Now I'm Here
| Now I'm Here | |
|---|---|
| Queen | |
| publication | November 1, 1974 (album) January 17, 1975 (single) |
| length | 4:12 |
| Genre (s) | Hard rock |
| Author (s) | Brian May |
| Label | EMI , Elektra |
| album | Sheer Heart Attack |
Now I'm Here is a song by British rock band Queen . The sixth song on their third album, Sheer Heart Attack (1974), was written by lead guitarist Brian May . The song is known for its hard riff and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the song reached number 11 on the charts when it was released as a single in 1975. In Germany it came in 25th. The song was a live favorite and was performed at practically every concert from late 1974 to 1986.
background
The song builds on May's good experience with the band's 1974 US tour. On Mott the Hoople , were supporting the Queen, is referenced in the line: "Down in the city, just Hoople and me".
It also appeared on the 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits and the 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks . In March 2005, Q magazine placed Now I'm Here at number 33 on its list of the 100 greatest guitar titles.
Freddie Mercury said about the song:
"That was great. That was a Brian May thing. We released it after Killer Queen . And it's a total contrast, an absolutely total contrast. We just wanted to show that we can still do rock'n'roll - we haven't forgotten our rock'n'roll roots. It's nice to put it on stage. I enjoyed playing it live. "
Live performances
Now I'm Here was a staple on Queen's set lists, which featured on every concert tour from 1974 until the band's last tour in 1986. The song premiered on October 30, 1974 on the Sheer Heart Attack tour in Manchester . The premiere marks the first show in which Queen Freddie added a delay to Mercury's voice.
On the Sheer Heart Attack Tour, Mercury was seen singing “Now I'm Here” on one side of the stage in the middle of the dark and dry ice, and supposedly appearing a few bars later on “Now I'm Here” on the other side of the stage, an illusion created by an identically dressed stage worker.
After Mercury's death in 1991, May continued to play the song as a solo artist. At the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert , Brian May appeared with Def Leppard on the song that later became a B-side of Def Leppard's single Tonight . It was also on the deluxe edition of Def Leppard's Adrenalize album, and it was used as the opening song on the American, Asian and Australian sections of the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014-2015.
Individual evidence
- ^ Roberts, David: British Hit Singles & Albums . London: Guinness World Records Limited, 2006.
- ^ Queen - Now I'm Here , hitparade.ch
- ^ Queen on tour Queen Concerts
- ^ Queen Rocks, Vol. 1 Allmusic. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ↑ Tracks 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever! Q Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ↑ Record Mirror , May 21, 1976
- ^ Georg Purvis: Queen: Complete Works (revised and updated) . Titan Books, US, CA 2018, ISBN 9781789090499 .