Killer Queen

• Queen


  Rock group formed in London in 1970-71 by four college students: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon
• Freddie Mercury


  Lead singer and pianist of Queen, stage name of Farrokh Bulsara born in Zanzibar, East Africa
• 'Killer Queen' was written

  1974
• 'Killer Queen'


  Song about a high-class prostitute who enjoys eating caviar and drinking Moët and Chandon champagne, written by Freddie Mercury
• Queen's musical style

  • Range of styles including piano-based pop, 1950s rockabilly, 1920s vaudeville, power ballads, hard rock, presented with well-crafted arrangements, expert production techniques, four-part close harmony vocals, overdubbed guitar parts
• Queen's performance style

  • Glam rock with big hairstyles, flamboyant clothes, glitter, platform boots, large drum kit, stage effects like smoke, dry ice, fireworks, elaborate lighting
• Queen's use of studio technology

  • Extensive use of overdubbing, reverb on lead vocals, treble boost and compression on backing vocals, controlled distortion on guitar solos, stereo panning effects
• Recording of 'Killer Queen'


  1. Lead vocal, piano and most backing vocals performed by Freddie Mercury

  2. Brian May played guitar with overdubbing

  3. Roger Taylor played drums

  4. John Deacon played bass guitar
• Countryman Phase Shifter


  Studio effect used to produce the distinctive sound on the words "laser beam"
• Melody

  • Moves by step and small intervals at first, then with progressively wider leaps, uses anacrusis, unusual phrase lengths, portamento, and vocables in backing vocals
• Rhythm

  • In compound quadruple metre with a swing feel, moderately fast tempo, frequent use of syncopation, anacrusis at start of verses and choruses
• Tonality


  • In E-flat major but with ambiguous tonality, modulating between C minor and B-flat major, ends with perfect cadence in E-major
• Harmony

  • Mostly root position triads with occasional inversions and 7th chords, diatonic chords with some chromatic chords, use of expressive dissonance, tonic and dominant pedals, parallel harmonies in backing vocals, descending chromatic scale, circle of 5ths progression, bell chords
• Texture

  • Homophonic, gradually increasing in density, chordal texture for vocals, parallel 3rds in guitar, brief contrapuntal fragments