Queen’s Brian May Helped Create a Lady Gaga Song
One might consider Lady Gaga and Queen’s Brian May artists in completely different spheres of music. Despite this, one of Gaga’s hits wouldn’t be the same without May’s talent. After the two collaborated, May revealed what he thought about Gaga as a person.
Lady Gaga cried when she got to work with Queen’s Brian May
When people think of Gaga, they think of her as a pop star. Despite this, she has dabbled in many genres, including rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, electronica, and country music. Her first big foray into country was the power ballad “You and I.” It has the middle-American feel of a country track combined with the stomp of an early Queen single. The Queen influence was no accident.
According to Gigwise, May played guitar on that track. “I fell to the floor crying and laughing when I found out that I’d got him on the song,” Gaga told The Sun. “I called myself Gaga after Queen’s track ‘Radio Gaga.'”
Using the guitarist from Queen for a country track might seem out of left field. Queen did a lot of things, but they never tried to make it on country radio. However, “You and I” comes from the album Born This Way, which might be Gaga’s most eclectic musical offering yet. The record balances elements of house, Roman Catholic liturgical music, Latin pop, 1980s club songs, 1970s disco, and old-time rock ‘n’ roll. A classic rock-country hybrid is one of the most normal moments on the record.
Queen’s Brian May had a lot to say about the ‘Bad Romance’ singer
Some old-school rock ‘n’ rollers have a negative attitude toward pop music in general and dance music in particular. It wouldn’t be surprising if a member of Queen wasn’t the biggest Gaga fan. According to a 2011 Contactmusic.com article, May had positive things to say about the “Bad Romance” singer in an interview with BANG Showbiz. “I had a blast working with Lady Gaga,” he recalled. “She’s fantastic, she’s very inspiring.”
While Gaga has a larger-than-life stage persona, May saw beyond that. “She’s a very human person underneath all those layers,” he said. “I love her, she’s great. The persona she’s built up certainly seems to be working.” Gaga’s mix of the real and the artificial is a big reason why she has such a dedicated fan base. She always knows how to keep you guessing!
Lady Gaga’s album ‘Born This Way’ gave us numerous hits
“You and I” became a decent hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. The ballad appeared on Gaga’s album Born This Way. That record topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks, lasting on the chart for 61 weeks in total. It was Gaga’s first No. 1 album in the United States.
Born This Way became a juggernaut album. It produced three other top-10 singles: the title track, “Judas,” and “The Edge of Glory.” Two other minor hits came from Born This Way: “Marry the Night” ( which reached No. 29) and “Bloody Mary” (which reached No. 41).
“You and I” is one of the rare examples of classic rock directly influencing the top 40 in the 2010s. All hail Gaga for keeping the spirit of rock alive!
