Unreleased Queen Song Featuring Freddie Mercury Coming in September
Queen was one of the biggest classic rock bands of the ’70s and ’80s. The group has experienced a career resurgence among younger generations since the release of the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Though many fans assumed the band would no longer release new music, Queen’s surviving members recently made an exciting announcement: They plan to release a previously unheard song with vocals by Freddie Mercury.
The unreleased Queen song featuring Freddie Mercury vocals
Before Queen performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee concert in early June, bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor sat down to discuss the group’s upcoming plans.
“We did find a little gem from Freddie that we’d kind of forgotten about,” Taylor told BBC Radio 2 (via Stereogum). “It’s wonderful. Actually, it was a real discovery.”
The track is from recording sessions while Queen was working on its 1989 album, The Miracle. The song is titled “Face It Alone” and will come out in September.
“It was kind of hiding in plain sight,” May said of the song. “We looked at it many times and thought, ‘Oh, no, we can’t really rescue that.’ But, in fact, we went in there again, and our wonderful engineering team went, ‘OK, we can do this and this.’ It’s like kind of stitching bits together … But it’s beautiful; it’s touching.”
“Face It Alone” isn’t the only new music from Queen featuring Mercury’s vocals. On the 2014 compilation album Queen Forever, the band included a duet the lead singer did with Michael Jackson, “There Must Be More to Life Than This.” The track was previously released on Mercury’s 1985 album, Mr. Bad Guy.
Freddie Mercury’s lasting legacy
Freddie Mercury has become a legend since his death in 1991. The rock star was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 but kept his illness a secret from the public. He announced his diagnosis in November 1991 and died roughly 24 hours after issuing the statement.
Mercury was always a star, but in the years since his death, the singer has become an icon. The Queen frontman is now revered for his flamboyant stage style, one-of-a-kind voice, and unapologetic emphasis on being himself.
Queen’s upcoming performance at a tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins
Performing at Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee isn’t the only big event at which Queen has been invited to perform.
The group is set to appear for a tribute concert at London’s Wembley Stadium in September to honor the late Taylor Hawkins. The Foo Fighters drummer died this past March in Colombia while on tour with his band. Toxicology tests found 10 substances, including opioids and THC, in his system, but an official cause of death remains unreleased.
Although Queen isn’t putting out new music and they’re missing Mercury’s signature voice, fans will undoubtedly thrill to hear one more song from the talented singer who was gone too soon.
