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Innuendo is a 1991 album by English rock band Queen. It was the band's fourteenth studio album and the last to be composed entirely of new material. It was also the final studio album to be released while lead singer Freddie Mercury was still alive. The album was praised by critics and fans as one of the strongest albums of Queen's later career. It reached number one on the UK album charts (2 weeks) as well as in the Netherlands (4 weeks), in Switzerland (8 weeks), Germany (6 weeks), and Italy. The album was released in the US one day after it was released in England. The album would be the first Queen album to go Gold in the US upon its release since 1984's The Works It peaked at number thirty in the United States. The album was recorded when Mercury was in the final stages of a battle with AIDS. Much of the material on the album deals with the band's coming to terms with his imminent death. The morbid theme is also reflected in the music, which can be heavy and arresting ("Innuendo" and "Headlong"), but also bleak and dark ("The Show Must Go On" and "Don't Try So Hard"), and very often both ("Bijou"). "Innuendo" was released as a single in January 1991, and as an album the following month. It was a top-ten hit in almost every country in which it made the charts. The album cover was designed by Queen and Richard Gray. The booklets and single covers from the album are by Grandville, or are inspired by his illustrations.
Track listing On the album all songs (except "All God's People") are credited to "Queen". Songs Story "Innuendo" began as a jam session in Switzerland amongst May, Taylor and Deacon in spring 1989. Mercury was upstairs and heard them playing the beat, and turned it into a song, creating the melody and starting off the lyrics. From then on they all four worked on polishing the track and Taylor took over the lyrics (which were written as a tribute to Led Zeppelin). The middle part which Mercury wrote was included later and it featured a synth-orchestra programmed by producer David Richards and a flamenco interlude played by Yes guitarist Steve Howe who had come to visit them and was asked to play what May himself admitted he couldn't. "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was begun in Mercury's London flat, after he'd got the idea of writing a song about madness, inspired by Noel Coward's camp one-liners. Most of the lyrics (like "banana tree" or "one needle") came from both him and his friend Peter Straker. The music is Mercury's as well and it's one of the earliest songs they were working on in Montreux when Steve Howe came in. "Headlong" came from May at the studio they'd got in Switzerland. He recorded it for the solo album he was doing at the same time. Once, May heard Mercury singing it, and instantly decided that it worked better as a Queen track. Then the band took it over and they all made modifications. "I Can't Live With You" was also written for May's solo album. He gave it to the band as well since Taylor, Deacon and Mercury were fond of the track. Drums were programmed on synth by May, and the keyboard-pads were added by the producer. "Don't Try So Hard" came from Mercury. The intro "rain" is actually the pre-set sound of the Korg M1, which appears when it's switched on. "Ride The Wild Wind" was composed by Taylor, who recorded a demo with his own vocals. The definitive version is still a duet between Mercury and Taylor. "All God's People" started off as part of Mercury's Barcelona project under the title "Africa by Night" (hence the co-writing credit with Mike Moran). He'd asked May to play guitar, then one thing led to another and the entire band played. Piano was recorded by Mike Moran. The song features Mercury singing a head-voiced high-F note, as well as some very low ones. "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" was written by Taylor. It's harmonically and structurally one of the simplest songs of the band's catalogue. Keyboards were programmed by the four of them in the studio, and Conga percussion was recorded by David Richards. "Delilah" was a song Mercury penned for his favourite housecat, a female tortoiseshell cat, named Delilah. May recorded his solo using a talkbox. "The Hitman" was written by Mercury as well. The original version was apparently on keyboards and in a completely different key. May took Mercury's riff, changed the key to make it playable on guitar, and recorded a demo of the heavy version. Deacon then re-arranged the structure and they all filled the gaps in lyrics and recorded it. All of the backing vocals were done by May. "Bijou" was an idea Mercury and May had of making a song "inside-out" (having guitar doing the verses and the vocal doing the break). Mercury put the chords, title and lyrics, and the two of them worked on the guitar parts. Mercury sang the first line and then May transferred the melody to his Red Special. The song was finished in about one hour without any input from Taylor or Deacon. "The Show Must Go On" is arguably the only song actually co-written by the entire band. The initial idea was a chord sequence Taylor and Deacon were working on. Then May decided to use the sequence, and both he and Mercury decided the theme of the lyrics and wrote the first verse together. From then on May finished the lyrics, did the vocal melody and wrote the bridge, inspired by Pachelbel's Canon. Some keys and ideas were suggested by the producer too. Personnel Singles Four singles were released from the album: Following Mercury's death, Queen re-released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a double A-side with "These Are the Days of Our Lives". The video for the song, filmed in black-and-white, was the last to be filmed while Mercury was alive; his appearance is frighteningly gaunt. The single was the UK's Christmas number one of 1991. Charts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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