single by Queen

"Let Me Live" is a 1996 song by Queen, from the album Made in Heaven. Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May share lead vocals, with Mercury singing the first verse, Taylor singing the second verse and bridge, and May singing the last verse. During the choruses, all of the band members sing, as well as a background choir, giving it a gospel sound reminiscent of the band's 1976 single "Somebody to Love". The single reached No. 9 in the UK Single Charts, becoming the band's last Top 10 hit in that country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Kills (Freddie Mercury song)</span>

"Love Kills" is a song by Freddie Mercury, and his first song released as a solo artist, though the other members of Queen appeared on the song - initially uncredited.

"Lily of the Valley" is a song by British rock band Queen. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, who also plays the piano and provides all the vocals on the track. It was originally featured on Queen's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, released in 1974, and is one of the album's few ballads.

References

  1. ↑ Queen Chronology. Patrick Lemieux, Adam Unger. 11 April 2018. p. 13. ISBN   9781926462103 . Retrieved 4 January 2023. February 23 (1974): Queen releases "Seven Seas of Rhye" 7" single in UK
  2. ↑ Queen Chronology. Patrick Lemieux, Adam Unger. 11 April 2018. p. 13. ISBN   9781926462103 . Retrieved 4 January 2023. August 1973
  3. ↑ "QUEENLIVE.ca" . Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  4. ↑ Fowles, Paul (2009). A Concise History of Rock Music. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. p. 244. ISBN   978-0786666430. the intricately-woven hard rock single Seven Seas of Rhye from the Queen II album
  5. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (26 October 2018). "Queen's 50 UK singles – ranked!". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Rivadavia, Ed. "Seven Seas of Rhye: Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  8. ↑ M. Felsani; M. Primi; M. Saita (1997), Queen. Tutti i testi con traduzione a fronte edited, ISBN   9788809024182
  9. ↑ Jackson, Laura (2011). Brian May: The definitive biography. Hachette UK. p. 30. ISBN   9781405513722.
  10. ↑ We Will Rock You – Plot & Photo Gallery Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 5 July 2011
  11. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 22 June 1974. p. 22. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 22 June 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Queen on tour: The Works 1984". Queen Concerts.com. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  14. ↑ "Queen + Adam Lambert Set List / Reviews: Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel (Updated)". Queen online. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Queen (Media notes). EMI Records. 1973. EMC 3006.
  16. ↑ Queen II (Media notes). EMI Records. 1974. EMA 767.
  17. ↑ Blake, Mark (12 September 2016). Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9781783237784 . Retrieved 21 December 2017– via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye (multitrack)". multitrackmaster.com. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  19. ↑ "British single certifications – Queen – Seven Seas of Rhye". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 September 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.