The guitar solo Brian May wants people “to remember me by”
He looks like he’s just put his finger in a live socket, and he often plays like that, too. As Britain’s most beloved benevolent astrophysicist, patron saint of badgers, and guitar god, Brian May has made an indelible mark on the world.
He’s also been the source of so much head-banging that he might one day face a procession of whiplash claims. But all that lies ahead of him. In fact, for a man who has achieved so much within music, an awful lot still lies ahead. Despite being born back in 1947, he has never once lost his passion for creation and considered retiring.
However, when that day finally comes, there is one searing guitar solo that Brian May wants to be remembered for: ‘Killer Queen’. Released as part of Sheer Heart Attack back in the Autumn of 1974, the solo is one that displays every facet that he brought to the table as a guitarist, channelling his hero, Rory Gallagher.
In May’s book, Gallagher “could make his guitar do anything”, and ‘Killer Queen’ showcases that the fuzzy-haired fellow is of a similar ilk. As he put it himself, “‘Killer Queen’ has always been a favourite of mine. Again, that was always in my head,” he told Total Guitar.
He continued to elucidate how it showcased his full skill range and ingenuity, adding, “It was something a bit more complex, an adventure in putting guitar harmonies into the solo. It was quite a step into the unknown, that solo, and it has a melody that I put in there which doesn’t appear anywhere else in the song.”
Queen always had a unique outlook, tying together disparate influences like a variety show, making them tricky to place. And this is typified by the ‘Killer Queen’ solo, as May adds, “My dream was to use the guitar as an orchestra instrument, and I was lucky enough to make the dream come true.”
Continuing, “The ‘Killer Queen’ solo was the first time I really managed to get the harmony thing across, and all those harmonies move about, they’re not just following each other parallel – they all interact like a small jazz band would do,” he said, exhibiting his eclectic understanding of music.
Before boldly concluding, “With ‘Killer Queen’, it worked out so nice. I would probably put that forward as the one that perhaps I would want people to remember me by.”
Considering that it is competing with the likes of the bone-shaking solo in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and the stunning sustain of ‘Brighton Rock’, that’s some praise from the permed performer, but it also seems like ‘Killer Queen’ simply embodies his character the most, too.
