Brighton Rock (song)

"Brighton Rock" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by lead guitarist Brian May. The song is the opening track on their third studio album Sheer Heart Attack. The song features one of Queen's longest guitar solos which is more than three minutes long. The solo has been performed live by Brian May at most concerts since its release. The song gained popularity after its prominent use in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver.[2]

"Brighton Rock"
Song by Queen
from the album Sheer Heart Attack
PublishedQueen Music Ltd.
Released8 November 1974 (1974-11-08)
RecordedJuly–September 1974
Studio
GenreHard rock[1]
Length5:11
Label
Songwriter(s)Brian May
Producer(s)

History

May wrote the song shortly before the completion of Queen II in 1973, but because the band did not have enough time to record it, it was not included. Before the song was recorded in 1974, variations of the solo were part of "Son and Daughter".[3]

The song, the first track on the album, tells the story of two young lovers named Jenny and Jimmy meeting in Brighton on a public holiday.[4] Jenny cannot linger because she is afraid her mother will find out "how I spent my holiday", but afterwards "writes a letter every day"; Jimmy, who was eager on the day, responds that he is afraid of discovery by "my lady".[5]

The song was listed among Guitar World's Top 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, ranking at #41.[6]

The song was prominently featured in two scenes in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver: early in the film, when Baby (portrayed by Ansel Elgort) and Buddy (portrayed by Jon Hamm) discuss it and Baby describes it as "his killer track", and during the climactic face-off between Baby and Buddy, who plays the song on his car stereo because of the earlier conversation. The song's usage in the film led to a resurgence of popularity for the track.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

Live performances

The song is probably best known for its lengthy guitar solo interlude.[4] This featured May's technique of using multiple echoes used to build up guitar harmony and contrapuntal melodic lines. The studio version only contains one "main" guitar and one "echoed" guitar for a short section, but live, he would usually split his guitar signal into "main" and two "echoed", with each going to a separate bank of amplifiers.

The live piece is often between 9 and 13 minutes long. May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[13]

Personnel

References
  1. Moriarty, Frank (2003). Seventies Rock: The Decade of Creative Chaos. Taylor Trade Pub. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-58979-024-7.
  2. Deriso, Nick (29 June 2017). "The Long Journey Queen's 'Brighton Rock' Took to the 'Baby Driver' Soundtrack". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  3. Lemieux, Patrick (11 August 2014). "The Black, White and Grey of Queen II". QueenOnline.com. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. Guarisco, Donald A. "Brighton Rock - Queen | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  5. "Brighton Rock". The Mod Generation. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. "100 Greatest Guitar Solos: No. 41 "Brighton Rock" (Brian May)". Guitar World. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  7. Pardiwalla, Tanzim (16 April 2020). "Filmsplaining: How Edgar Wright's 'Baby Driver' Made Music the Ultimate Escape". Mashable India. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  8. Willman, Chris (29 June 2017). "The Soundtrack to 'Baby Driver' Is a Music Nerd's Dream — and Director Edgar Wright's". Variety. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  9. Wyse, Alex (14 April 2020). "Edgar Wright's 10 Most Impressive Action Sequences". Screen Rant. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  10. Tanatarova, Elmira (16 April 2020). "Car chases, heists and road trips: the best automotive films to watch during lockdown". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. Minsker, Evan (5 July 2017). "Behind the Music of Baby Driver, With Director Edgar Wright". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. Hart, Ron (6 July 2017). "Edgar Wright Explains How He Crafted the Perfect Soundtrack for Baby Driver". Esquire. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  13. "Olympics closing ceremony: playlist". The Telegraph. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
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