Freddie Mercury
Bio / Press Releases
- SING: Pick one of four QUEEN songs on the microsite (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Somebody to Love” or “We Are the Champions”) and sing your heart out!
- SHARE: Get your score and share! Download the custom scorecard asset directly to your device, then share it on YouTube Stories, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- CHALLENGE: Using the hashtag #FreddieChallenge on social channels, challenge three friends to see how they measure up.
- DONATE: Encourage a charitable donation to Mercury Phoenix Trust in your post → http://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com/donate
Watch it HERE
When it was initially released in 1984 as Freddie Mercury’s debut solo single, “Love Kills,” a track featured on the soundtrack of music producer Giorgio Moroder’s restored version of the 1927 pioneering silent science fiction film Metropolis, it provided Freddie with his first solo hit single – reaching No. 10 on the UK singles chart as well as charting onBillboard’sHot 100.
It also achieved the ignoble distinction of being nominated for a Razzie – Hollywood’s annual pre-Oscars hand out for the worst of the year – The Golden Raspberry Awards.
Freddie featured in a list of five ‘Worst Original Song’ contenders, which for the year 1984 also included Prince, David Sembello, and Dolly Parton (with 2 nods).
In the end “Love Kills” was spared being declared the year’s worst song from a movie; that honor went to Dolly Parton for her song “Drinkenstein” from the film which provided the most unlikely star coupling of the year – pairing her opposite Sylvester Stallone in ‘Rhinestone’. (Stallone scored the film’s second Razzie, for worst actor).
Regardless of its ignominious start in movie music history, “Love Kills” firmly concreted Freddie’s solo career giving him his first top 10 single, followed by the gloriously retro-campy “The Great Pretender,” the majestic “Barcelona,” “In My Defence” and “Living On My Own” (1993), the latter becoming the biggest selling single of the year in Europe and for which Freddie posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award for International Hit of the Year.
Available to watch today, Monday, October 14, “Love Kills” receives an enhanced audio mix and a new lyric video on the heels of last Friday’s release of the Freddie Mercury Never Boring 3 CD/DVD/Blu-ray box set.
The track is one of 12 featured in a brand newNever Boringtitled compilation of Freddie’s greatest solo performances contained in the set.
The Never Boringcompilation is also available to purchase individually on CD, and on digital and streaming services. Vinyl, in the U.S., will be available on October 25.
Pre-dating Freddie’s first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, “Love Kills” has emerged as one of his most perennial tracks as both a remix favorite and an enduring disco classic with a life beyond those parameters.
While released as a Freddie solo single, “Love Kills” actually features all four Queen band members. Other Queen links to Never Boringhave Roger Taylor as a backing singer on “The Great Pretender,” John Deacon also plays bass on “How Can I Go On” and Brian May contributes guitar to “She Blows Hot and Cold.”
Brian May and Roger Taylor returned to the “Love Kills” track almost 30 years later, bringing it back to the light in a stripped-down ballad version which debuted on the band’s 2014 Queen Foreveralbum. Their alternative version was performed live with singer Adam Lambert during their 2014 North America tour.
The new “Love Kills” lyric video, according to its creators, drew inspiration from New York’s Studio 54 and early 80’s disco, both of which featured large in Freddie’s life of that period.
See new “Love Kills” video here: https://freddiemercury.lnk.to/LoveKillsLyricVideo
Never Boring: https://hollywoodrecs.co/NeverBoringDeluxe
Special Editions of Never Boring, Mr. Bad Guy and Barcelonaare also available individually here:
Never Boring: https://hollywoodrecs.co/NeverBoring
Mr. Bad Guy: https://hollywoodrecs.co/MrBadGuy
Barcelona: https://hollywoodrecs.co/FreddieBarcelona
Press contact:
Sharrin Summers / Hollywood Records
Watch the re-made video for ‘Living On My Own’ in 4K here: https://FreddieMercury.lnk.to/LivingOnMyOwnVideo
Tying in with the upcoming October 11 release of the Freddie Mercury ‘Never Boring’ solo box set this week will see a brand new version of perhaps Freddie’s most (in)famous solo video – for his single “Living On My Own” from his ‘Mr Bad Guy’ album, released on YouTube.
The album is one of three within the box set in a newly mixed 11-track special edition. The package also includes a new 12-track compilation of many of Freddie’s greatest solo performances and a nine-track 2012 special edition of the “Barcelona” album. The three are also available to buy individually.
The 2019 4K video re-created from the original film rushes and the new audio mix of “Living On My Own” goes live on YouTube this Friday, October 4, and Freddie would probably be smiling down from above.
Filmed at his now legendary 39th birthday party in 1985 in Munich where Freddie was living while recording his first solo album – a period depicted in the box office blockbuster ‘Bohemian Rhapsody” – Freddie’s 300 invited guests included Mary Austin, Boy George, Steve Strange, Jim Hutton, Brian May, former manager John Reid, Freddie and Queen’s then manager Jim Beach and a colourful Munich coterie of entertainers, singers and cross dressers with famous paparazzi photographer Richard Young dressed in full drag taking the photos.
Shot on a revolving ceiling mounted 35 mm camera throughout the entire night while 300 of Freddie’s closest friends partied hard at Munich’s infamous Mrs Henderson transvestite club all decked out in black and white drag (mandatory), the footage shot by Austrian director Rudi Dolezal shocked Freddie’s record company boss Walter Yetnikov when it was delivered. So much so, he promptly banned the high-spirited footage from being seen on television on the grounds of its ‘perceived promiscuity’. The video was instantly shelved and the single stalled at No. 50 on the chart.
It wasn’t until the single’s No More Brothers’ remix re-release on EMI in 1993 that the video finally saw the light of day. The single this time reached No.1 and became the biggest selling single of the year in Europe. In 1994 Freddie posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award for International Hit of the Year.
The ‘banned’ party footage has since become the source of Freddie’s most popular and most seen solo video.
Now in high definition and enhanced sound, we can again join in that night at Mrs Henderson and remember Freddie’s sense of fun. Freddie would surely grin over the fact that his most legendary birthday can still bring a smile to us all these years later.
Watch the re-made video for ‘Living On My Own’ in 4K here: https://FreddieMercury.lnk.to/LivingOnMyOwnVideo
The faithfully re-created video from 35mm film rushes and brand new audio mix are available as part of the ‘Never Boring’ deluxe box set. Pre-order now: http://FreddieMercury.lnk.to/NeverBoringDeluxe
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Press contact:
Sharrin Summers / Hollywood Records
Sharrin.summers@disney.com/ 818.560.5787
“You can do anything with my work, but never make me boring.”
Freddie Mercury
“Freddie was extreme; he was absolute; he was all or nothing; he was always or never. Freddie Mercury was never boring.”
Rami Malek
Iconic. Incomparable. Irreplaceable. But never, ever boring. Freddie Mercury’s spirit is every bit as central to the fabric of popular music today as it was during his unforgettable lifetime. The spectacular global success of the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, with global box office takings now close to one billion US dollars, was a powerful testament to Freddie’s presence as the ultimate rock frontman with Queen. But now comes a unique release to showcase the full range of his musical talents and passions, and their indelible imprint on the worlds of pop, opera and far beyond.
Set for release byHollywood Records in North America and Mercury Records in the rest of the world on October 11 2019, the “Never Boring” box set brings together for the first time a specially-curated selection of Freddie Mercury’s music, visuals and written and spoken words. It is a collection to jog the memory of fans, old and new, as to why Freddie remains such a beloved figure, nearly 30 years after his death. The set reminds us that Freddie was an exceptional singer, songwriter, performer and human being whose special kind of magic is captured in this exceptional collection of his solo work.
The package is meticulously compiled and produced by Queen’s longtime sound team Justin Shirley-Smith, Kris Fredriksson and Joshua J Macrae who also co-produced the Bohemian Rhapsody film official soundtrack album which became one of the biggest selling albums of 2018/2019. The album has remained high the UK charts since its release in November 2018 and in the US became Queen’s biggest selling album in 38 years.
Taken from the very best original source material available, the full “Never Boring” collection contains three CDs with 32 tracks; a Blu-ray and DVD featuring 13 promo videos and interview; a 120-page 10”x10” hardback book full photos, many of them rare and unpublished, as well as thoughts and choice quotes from Freddie himself, and an introduction from Rami Malek, who earned an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie in Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Specially created insert packaging includes a double-sided poster containing an image of Freddie and an original work from synesthetic artist Jack Coulter inspired by the song “Mr Bad Guy”.
The three CDs include a new 12-track compilation of many of Freddie’s greatest solo performances; a newly mixed 11-track special edition of “Mr Bad Guy”; and the nine-track 2012 special edition of “Barcelona” featuring full orchestra. The Blu-ray and DVD of Freddie’s promos and his stage performances with Montserrat Caballé include eight that have been painstakingly reassembled from the original 35mm film rushes to give them the best-ever visual and sound quality.
It will also be possible to buy and listen to the albums individually on CD, vinyl and on digital and streaming services.
Much of the music and the promo videos featured in the “Never Boring” collection date from the period from late 1984, when “Mr Bad Guy” was recorded in Munich through to Freddie’s last ever on stage performance, at a special festival on the steps of Montjuïc in Barcelona on October 8 1988. It was a festival specially staged in the presence of the King and Queen of Spain to welcome the Olympic flag to Barcelona.
“I had a lot of ideas bursting to get out,” Freddie once explained, “and there were a lot of musical territories I wanted to explore which I really couldn’t do within Queen. I wanted to cover such things as reggae rhythms and I did a couple of tracks with an orchestra.”
The set includes the recently discovered track “Time Waits For No One” produced by Dave Clark which has recently taken the internet by storm and a haunting little known track “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” immortalised in a new animated video by award winning duo Beth David and Esteban Bravo.
For all the 2019 ‘special edition’ tracks on “Never Boring” and the “Mr Bad Guy” album, sound team Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson have taken the very best original source material available. They went back not to previously remastered and mixed tapes, but to the original source multi-track tapes, so that they could build a new mix true to Freddie’s original versions, now taking advantage of the time, resources and technology that Freddie may not have originally had available to him in the 1980s. All offer ultimate quality, first generation vocals showing off Freddie’s incredible vocal range.
The special edition of the “Barcelona” album had been reworked in 2012 using similar methods, but what was missed by many at the time was that the 2012 edition replaced the previous instrumental tracks with new, live symphonic orchestration and percussion, rather than synthesisers and drum machines used on the original album.
Specially arranged by Queen orchestral arranger Stuart Morley, the80-piece Prague FILMharmonic Orchestra now performs the symphonic score, while Rufus Taylor — the son of Queen’s Roger Taylor — plays drums on ‘The Golden Boy’ and ‘How Can I Go On’, a track that also features John Deacon’s bass guitar. The special edition of the “Barcelona” album is now waiting to be rediscovered by fans of Freddie and Montserrat.
The same painstaking care in rebuilding the audio tracks has been used to bring all of Freddie’s original video promos to life again.
To recreate the new promos from Freddie’s original storyboards, eight of the promos have been totally reassembled from the original 35mm film rushes to give them the best resolution and sound quality possible. This required the team to go through all the film rushes to find those that exactly matched the footage originally chosen and used by Freddie, and then to recreate any special effects used at the time. Some of the promos have needed substantial restoration, with artists manually restoring frames that were damaged or missing.
Bonus videos include the first performance of ‘Barcelona’ by Freddie and Montserrat Caballé in front of a live audience at the Ku Klub (now Privilege Ibiza) in May 1987; the extended version of ‘The Great Pretender’, which includes backstage footage of Freddie’s very special backing singers preparing, they being Roger Taylor, Peter Straker and Freddie in drag; and a rare “Time” interview with Freddie and Dave Clark.
Roger Taylor’s contribution as a backing singer on ‘The Great Pretender’ is not the only link to Queen on “Never Boring”. Roger also plays percussion on ‘Love Kills’ which also features Brian May on lead guitar and John Deacon on rhythm guitar. As mentioned, John also plays bass on ‘How Can I Go On’ and Brian contributes guitar to ‘She Blows Hot and Cold’.
The entire “Never Boring” package reflects Freddie’s eclectic tastes and love for life. As he himself said: “Some people can take second best, but I can’t. I look upon it as defeat. If you’ve got the taste of being number one, then number two isn’t good enough.”
Rami Malek, who won best actor at all the major global award ceremonies for his performance as Freddie in “Bohemian Rhapsody” says: “’Never Boring’ brings to your life a piece of Freddie. I hope you’re able to sit with this collection and let the music, images and excerpts of Freddie Mercury’s life inspire you, like it did me.
“I hope you remember that your uniqueness is a gift, and what you do with it is your gift to theworld. I hope like Freddie, you’re able to smile in the eye of a storm, focus on life’s silver linings, live boldly, and most importantly, live a life which is Never Boring.”
Track listings:
NEVER BORING
The Great Pretender
I Was Born To Love You
Barcelona
In My Defence
Love Kills
How Can I Go On (Single Version)
Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow
Living On My Own (Radio Mix)
The Golden Boy (Single Edit)
Time Waits For No One
She Blows Hot And Cold
Made In Heaven
- BAD GUY – SPECIAL EDITION
Let’s Turn It On
Made In Heaven
I Was Born To Love You
Foolin’ Around
Your Kind Of Lover
Mr. Bad Guy
Man Made Paradise
There Must Be More To Life Than This
Living On My Own
My Love Is Dangerous
Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow
BARCELONA – SPECIAL EDITION
Barcelona
La Japonaise
The Fallen Priest
Ensueño
The Golden Boy
Guide Me Home
How Can I Go On
Exercises In Free Love
Overture Piccante
NEVER BORING – BLU-RAY / DVD
Made In Heaven
The Great Pretender
Living On My Own
Barcelona
I Was Born To Love You
Time Waits For No One
In My Defence
Living On My Own (Radio Mix)
The Golden Boy (La Nit performance, Barcelona)
How Can I Go On (La Nit performance, Barcelona)
Barcelona (La Nit performance, Barcelona)
Bonus Videos
Freddie Mercury & Dave Clark “Time” Interview
The Great Pretender (Extended Version)
Barcelona (Ku Klub performance, Ibiza)
Links:
“Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” videoand single
Pre-order links for box set and individual albums:
Box Set:
Never Boring (Deluxe): https://hollywoodrecs.co/NeverBoringDeluxe
Individual titles:
Never Boring: https://hollywoodrecs.co/NeverBoring
Mr Bad Guy: https://hollywoodrecs.co/MrBadGuy
Barcelona: https://hollywoodrecs.co/FreddieBarcelona
Published to coincide with the release of the ‘Never Boring’ CD/DVD package, comes a newly updated edition of the book “Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words”.Compiled and edited by official Queen archivist Greg Brooks and Queen visuals producer Simon Lupton, this new expanded edition contains over 8,000 words of text not present in the original print. The additional material has been drawn from sources not available or known to the authors at the time of compiling the original work, much of it never before published before and sourced from newly discovered interviews given by Mercury for magazine and newspaper articles that were ultimately not used, as well as from rare radio programmes or Queen Specials found on precious old cassette recordings and reel-to-reel tapes discovered within the Freddie archive. The nearest thing to a Freddie Mercury autobiography as it is possible to achieve, “A Life, In His Own Words” is a meticulously assembled collection of moving, witty, and often irreverent quotes from the man himself. Told across 20 chapters and 194 pages, this is Freddie’s life in his own words – delivered in his own inimitable, unpredictable, invariably funny, often poignant, and always entertaining way. “Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words”.Now available to order from Amazon on Kindle and in print.
Hollywood Records Contact:
Sharrin Summers – sharrin.summers@disney.com
Video directed by celebrated directors Esteban Bravo and Beth David
http://hollywoodrecs.co/FreddieLoveMe/YouTube
Sept 5, 2019– To mark Freddie Mercury’s 73rdbirthday and the work of the Mercury Phoenix Trust (MPT), Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, has released a new video which can be found HEREby directors Esteban Bravo and Beth David for Mercury’s “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow,” with animation from Woodblock. The visual accompaniment to Mercury’s 1985 track honors his life and legacy in a compelling short story about the power of love while continuing to bring awareness to the global fight against AIDS.
Dave Rocco, EVP, Creative, UMG said in making this announcement, “Of the many responsibilities we have to our artists, safeguarding their legacies is perhaps the most important one. As far-reaching and as radical a legacy as Freddie Mercury’s, it is our duty to ensure he continues to provoke, educate and inspire.
In speaking with Jim Beach about ‘Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow,’ we knew this piece had to be made in Freddie’s image: honest, brave and, most of all, beautiful. We wanted to tell a story not of two men, but rather of a connection and the ineffable power love has in conquering incomprehension and fear. It is a reflection of the thread that runs throughout Freddie’s oeuvre. It is what made him “never boring,” and part of why his magic lives on.
Beth and Estaban share these extraordinary traits, but most importantly they love, respect and understand Freddie. They are incredibly gifted and emotive storytellers who represent and are part of the LGBTQ+ community. We could not be more grateful for their stunning work.”
Directors Esteban Bravo and Beth David said of making this short film, “We wanted to tell a story that was relevant to Freddie’s life, but not explicitly about him. The AIDS crisis of the 1980s is a huge part of LGBT+ history, and it’s something that we knew needed to be handled with care. It’s a fine line to walk between shedding light on a subject, and perpetuating a stigma, and we were cautious not to lean into tropes and stereotypes that might hurt the modern understanding of the AIDS virus, rather than help it.
In researching the HIV/AIDS virus and the way it affects the body’s immune system, we were inspired to take a look at the story through a more microscopic lens. It is a love story between two white blood cells, one of which has become infected by the virus. This perspective gave us a more direct visual representation of our conflict, which allowed us to explore the more nuanced struggles the characters face in their relationship with each other, their perceptions of themselves, and society’s perception, bias, and neglect of them.
The LGBT+ community fought for years for the right to proper research and healthcare, and because of that fight, millions of lives have been saved. We wanted to celebrate that victory. Through perseverance, strength, and love, our characters not only survive, but live long, healthy lives together.”
Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrowis taken from “Never Boring”,the definitive Freddie Mercury solo collection, which will be released worldwide on October 11th2019 through Universal Music Group, Hollywood Records & Mercury Records.
For Video stills and media assets click here.
About The Mercury Phoenix Trust
Following the moving and hugely successful Tribute Concert in 1992, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Jim Beach set up The Mercury Phoenix Trust (MPT) in memory of the iconic
Freddie Mercury who died from AIDS related causes in 1991. The Trust is a core part of rock band Queen and Freddie’s legacy, with the passion and power behind the music forming the bedrock of the MPT. The MPT has reached millions in the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide, providing USD17 million to over 1,000 projects in 56 countries. The MPT predominantly funds smaller organisations it assesses and vets as they effectively work at grassroots level, where governments, larger NGOs and markets don’t often reach. Through grassroots movements, events and social media, the MPT provides a platform for the voice of youth to be heard. It also provides a way in which Freddie’s devoted followers and new generations of fans can celebrate his life, keeping Freddie’s memory powerfully alive. With an estimated 36.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 1.8 million more becoming newly infected with HIV in 2017 alone, the battle is far from over making the work of the
MPT and its global partners all the more essential.
http://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com
About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.
About Disney Music Group
Disney Music Group is home to Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, Disney Music Publishing, Buena Vista Records, and Disney Concerts. The labels’ genre-spanning rosters include Queen (in the U.S.), Sofia Carson, ZZ Ward, Breaking Benjamin, Bea Miller, Sabrina Carpenter, Joywave, Olivia Holt, morgxn, Tini Stoessel, Dreamers, DCappella, JD McCrary, Adam Hambrick and more. DMG also releases family music and film and television soundtracks such as the chart-topping “Guardians of the Galaxy” “Beauty And The Beast,” “Descendants,” Oscar-winning “Coco” and “Moana” soundtracks, and the Oscar and Grammy-winning “Frozen” soundtrack. Recent releases include “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Lion King,” “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” and “Toy Story 4.” Upcoming titles include the highly-anticipated “Frozen 2” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” DMG has a rich catalog with a lasting legacy that has impacted pop culture globally, including music from films like “Snow White,” “Pinocchio” and “Star Wars,” artists like Annette Funicello, and beloved classics like “It’s A Small World.” Disney Concerts licenses and produces hundreds of shows around the world, including Star Wars in Concert, Disney On Classic, Beauty And The Beast, Soy Luna and many more.
Universal Music Group Contacts
Annie Imamura – annie.imamura@umusic.com
James Murtagh-Hopkins – James.Murtagh-Hopkins@umusic.com
Bobby Hammelman – bhammelman@id-pr.com
Rhett Usry – rusry@id-pr.com
Hollywood Records Contact:
Sharrin Summers – sharrin.summers@disney.com