Queen's Most Epic Rock Masterpiece.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

What band or song should I break down next?

[@therightrabbit]

Something by the Cars perhaps? RTB was their producer too...

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Definitely going on the list!! Their self-titled album didn’t have a bad song and was one of the soundtracks of my childhood. My dad showed me that album when I was probably 11 or 12 and I couldn’t stop listening to it. Thank you for the suggestion!

[@eefvink4610]

Kansas - Closet Chronicles !!! Carry On Wayward Son has been done to death but this one is just stunning!!!

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

You’re not gonna believe this but it’s literally already in production. Kansas is my single favorite band of all time and I was torn between Closet Chronicles and The Pinnacle… but opted for the former because of the amazing storytelling. Keep an eye out, it’s on its way!

[@eefvink4610]

@@SongwriterSanctuary Dude for real?? That is an absolute singular coincidence man. Or... perhaps a lot of people aren't (yet) aware of the genius of Kansas. I can't wait!! Subbed ealier btw and thoroughly enjoyed the Prophet Song analysis. Cheers from The Netherlands

[@kristineschneider9322]

Soon as you said 8+ minutes, I knew it was The Prophet's Song. Great song, love it!

[@death0ntwolegs632]

This one has always been one of my personal favourites. One of many underrated masterpieces from Queen.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Couldn’t agree more. Definitely never got the reception it deserved

[@gogigagagagigooo]

If prophet's song wasn't in the same album with Bohemian Rhapsody, It would've been very famous song. By the way, I need to say that the march of the black queen is their best song. I still don't know why many people overlook this masterpiece and Queen II.

[@flappospammo]

agree 100% , march is a masterpiece

[@wacharaboy]

Cannot agree more with you: The March of the Black Queen is BRUTAL and I consider it much better than Bohemian Rhapsody (their "benchmark"). In fact, the whole Queen II is IMPRESSIVE not only song by song, but on its meticulous construction, and the use of the sides of the media (LP, cassette) as integral part of the concept. Queen II was meant to be listened from start to finish, as a one single gigantic song with many parts.

[@High_Deer]

The Prophet's Song was not on the same album as Bohemian Rhapsody- One is on "A Day at the Races" and the other is on "A Night at the Opera"... Yes, My favorite Queen song and in my opinion, their very best!

[@flappospammo]

@@High_Deer Of course it was , it was on the same side of the lp too SMH

[@flappospammo]

@@High_Deer 1. Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To....) 2. Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon 3. I'm in Love With My Car 4. You're My Best Friend 5. '39 6. Sweet Lady 7. Seaside Rendezvous 8. The Prophet's Song 9. Love of My Life 10. Good Company 11. Bohemian Rhapsody 12. God Save the Queen

[@flappospammo]

March of the Black Queen , makes bohemian rhaposdy sound like an afterthought

[@Another_Broke_Musician]

I got News Of The World for my 13th birthday in '78. Mind blown. And then I heard Killer Queen on the radio but the DJ didn't say the name of the song. I'd buy a new Queen album every time I got enough money looking for that song. Every time my mind was blown. I bought Sheer Heart Attack last because I didn't dig the cover. But when I finally heard Killer Queen coming from my turntable, celebration ensued. And mind blown

[@lidiavilasecaperramon6983]

March of the Black Queen and Innuendo.

[@geninehayden7825]

The Prophet’s Song has always been we. One of my favorite songs and has inspired many short stories I’ve written. I remember hearing this for the first time and being amazed at their use of so many different song styles within this song, even more so than Bohemian Rhapsody! Rock on Queen! Miss you Freddie to this day!

[@Mikey-DiLo]

You need to react to Innuendo. Considered the bookend to Bohemian Rhapsody.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Another masterpiece, and highly requested! It’s on the list!

[@Mikey-DiLo]

@ in case these aren’t on your list from Queen II, the black and white album, March of the Black Queen and White Queen (do the live version at Hammersmith Odeon 1975).

[@andreasjohansson1990]

I prefer Innuendo to Bohemian Rhapsody. That song is criminally underrated!

[@hahyhnsw]

​@@andreasjohansson1990 especially that Guitar Solo

[@belessretarded4770]

@@andreasjohansson1990innuendo is largely hated amongst Queen fans.

[@maryadamec124]

WOW!! What a genius analysis of a classic Queen composition... Thanks so much... Ever since first hearing this on the late-night radio program in Dallas while working the late shift when the album was first released, I always considered this as Brian's "answer" to Freddie's "BoRhap", both being highly complex masterpieces on the same album... Although much neglected, this musical conglomeration of ingenuity and prowess is enough to send any (stoned) teenager bonkers, the canon alone sent minds ricocheting through time eternal... (oh my, what a concept)... leave it up to Brian to totally blow your mind instrumentally whilst Freddie is working on the vocal (and lyrical) acrobatics of the century... with the help of the "deaky amp", another ingenious invention of another member of Queen's illustrious talented musicians... Even today, my astrophysicist/musical mentor has been blowing my mind with his phenomenal compositions of musical art for 50+ years and still at it... Is it real or is it fantasy?? I like to think of it as "a miracle" or maybe just "a kinda magic"... either way, thank you Queen for entertaining me throughout my lifetime and thank you Songwriter Sanctuary for brightening up my dismally cloudy Saturday before Christmas (have a merry one) with such a marvelous reaction... just subbed... Blessings. P.S. Also, loved the '39 analysis, my first intro to your channel... might I suggest doing "Innuendo" as a follow-up, or the PREQUEL to it all "The March of the Black Queen"... both extremely entertaining and well worth your time...

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I appreciate these kind words and your thorough perspective!! Thank you for watching- I’m so glad it meant so much to you!

[@nickjoy8868]

Brilliant comment Mary, 100% agree.

[@Liz.Green789]

That was fun. The Prophet's Song is always my answer when someone asks me what my favorite Queen Song is. I love the canon section. Fabulous music.

[@djhrecordhound4391]

This one grabbed my ears HARD when I played my first copy, bought for $2 in 1988. Being an audio production nut, I still can't get enough of the stereo loops, and marvel at how Queen learned to do those self-stacking harmonies live. Look for live versions of Brighton Rock for Brian's epic solos using the looper

[@lindsaywarden1746]

What a fascinating study of this complex piece. More please.

[@jodipaulsen1187]

My favorite Queen song!

[@therightrabbit]

I love Queen and I love this "proggy" song. Great vid, subbed!

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@flappospammo]

In fact the whole of Queen 2 is a masterpiece , Ogre Battle , Father to Son , Funny how love is etc etc

[@beyonderbill3409]

March of the frickin' Black Queen, and Brians song Some Day One Day.... Great Album all around, really.

[@flappospammo]

@@beyonderbill3409 A massive improvement on the first album and then sha , nato and datr ... oh and notw ... 70's queen rules

[@beyonderbill3409]

@@flappospammo I'm a fan of everything tho. I mean, one day if you ask me my favorite album, it'll be Queen II, and the next day it's Innuendo. I'm all over the place.

[@flappospammo]

@@beyonderbill3409 With Queen you can't go wrong , even their weakest album Hot Space has moments of greatness

[@beyonderbill3409]

@@flappospammo Yeeeaaah.. I even love that one. It's got some good tracks on it.

[@davidtemple5934]

Must have heard this song a million times since '75 and never properly noticed the "Hear/ h ere " overlap , now you've pointed it out I won't never be able not to hear ( here ) it !!!! Thanx

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Hahaha happy to help! I don’t think there’s a song in their catalog that doesn’t have at least one hidden gem like that

[@chiefaberach]

@@davidtemple5934 me too. I always thought they were singing, "Hey, you! Come here!"

[@Elsye624]

That was so interesting! I’ve always loved Prophet’s Song but had not realized the technical complexity. I just heard a beautiful and fascinating song. I will listen again to try and catch some of the complexities. Could take awhile!

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Glad you enjoyed it! There’s so much to unpack in this song, it’s a fun song to just listen to passively OR to dissect in detail. Hopefully some of the info in this video makes it more enjoyable for you!

[@rockscapes1009]

I was 15 years old and my dad bought this album for me on my birthday at my assistance. That was 50 years ago. I've been a fan ever since.

[@SteveMcGreen]

This brillant song always gave me goose pimples. I love Queen's dense and complexely arranged songs from the early years.

[@eihcra_]

As much as I adore this song, I would've hated being the technician or something similar on this song. In the 70s it must've been an absolute nightmare to put together.

[@djhrecordhound4391]

Yes and no...not as bad for this one as Bohemian Rhapsody. They were used to playing live with the tape delay machine on their previous tour, and developed self-stacking loop harmonies on the road. It was wired to loop in stereo too, so recording those parts would've been easier. Playing the music itself probably was the hardest part, with all its chord/time switches and overdubbing them

[@JensThomas-mg1py]

Really cool! Thanks for your work!

[@sherryheim5504]

Roy Thomas Baker would agree with you that this was an outstanding song. He said it was the best thing he had ever experienced. I really like the song but they bell or cannon effect can wear on me if I am not just relaxed and listening. The first time I ever listened to this song when I was doing something, was in my car when I was in crazy road construction and people were driving like maniacs. I just stopped the song figuring that I would give it a good listen with headphones when I wasn't tense and trying to dodge traffic. There are so many elements in this song to love, it is Brian's masterpiece though I really love nearly every one of his compositions. There is so much talent in this band. I recall hearing Brian talking about this song and saying that he brought it into the studio and introduced Freddie to the cannon effect. "Freddie loved it and ran with it." So I wonder if that part of the song might have been lengthened by Freddie who was really enjoying toying with the effect. Everytime I listen to this song, it gets stuck in my head and pieces of it pop up for days, I even wake up with it in my head over and over again. Something about it really plays on my brain. Thank you for your breakdown.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Thanks so much for sharing this! I think you’re right about Freddie extending the canon section- you can almost hear the glee in his voice while he’s playing with those harmony parts. Glad you enjoyed the breakdown!

[@DaddyBooneDon]

Weren't there so many amazing rock anthems to come around that time. So much creativity within the format. It may have been Rock's Golden Era.

[@grahammusto7759]

I first listened to this song whilst driving my bosses car making wholesale deliveries in 1979. I maintain this is Queen's finest track and is up there with Bohemian Rhapsody.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

I was thinking Prophet's Song.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Nailed it!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@SongwriterSanctuary it's great listening to it in the dark with earphones.

[@marciopinho6100]

This is one hell of a song. Very underrated.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Couldn’t agree more.

[@davep8221]

If you wanna do other big songs, please consider _Awaken_ by Yes. It is ~15 min, but it's broken down in to multiple distinct movements. It's recorded in a Swiss cathedral, Rick Wakeman plays the organ there and conducts a choir. There's a 3/4 section that uses an ascending series of chords that sounds like it just keeps climbing, like a Shepard Tone. It definitely pushes the bounds of what a rock band can do. Steve Howe, the guitarist, guests on _Innuendo,_ another Queen epic. That a Capella section goes far beyond the capability of a simple tape delay like Brian uses on stage. The video clip you showed with RTB talking about the wind/AC sounds talks about it in depth. They ran the tape from one tape machine to another one across they studio, with the tape suspended on coat hangers and other fun stuff. Amazing. Queen played the studio like another instrument.

[@KelliViti]

The opening line is actually sung by Brian. Followed by harmony. Not Fred. I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair. Starts his lead vocal.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

You know what… on closer inspection I think you might be right, and I never would have caught that on my own! It sounds like Brian loosely imitating Freddie’s vocal style.

[@wacharaboy]

Keep Queen songs' analysis coming!!!! I think you are one of the best analysts for this particular band that I've watched. If I can choose only one Queen underrated song worthy of analysis to suggest, that would probably be All God's People (The Millionaire Waltz being the runner-up). BTW, this is something a little different, but I would very much like to also watch your take on any of the "sequences" (don't know how to call it) that Queen used to make in their early albums, where songs transitioned seamlessly to the next. I would like to know your opinion as if they were a single song with many parts (not focusing on each song in detail, but all of them as a whole "opera"), particularly the sequence _Ogre Battle - The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke - Nevermore - The March Of The Black Queen - Funny How Love Is_ Thank you very much and Keep Queen songs' analysis coming!!!! (I repeated it to help you remember 😂). Best wishes!!

[@Iceman-xx1kh]

Brian was furious that this song wasn't released as a single or even made a b side. It's a masterpiece of music 👌💙

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Agreed! Unbelievably underrated.

[@Dawgs00]

you need to do march of the black queen!! one of my favs :))

[@kentnottingham9635]

YEP!!!! Just asked if he’s heard it

[@causilvestrini7000]

Finally! It's about my favourite song! ❤

[@nickjoy8868]

A brilliant study of a truly outstanding song; the work you put into this video is staggering! I am VERY keen to see what you make of what many devotees of Queen would agree is their masterpiece, Bohemian Rhapsody's older sister- March of the Black Queen which in the same way as The Prophet's Song transitioning into Love of My Life, transitions into Funny How Love Is. My heartfelt thanks for this inspired video.

[@bucho448]

Amezing Queens...be blesedd all!

[@juromori]

I never noticed the "running for to come" line lol. Great vid!

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Thank you! Yeah, it was definitely an interesting choice 😂

[@FrauM.]

Thank you for spotlighting one of my favourite songs ❤

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Kinster2]

I always thought it was Brian singing the intro. “Oooohh oooohhh”

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Somebody else said this as well, and I think you may be right! I never would have caught that, but listening closely, it sounds like Brian imitating Freddie’s vocal style

[@bjw0515]

I knew what it was when you mentioned the length of the song. I love this song and the middle section is just special. I suggest March of the Black Queen if you have not heard or Innuendo.

[@PinkNoseCoyote]

Watch this song end up playing in my car on shuffle and I am turning the volume ALL the way up and screaming every single word at the top of my lungs. I. Love. This. Song.

[@Cedric6014]

Ah what a great discussion! Basically covered everything you could have in 15 min or so. You did ask what else you might have missed. The one thing I thought of was something I noticed when learnmg it on guitar. Every chorus part ends on a different chord: summon by your own [F] hand return like the white [G] dove Listen to the good [F#] plan Instrumental bit [A] Listen to the mad [Bb] man Laugh at the man [D] man

[@brandenwilson4378]

My favorite song by Queen! Great pick!

[@kentnottingham9635]

Yep prophets song!!!!! But, have you heard March of the Black Queen?

[@beyonderbill3409]

Now I know.

[@djhrecordhound4391]

...Now I'm Here...

[@Another_Broke_Musician]

I saw Freddie in an interview where he said that Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't that big of a deal. Compositionally, Somebody To Love was much more difficult. I love both songs but that surprised me. But I'll take the word of the composer

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I would never have guessed that!

[@magneto7930]

I bought this album when it was first released. The Prophet Song was definitely Brian's Bohemian Rhapsody.

[@eyeonit469]

There is an interview out there with Baker talking about producing Prophet Song with Brian. He called it his most favourite song ever. It's quite funny actually considering the limits of the technology at the time.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I imagine it must have been super fun to produce… especially using the tape delay machine 😂

[@jimpix8019]

Beautiful. My favourite track on that album.

[@funzyfive7001]

This is my favorite !!

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Funny how The Prophet Song seems to be eminating nowadays

I am one of the many, who thought about the prophet's song when I first saw the title and cover of your video about 39, but didn't write a comment because anything I could have said was already said, sometimes repeatedly 😁, by fellow progheads, I presume. I have a special history with this song; other than the miracle, which I borrowed from a friend shortly after its release, and quickly forgot about, prophet's song is my first "proper" introduction to Queen. Yeah, I heard the song (well, most of it) before bohemian rhapsody, because it was in a cassette taped from a radio program, in which they started the song about thirty seconds into it (thereby eliminating the instrumental intro) and faded out during the guitar solo, so most of it was the acapella section, which I disliked at the time (hey, I was 15, self-identified as metalhead, what would you expect 😝). Lucky for me, right after Freddie's passing the music producers took an interest in releasing the back catalogue of Queen albums here in Turkey, and around the same time as both greatest hits albums, a night of the opera also hit the shelves, and I was pleased to see it also included PS along with BR (which I probably heard slightly earlier, because I had the greatest hits albums a couple of weeks earlier). Having then heard the song in its entirety, my opinion of the "opera" section also changed, and it's my absolute Nr 1 favourite queen song to this day 🙂 mind you, at the time I had no idea of a concept such as "progressive rock" even existing, and wouldn't have another five years or so (after having heard of it, I was immediately hooked, but that's another story 😁) 39 is a close contender, it's probably in my top 5 queen songs, for all the reasons you mentioned in that video, and some more. I love it when you play the chords on the piano, and I'd love to hear a complete piano only version of the prophet's song, as well as 39, whether instrumental or with vocals. Man, why wouldn't Rick Wakeman do that, among (or better yet, instead of 😁) all the shitty new age piano albums he released in the 80's and 90's 😝? Keep up the good work 👍

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Thank you so much for sharing! I love hearing about peoples’ histories with these songs- it gives them added context and breathes new life and meaning into them. To be honest, I’ve thought about putting out full piano covers of some of these songs… I just haven’t pulled the trigger on it. I’ll see what I can do!

@SongwriterSanctuary I'm glad you liked my history 🙂 not everyone would be interested in the rantings of a (nearly) 50-year old Turkish proghead 😁 to be honest, Queen had descended near the bottom of my favorite bands list after learning about a gazillion prog bands that were mainly active in the 70's, it's still in the list, though, even if it includes nearly gazillion bands at this point 😝 I also happened to download Queen's entire discography (w Mercury) recently and transferred to my phone for easy access, so your 39 review, which I chanced upon in KZbin recommendations, and subsequently this one, along with many recommendations from commenters made me want to revisit A night at the opera and Queen II, so in a way your videos breathed new life into these two albums for me 🙂 I suppose innuendo will be next. On a side note, A night at the opera has always been one of the top three queen albums of interest to progheads, albeit seldom (if ever) considered prog albums per se. 39, despite its shortness, has always been a highlight of the album for me (after Prophet's song, and the worn out Bohemian rhapsody) and your review made me appreciate it even more, under a new light (chord progression and everything). I've been obsessed with longer songs, due to a very popular trend in prog rock, but there are also amazing short tracks at the radio friendly 3 minute length (such as Zappa's Peaches en regalia), thanks to your review 39 is also included in that list for me. Looking forward to seeing reviews / breakdowns of "proper" prog songs, or that of other "prog related" bands such as Purple, Zeppelin and Sabbath. Now that I think about it, there's a lifetime worth of material in Zappa's discography, and I'm interested only in his 60's and 70's albums! Whatever comes up next, I'm sure it will be just as interesting 🙂

[@DarthErik13]

As much as I love Bohemian Rhapsody, this is Queen's best work.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

A lot of people seem to feel that way!

[@maelstrom2594]

Always loved this song. My personal favourite Queen song. I'd love to see you have a look at rush's "2112"

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Rush is definitely on the list!

[@frederickglasser5617]

I find it hard to believe Prophet Song could be better than '39, but I'll give it a listen.

[@TJR-ClassicRockCorner0124]

This was Brian’s progressive rock tour de force.

[@williamcalderini6370]

Subscribed. :)

[@iallso1]

I will look forward to your review and analysis of Love of my Life, one of my all time favourite songs.

[@sophiehanssel2017]

I have a crush on Brian May....well, younger 1970s Brian to be exact 🥰

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

You could do much worse! 😂

[@itailu]

It’s an amazing song but it’s only when you’re in the mode to listen to it

[@rickdudesterman]

I think the oriental instrument was the Korean kayageum rather than the Japanese koto. For the Japanese koto, try this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3vUpHlulKaloNE It's long, so you may want to start from 23:21!

[@Robbbbbbbbo]

Lets go! Favourite song oat!!!!

[@annevoss4302]

Yes, that was the song I was thinking about 🙂

[@masan7452]

Definetely The March Of The Black Queen

[@hahyhnsw]

So many of Queen's album tracks are amazing and super Underrated compared to their bigger hits. I even prefer some of them over Bohemian Rhapsody just like The Prophet's Song

[@williamcalderini6370]

And here I was, thinking I was the only man alive who both appreciated this song, and found it to be much better than Bohemian Rhapsody. (GREAT with good headphones)

[@flappospammo]

Led Zeppelin + The Beatles = Queen

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I can see it!

[@Another_Broke_Musician]

Most epic? Tough call. But it's epic for sure. The general public doesn't really see how crucial Brian's writing was. (Roger & John's contributions are underrappreciated as well.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

Very true! Freddie often gets the limelight but I don’t think the band would have worked out the same without any of the four.

[@Another_Broke_Musician]

100%

[@timnotbrianmay]

I haven't even heard it yet, and I know it's the Prophets song! And, you may be correct! 😺😸 You should have seen them do it live! 🙀😺😸

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I saw them with Adam Lambert a few years back… would have blown my mind if they’d done this one!

[@timnotbrianmay]

@SongwriterSanctuary agreed! When I saw them in 1977, I think they had switched over to digital delays instead of tape! SPECTACULAR! Have you listened to " March of the Black Queen "?

[@bass-tardloopy9893]

Have a listen to The Man In The Jar by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band...from their 1974 album The Impossible Dream ...😁👍

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

I’ll check it out!

[@dianecourtney2724]

I am madly in love with QUEEN my favorite band. The band QUEEN is the GOAT 👑 Prophets Song is great song but not my favorite QUEEN song… which is a fairly long list… with my Top 5 holding strong for 30 years.

[@SongwriterSanctuary]

So many good songs it’s tough to pick! What’s your top 5?

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

"Princes Of The Universe"🗡

[@AllMediaReviewsPodcast]

Listen to the Wise Mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

[@UrsulaGoodwin-gw2ri]

Definitely do Innuendo

[@katehaynes5735]

Dragon Attack

[@pegitamg9716]

Why is Freddie sucking on his finger?