Why Queen’s Brian May Wasn’t Allowed to See The Beatles as a Kid
By today’s standards, The Beatles are considered remarkably tame. However, things were different in the 1950s, when rock n’ roll and pop were considered rebellious and hardcore. Many people listened to The Beatles, but going to see them was a different experience entirely. Queen guitarist Brian May said he loved listening to The Beatles when he was young, but his parents forbid him from seeing them in concert.
Brian May’s parents felt The Beatles attracted the wrong crowd
When The Beatles disbanded in 1970, many rock bands emerged to see who could take their place as the most prominent musical act in the world. One of those bands was Queen, who formed in 1970. The band had an incredible run but still didn’t achieve the same metrics as The Beatles. May said The Beatles significantly influenced his passion for music from the moment he first heard “Love Me Do”, the fab four’s debut single.
“From the moment I heard ‘Love Me Do’ on the radio, I knew this bunch of guys were magic,” May told Louder Sound. “That they voiced all my hidden joy and yearnings as a teenager struggling to make his way into the world of the ’60s”.
As a teenager, May dreamed about seeing his musical heroes perform live in person. However, his parents forbid him from doing so as they believed pop acts drew the wrong crowd. Unfortunately, The Beatles stopped touring in 1966 and split up four years later, so he couldn’t see them once he became an adult.
“I wasn’t allowed to go to see The Beatles in concert when I was a kid,” May shared. “My parents thought pop concerts were attended by the wrong sort of people. So I never got to see the 20th century’s biggest phenomenon live.”
May admitted that Queen modeled themselves after The Beatles
The Beatles are still the most popular musical act ever, with the most commercial sales and the most No. 1 singles. So, following what made them so successful is not a bad idea. Queen wasn’t precisely the same band, but they did follow The Beatles in a few ways. They released catchy hits that topped the charts and emphasized songwriting and experimental instrumentals.
However, The Beatles never had a vocalist like Freddie Mercury, who could propel songs with his powerhouse vocals that made each lyric epic. In an interview with Express, Brian May told the outlet that The Beatles was Queen’s “bible.” They were a model for success, and the guitarist still considers them the “greatest” band ever and groundbreaking for the genre.
“The Beatles were our bible,” May said. “Absolutely at every stage in their career and their music development, they were models. And they still are to me, I must say. I love all those albums. To me, they are the greatest. They are the pinnacle of writing, performance and ethos of rock music. They broke down so many barriers, they changed the world many times. I will always love The Beatles without any reservation.”
