“An insane song”: The 1977 classic rock anthem Stephen Malkmus considered punk before punk
Punk’s origin, like virtually every other aspect of the scene, is a topic that is endlessly debated among its spikey-haired, glue-sniffing, DIY disciples, but even the most contrarian of punk historians would not cite a grandiose track by Queen as being the origins of the genre. Then again, Stephen Malkmus has rarely bowed down to expectations.
Although Pavement was never an overtly punk offering, the attitude provided by its DIY ethos and subversive spirit permeates much of Malkmus’ discography. Looking at their unwavering penchant for originality, sounding totally unlike any other band of the 1990s, along with their independent ethos, it is pretty hard to refute the claim that Pavement were among the most punk rock bands of the 1990s, in attitude if not sound.
In other words, they were about as far away from Queen as you could hope to get. No disrespect to Freddie Mercury’s beloved band, but back in the 1970s, when punk first crept over the airwaves, Queen represented the pinnacle of mainstream rock in the UK.
With flamboyant stage outfits, big-budget productions, and arena tours, the band were never going to find themselves rubbing shoulders with The Clash at The Roxy Club – although they did have a famous run-in with the Sex Pistols, during which Freddie Mercury dubbed Sid Vicious ‘Simon Ferocious’.
Nevertheless, during a 2018 appearance on NPR, Malkmus highlighted Queen’s ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ as a key sonic touchstone for the punk sound. “What a chorus. That chorus, when they go up, that is just electrifying,” he declared. “And it’s all guitars. The drums are buried, it’s very punk-sounding. Or even Motörhead. It’s an insane song.”
Released in 1977, but originally written in 1974 for Queen’s greatest album, confusingly also named Sheer Heart Attack, the song is one of only a handful to be owed to Roger Taylor, which is perhaps why its sound is so far removed from the typical output of a band like Queen.
It is worth remembering, too, that when the song finally came to be recorded, for News of the World, punk was the prevailing sound of British rock. In fact, it was during the recording process for that album that Mercury had his run-in with Sid Vicious, as the Pistols were recording Nevermind The Bollocks in the same studio. It isn’t overly egregious, then, to suggest that those punk sounds played some part in influencing the final sound of the track.
Then again, Queen in general were far more ingrained in the realm of hard rock at that time, as opposed to the pop-rock sounds they would strike upon the following decade. As such, the guitar-heavy sounds of Malkmus’ beloved track are not entirely out of left field.
Either way, it is difficult to imagine any self-respecting punk of the late 1970s citing Queen as a major influence on their sound – or, indeed, vice versa. Malkmus’ love for the otherworldly sound of the track does, however, reflect the idea that the songwriter, whether in Pavement or as a solo artist, has never shown any willingness to fall in line with expectations nor genre conventions.
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