“Changed the chemistry”: the only Queen song that was filmed as it was being recorded
When you look back at the trajectory of Queen, there are countless turning points in their rise to fame. However, one that can and should never be overlooked is the power of their Live Aid performance.
It’s crazy to think that there was a time when they felt reluctant to do it at all, believing that if they got involved in Bob Geldof’s charity stint, it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Granted, they were slightly burned out from extensive touring prior to the show, but Freddie Mercury in particular felt like the band weren’t exactly what you’d call suitable among those still very much in their prime.
Of course, all of this is even crazier with the benefit of hindsight, as we now know that Queen’s decision to take part resulted in them completely stealing the show, delivering a once-in-a-lifetime performance that many people now see as synonymous with the concert’s success.
It’s easy to see why; Mercury’s outstanding performance is immortalised through countless recollections both on screen and off, and the raw footage itself has become mythologised too, even though their set was fairly short and a significant chunk of the energy came from the surrounding crowd. Still, it was, as they say, what single-handedly re-established them as major players in modern rock.
It also makes complete sense, then, that they’d want to continue that energy and momentum the moment they left the stage. It takes a lot to deliver something that explosive, but it’s arguably more difficult to come down from it, with an adrenaline high that many musicians seek to carry into the studio so they can make music that captures that same energy of performing live.
This was what sparked the beginnings of ‘One Vision’. After Queen had experienced the sheer power of musical unity, they wanted to create something that anchored that message, with ‘One Vision’ emerging as a group collaboration. In essence, the song sought to reflect the high they’d unexpectedly experienced during what was labelled as their period of deflation, when the band found themselves feeling completely revitalised for a brand new chapter.
While most Queen songs were written by individual members, ‘One Vision’ was one of the first times songwriting credit went to all four of them, while Brian May also composed the chords, and Mercury took the lead on arrangements and production. In the sessions, they also had directors Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher present to film the process, which was then used in the song’s music video and later in a documentary.
The reason for having a film crew there was clear: the band wanted to capture their energy post-Live Aid, but they also wanted to show how they collaborated in the studio and came up with an entirely new anthem. It was also the first time they’d done so, not just in terms of filming but with working together to make a song from scratch, so capturing it on camera was a special moment that spotlighted genius in action.
However, May later criticised the decision, telling Ultimate Guitar that, while they felt “free”, the cameras “changed the chemistry” of the band, mainly because they were “conscious” that they were there, which prevented them from feeling “as relaxed and normal as we otherwise would have been”. That said, there are still some nice moments amid the chaos, and ones that prove why they were more than worthy of their position as trailblazers of the moment.
