Today, I'll be talking about the album Queen II, and my thoughts on each song. This might be my favourite Queen album- half for the music, and half for the story that it has (in my mind, at least).
(Grouping these two together, as the first is a minute-long instrumental bit). This song really feels like it's introducing a story. I'm not entirely sure the actual meaning of the lyrics- truth be told I've never really read them, and I'm going just by what I've understood- but in my eyes, it seems like a protagonist talking to their father shortly before leaving on an adventure of sorts. The music seems to fit this pretty well too- it's very grandiose and exciting, like the introduction to a movie.
I've always seen this as the next "scene" of the story- as it goes from the main character to the White Queen (who could be the equivalent of, say, Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings). The mood changes too- this song is much mellower, and a bit sad (as the lyrics reflect, if not literally state). It's an interesting song, though- a lot of dynamic changes, from the sad, quiet bits to the louder, more exciting middle section, and some parts in between.
I quite like this song, personally- it's a bit acoustic, but still has the signature Queen sound to it. Interestingly, this one has Brian May singing, rather than Freddie Mercury. In terms of the story, this one really fits- I see it as being a civilian talking to the protagonist, telling them about how bad life for them is, but still showing some hope for the future. The song is really good musically- it sounds like it's in a minor key, giving it the dark, hopeless feeling, and Brian's voice works really well with it.
This might be my least favourite song on the album- it doesn't fit the story, in my mind, and the style is a bit different from the rest of the album. This song is sung and written by Roger Taylor, and while it's not at all bad, it's got a bit more of a raw feel to it than the other songs on the album, which feel a bit more polished. Had it been on Queen I, I would have no issue with it. That aside, I do like the lyrics- essentially, it's about how mothers lose in the end, when their kids move out without truly showing their appreciation for the years of work their mothers do. It's a good message, and definitely not one I see in many songs.
I remember my dad talking about this song a lot when I was young, but I don't remember ever actually hearing it. Knowing me, I probably got excited by the name Ogre Battle, and then didn't understand how the song was connected to it (I was pretty young at the time). Again, I have a bit of trouble fitting it in to the rest of the album- it's a bit too energetic, and doesn't quite have the same polish. I've never bothered trying to fit it in to the story, though honestly it wouldn't be particularly hard- it could well just be something the protagonist sees along their adventure.
This is a bit of a strange one- I don't know how exactly it fits in the story, but I really like the song itself, so I don't particularly mind. A decent amount of the song is sung in a falsetto, something Freddie Mercury is very capable of. It's a very energetic song, too, but not overly so, like the previous one. Supposedly, this song is based on a painting- I'm not great with art or poetry, so I don't really understand how, but for the most part, it seems he's just describing what's going on in the picture.
A really nice slow song, though fairly short. In my mind, this is the protagonist getting to the evil queen at the end of his adventure- at least, it fits musically. Honestly, I've never really studied the lyrics, so I don't know how well that fits. It's quite a good song- if it weren't part of this album, I'd want it to be longer, but it serves well to help the other songs flow together.
Following the previous song, this one describes the protagonist finally meeting the villain, who tries to get him to join her conquest of the world, or whatever the plot is- it's a pretty common cliche, so it doesn't seem too out of place. Musically, this is probably my favourite song on the album- it's very heavy, and very dark (no pun intended), with some interesting lyrics (from the snippets I've understood). It also goes through a fair number of changes, from the heavy opening bit, to a slower section, then back to a heavy part, finally ending with a very exciting part. Honestly, this song alone is responsible for most of the story I've made up, even if it's got nothing to do with the real meaning of the lyrics.
One thing I can never get out of my mind at this part is Undertale. A lot of that game focuses around something called LOVE, which also plays a fairly major part in one of the endings. It helps that I heard this album while watching a playthrough of the game. Either way, it's a good song, and concludes the story in my mind- the whole cliche of a villain being defeated through the power of love, or something like that. I like it musically as well- it has a very triumphant sound to it, even though some parts are in a bit of a minor sounding key.
Again, I've never really tried fitting this in to the story. I do like the song, though- it's an extended version of the song from the first album, with lyrics added. It's pretty upbeat, and still fairly triumphant, and the lyrics help give a certain fantastical feeling to it. It's another fairly short song, though, especially since the last bit of it cuts out and turns into an old song, I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside.
Anyways, that's gonna be it for today- hopefully you enjoyed this post!
