Queen Discussion Thread
Aug 31, 2013 7:07:44 GMT -5
Post by talon on Aug 31, 2013 7:07:44 GMT -5
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Written by: Brian May/Frank Musker/Elizabeth Lamers
Musicians:
Brian May - vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards
Issued as a single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ and ‘Driven By You (New Mix)’ in August 1992 in the UK (where it hit #5). Issued as a single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ in 1992 in France and Germany. Issued as a CD single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ and ‘Driven By You ( New Mix)’ in 1992 in The Netherlands (where it hit #1) and Japan (where it did not chart).
Issued as a promo backed with a live version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ in 1992 in the US.
Played throughout the 1992-1993 tour and sporadically on the 1998 tour with a live performance featuring on Live At Brixton Academy.
Originally written for a solo project but then submitted to Queen for the The Miracle sessions and rejected reportedly at least partially due to the presence of outside songwriters which hadn’t at that point appeared on a Queen album since Tim Staffell’s credit on ‘Doing All Right’ (not including ‘Under Pressure’ which was written and performed with David Bowie). A demo was recorded with Freddie on vocals and that would serve to complete on the posthumous album Made In Heaven.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS:
QUEEN VERSION
GUITAR VERSION
- GREAT version. Instead of Brian singing, he lets the Red Special do the singing. A very nice version indeed! Quite the alternative.
PIANO VERSION
- Through an error comes a unique finding. Hollywood Records intended to put the Guitar Version but due to a mispress, the guitar is missing! What's left if the piano backing track in all it's glory.
WRITING SESSION
NO YT VID
- There exists a "writing session" where you hear Brian working with his friends on developing the song.
BELL-BOY EXTENDED VERSION
NO YT VID
- A home demo from Brian. This was on the infamous Bell-boy tape. The story had it go that Elizabeth Lamers had a cassette copy of the demos and work they did with Brian and she gave it or lost it to a bellboy. This story was later refuted. It is unclear how it leaked.
BELL-BOY PIANO DEMO
NO YT VID
- The keyboard backing from a demo.
BELL-BOY DUET
Brian sings with co-writer Elizabeth Lamers. Lamers voice is far from stellar though.
LIVE VERSIONS
QUEEN - APRIL 1992 - THE FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE
- The track makes it's debut. It's Brian and Spike. It is piano and vocals only. Brian gets quite emotional during the track however.
BRIAN MAY LIVE IN BRIXTON 1993
- For his full scale tour, Brian added the guitar and made it more of a traditional power ballad. My favorite Brian version!
BRIAN MAY LIVE IN 1998
NO YT VID
- On his second solo tour, Brian would occasionally bring this back out but in more of an accoustic setting.
QUEEN + LUCIANO PAVAROTTI - 2003
- From Pavarotti and Friends in 2003, Queen did a short set. Brian performed it solo at a previous P&Friends set and Pavarotti noted how much he enjoyed the song. So he decided to sing it with Brian this time around. A great version even if Brian's voice is a bit dwarfed by the legend...it would have been interesting to see Freddie sing with the big man!
QUEEN + KATIE MELUA - 2005
- At the 46664 gig, Paul Rodgers took a brief respite while young singer/songwriter Katie Melua took lead on the track, the first and last time it was played on the QPR stage and the last time Queen (or Brian) has performed the song!
PERSONAL NOTES:
One of my fav Brian tracks. Just a beautiful sentiment. Often confused as a song about Freddie and AIDS, it was far more personal as a tale of Brian, his wife, and the other woman.
NEXT UP? Brian's first solo hit, the ad for Ford, Driven By You
Written by: Brian May/Frank Musker/Elizabeth Lamers
Musicians:
Brian May - vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards
I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone for much too long
I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find where I went wrong
Too much love will kill you
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover
And the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster
'Cos you never read the signs
Too much love will kill you - every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I have to lose
Oooh, too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you - every time
Yeah
Too much love will kill you
It'll make your life a lie
Yes, too much love will kill you
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life
You'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too much love will kill you
In the end
In the end
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone for much too long
I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find where I went wrong
Too much love will kill you
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover
And the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster
'Cos you never read the signs
Too much love will kill you - every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I have to lose
Oooh, too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you - every time
Yeah
Too much love will kill you
It'll make your life a lie
Yes, too much love will kill you
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life
You'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too much love will kill you
In the end
In the end
Issued as a single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ and ‘Driven By You (New Mix)’ in August 1992 in the UK (where it hit #5). Issued as a single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ in 1992 in France and Germany. Issued as a CD single backed with ‘I’m Scared’ and ‘Driven By You ( New Mix)’ in 1992 in The Netherlands (where it hit #1) and Japan (where it did not chart).
Issued as a promo backed with a live version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ in 1992 in the US.
Played throughout the 1992-1993 tour and sporadically on the 1998 tour with a live performance featuring on Live At Brixton Academy.
Originally written for a solo project but then submitted to Queen for the The Miracle sessions and rejected reportedly at least partially due to the presence of outside songwriters which hadn’t at that point appeared on a Queen album since Tim Staffell’s credit on ‘Doing All Right’ (not including ‘Under Pressure’ which was written and performed with David Bowie). A demo was recorded with Freddie on vocals and that would serve to complete on the posthumous album Made In Heaven.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS:
QUEEN VERSION
GUITAR VERSION
- GREAT version. Instead of Brian singing, he lets the Red Special do the singing. A very nice version indeed! Quite the alternative.
PIANO VERSION
- Through an error comes a unique finding. Hollywood Records intended to put the Guitar Version but due to a mispress, the guitar is missing! What's left if the piano backing track in all it's glory.
WRITING SESSION
NO YT VID
- There exists a "writing session" where you hear Brian working with his friends on developing the song.
BELL-BOY EXTENDED VERSION
NO YT VID
- A home demo from Brian. This was on the infamous Bell-boy tape. The story had it go that Elizabeth Lamers had a cassette copy of the demos and work they did with Brian and she gave it or lost it to a bellboy. This story was later refuted. It is unclear how it leaked.
BELL-BOY PIANO DEMO
NO YT VID
- The keyboard backing from a demo.
BELL-BOY DUET
Brian sings with co-writer Elizabeth Lamers. Lamers voice is far from stellar though.
LIVE VERSIONS
QUEEN - APRIL 1992 - THE FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE
- The track makes it's debut. It's Brian and Spike. It is piano and vocals only. Brian gets quite emotional during the track however.
BRIAN MAY LIVE IN BRIXTON 1993
- For his full scale tour, Brian added the guitar and made it more of a traditional power ballad. My favorite Brian version!
BRIAN MAY LIVE IN 1998
NO YT VID
- On his second solo tour, Brian would occasionally bring this back out but in more of an accoustic setting.
QUEEN + LUCIANO PAVAROTTI - 2003
- From Pavarotti and Friends in 2003, Queen did a short set. Brian performed it solo at a previous P&Friends set and Pavarotti noted how much he enjoyed the song. So he decided to sing it with Brian this time around. A great version even if Brian's voice is a bit dwarfed by the legend...it would have been interesting to see Freddie sing with the big man!
QUEEN + KATIE MELUA - 2005
- At the 46664 gig, Paul Rodgers took a brief respite while young singer/songwriter Katie Melua took lead on the track, the first and last time it was played on the QPR stage and the last time Queen (or Brian) has performed the song!
PERSONAL NOTES:
One of my fav Brian tracks. Just a beautiful sentiment. Often confused as a song about Freddie and AIDS, it was far more personal as a tale of Brian, his wife, and the other woman.
NEXT UP? Brian's first solo hit, the ad for Ford, Driven By You
