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Killer Queen from Sheer Heart Attack by Queen (Melody (Little word…
Killer Queen from
Sheer Heart Attack
by Queen
Context
Formed by four collage Students in 1970/71
Freddie Mercury
(
Lead singer and pianist
)
Brian May
(
Lead Guitar and backing vocals
)
Roger Taylor
(
Drums and backing vocals
)
John Deacon
(
Bass Guitar
)
From third album (1st major one) in
1974
About a high class prostitute who lives an extravagant lifestyle
Is a
rock
song
Resources
Lead vocal, piano and most backing vocals are from Freddie Mercury - mostly overdubbed
Freddie Mercury: large vocal range - high tenor and falsetto (in this song he covers two octaves and a third (D4 to F6)
Structure
Verse-Chorus form
Verse 1 > Chorus 1 > Instrumental > Verse 2 > Chorus 2 > Guitar Solo > Verse 3 > Chorus 3 > Outro
Begins with six finger click to set tempo
Melody
Initially starts step wise but progressively gets wider
Verses start with 2 bar vocal phases that is repeated with a modified ending
6/8 added in to make melody interesting
Unusual phase lengths in chorus (5 then 3)
Verses and choruses start with
anacrusises
(pick ups)
Almost completely sylabbic
Backing includes vocables (i.e. 'ooh' and 'ba')
Little word painting
Phaser on 'laser beam'
Heavy drumming on 'drive you wild'
Rhythm
Mostly in compound quadruple (12/8)
Gives it a swing feel
Tempo = moderately fast (112 bpm)
Frequent Syncopation
Each chorus + verse begins with an anacrusis
Tonality
E♭ major
Sometimes ambiguous
Verses start in C minor and choruses start in B♭ minor but both quickly modulate
Ends in E♭ major perfect cadence and fades on tonic