Queen’s “Love of My Life” is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful breakup ballads of all time. The emotional song, written by Queen’s eccentric lead singer Freddie Mercury, appears on the band’s iconic fourth studio album A Night at the Opera (1975). In this article, we will explore the story, meaning, and legacy behind the iconic song!
The Story Behind the Song
1975 was a turbulent year for Queen. The band’s 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack was their first true commercial success, but still left the band members broke.
The main reason behind this was Queen’s payment contract with Trident Studios. Rather than being paid album royalties, the members functioned as employees for Trident. The studio paid the rockers £60 weekly.
But when Trident denied a deposit for bassist John Deacon’s new house, the band decided to negotiate their way out of the contract. In August 1975, after 9 months of negotiating, Queen came to an agreement with Trident, and subsequently signed with EMI Records.
The band could finally launch their next project: A Night at the Opera. The album featured the beautiful “Love of My Life”, a song Mercury allegedly wrote for his girlfriend Mary Austin.
The Meaning of The Song
Queen’s “Love of My Life” is a song about the pain of lost love. The lyrics tell the story of someone who is broken-hearted and longs back to once-known love. The song is rumored to be about Mercury’s first girlfriend Mary Austin.
Mercury and Austin met in 1969, and started dating soon after. The two eventually broke up in 1976 as a result of Mercury’s sexuality, but remained close friends.
But the breakup ballad “Love of My Life” was written in the summer of 1975, whereas Mercury and Austin didn’t split up until 1976. So was Austin the inspiration behind the song? Or was someone else the stimulus behind the song?
According to Queen’s manager John Reid, Mercury wrote “Love of My Life” for David Minns. Minns was Mercury’s first boyfriend and the two started an affair in mid-1975.
But Mercury himself reportedly stated the song was written about no one. In an interview, he allegedly said: “There isn’t necessarily any connection between the music and my life. “Love of My Life”, for instance, I simply made up. There’s nothing personal about it.”
Sadly enough, there’s no credible source confirming these words. But it could be a viable scenario that “Love of My Life” wasn’t written about anyone in particular.
Others speculate “Love of My Life” was written from Mary Austin’s point of view. In the summer of 1975, Mercury arguably knew he was going to end his relationship with Austin, and wrote the breakup ballad from Austin’s perspective. But then again, these are just speculations.
Listen to Queen’s iconic live performance of “Love of My Life” during the band’s Wembley 1986 concert.
The Song’s Legacy
“Love of My Life” was released as the second track on side two of A Night At the Opera. The song, although initially not released as a single, received critical acclaim.
The original recording of the song is a piano arrangement by Mercury, accompanied by Brian May on guitar and harp. But for the live versions of “Love of My Life”, May transformed the song into a 12-string guitar arrangement. This new arrangement allowed Mercury to engage with the audience, who would often join in and passionately sing along to the lyrics.
The live version of the song quickly became a fan favorite, which led Queen to release a live version as a single. This version was especially popular in South America, where the song reached number 1 on the Argentinian and Brazilian charts.
For Queen fans, “Love of My Life” remains one of the highlights in the band’s rich repertoire. The song showcases Mercury’s extraordinary songwriting talent, and the band’s immense quality.
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