THE SHOW MUST GO ON


Brian with his Egmond guitar in 1990-1991.

Although largely collaborative, Brian was the main composer of this marvellous masterpiece. Several of his trademarks are found here, including the use of intro, verse, solos and choruses over the same progression (I Want It All), the gradually thickening arrangement with hockets and alternating instruments (Too Much Love) and the use of half-diminished chords (Who Wants to Live Forever, Back to the Light, Too Much Love Will Kill You).

General Information:

Music by: John Deacon, Roger Taylor & Brian May
Lyrics by: Brian May & Freddie Mercury
Arranged by: Queen & David Richards
Written: 1989-1990
Length: 4:24
Released on: 4th February 1991

Produced by: Queen & David Richards
Mixed by: David Richards
Engineered by: David Richards, Noel Harris & Justin Shirley-Smith

Recorded: March 1989 - November 1990
Recorded at: Metropolis Studios, London and/or Mountain Studios, Montreux

Keys: Bm, C#m, Am
Metre: 4/4
Form: One-Bridge

Acoustic Drums: Roger Taylor
Electric Bass: John Deacon
Electric Guitars: Brian May
Synthesiser: Brian May

Lead Vocals: Freddie Mercury & Brian May (last line)
Backing Vocals: Brian May (& Roger Taylor?)

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Form:

Sequence
Sequence
Sequence
Sequence
Resolution/2
Sequence
Sequence'
Sequence
Sequence
Bridge
Sequence
Sequence"
Resolution

It's even simpler than I Want It All in this department. Brian's actual hard-work was in putting an extraordinary arrangement, a beautiful melody and some rather poignant lyrics over the same progression. Variants alter the final chord (shades of Prophet's Song and partly Save Me).

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Harmony:

Regular Sequence (in Bm, done seven times)
Bm
Bsus2
Bsus4
Bm
G
Gdim
Em/G
G
i
i
VI
vidim
iv
VI
Em7
Em6
F#sus4
F#
Em
Edim
iv
V
iv
ivdim
Regular Sequence (in C#m, done once during "whatever happens" verse)
C#m
C#sus2
C#sus4
C#m
A
Adim
F#m/A
A
i
i
VI
vidim
iv
VI
F#m7
F#m6
G#sus4
G#
F#m
F#dim
iv
V
iv
ivdim
Sequence Variant (in C#m, "I guess I'm learning" verse)
C#m
C#sus2
C#sus4
C#m
A
Adim
F#m/A
A
i
i
VI
vidimm
iv
VI
F#m7
F#m6
G#sus4
G#
F#m
F#dim
Em
iv
V
iv
ivdim
iii
Sequence Variant (in Bm, last solo/chorus)
Bm
Bsus2
Bsus4
Bm
G
Gdim
Em/G
G
i
i
VI
vidim
iv
VI
Em7
Em6
F#sus4
F#
iv
V
Em
Ehalfdim
Edim
Em
Em
iv
ivhalfdim
ivdim
iv
iv
Bridge (in Am)
F
G/F
Em
Am G
VI
VII
v
i VII
F
G/F
Em
Am
VI
VII
v
i
C#halfdim
D
#iiihalfdim
IV

There are many interesting details here. The sequence itself wasn't Brian's invention, but the melody composed over that is. Most chords are diatonic there except for the very last one (which is the exotic "ivdim" function). John and Roger probably wrote that on synthesisers. The concept of a 7-bar section is unusual in rock/pop, but not new (e.g. Yesterday).

Brian's phenomenal bridge uses the G/F chord (which had appeared before in Under Pressure and, by accident, Fat Bottomed Girls) and his trademark C#halfdim (which he put on Too Much Love Will Kill You and Who Wants to Live Forever although in a different key).

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Modulations:

The first key-change is an abrupt i > ii shift, which was reportedly suggested by producer David Richards. The way it comes back to Bm is quite interesting:

Chords:
F#m7
F#m6
G#sus4
G#
F#m
F#dim
Em
C#m:
iv
V
iv
ivdim
iii
Bm:
v
vdim
iv

We can only guess who had the idea, but quoting ABBA, "whoever it was, I'm a fan" - what an amazing way to modulate!

The other key change is found at the end of the bridge, which means that probably Brian put it:

Chords:
C#halfdim
D
Am:
#iiidim
IV
Bm:
iihalfdim
III

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