Queen‘s shows are known for including a set list filled with well known hits, but sometimes they get a chance to delve deeper into their catalog. That’s the subject of this week’s episode of their YouTube series, Queen the Greatest Live.
In the latest clip, they take a look at a Queen + Adam Lambert appearance at Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival 2014, where they broke out the album track “I Was Born To Love You,” which is described as a “cult gem” for Japanese audiences.
The tune, which was first released on Freddie Mercury’s 1985 solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, and then reworked for Queen’s posthumous 1995 album, Made In Heaven, was particularly popular in Japan. In 1996, it was used in a commercial for Kirin beer, and in 2004, it was used as the opening theme song for a TV drama series Pride, about a successful ice hockey team.
“I had an obsession with the song, and had the idea to make a new version, simulating how it would have sounded if we had been able to play it live with Freddie on stage,” Brian May shares. “So the Queen version was put together as a ‘virtual’ live track, using Freddie’s spectacular vocal as the central thread.”
He adds, “Little did we know that years later we’d have the opportunity with Adam to finally bring this arrangement to life on a real stage.”
Queen + Adam Lambert will have a chance to perform the song again for Japanese audiences. Their Rhapsody Tour will hit Japan starting February 4 in Nagoya. A complete list of dates can be found at queenonline.com.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
