Living on My Own

"Living on My Own" is a song by British singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury, originally included on his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy (1985). It was released as a single (backed with "My Love Is Dangerous") in September 1985 in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 50. The July 1985 release in the United States had "She Blows Hot and Cold" as its B-side.[2] Eight years later, in 1993, "Living on My Own" was remixed and re-released to widespread chart success. The song's lyrics reflect Mercury's longstanding admiration for Greta Garbo, whose quotations are featured prominently in the lyrics.[3]

"Living on My Own"
Single by Freddie Mercury
from the album Mr. Bad Guy
B-side"My Love Is Dangerous"
Released2 September 1985 (1985-09-02)[1]
StudioMusicland, Munich, West Germany
Length
  • 3:21 (album version)
  • 3:03 (single version)
  • 6:39 (extended version)
  • 3:38 (No More Brothers' version)
  • 3:39 (Greatest Hits III version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)
Freddie Mercury singles chronology
"Made in Heaven"
(1985)		 "Living on My Own"
(1985)		 "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow"
(1985)
Music video
"Living on My Own" (1993 'No More Brothers' Mix) on YouTube
1993 cover
Cover art for 1993 No More Brothers Mix.

1993 No More Brothers' Mix version

On 19 July 1993, almost two years after Mercury's death, the No More Brothers Mix of "Living on My Own" was released.[4] This remix reached number one in the UK, Ireland, and France (for 15 weeks), becoming Mercury's first solo number-one hit. Meanwhile, in the United States, the 1993 version was not officially released.[5] It remained at the top for two weeks on the British charts.[5]

Critical reception

Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger felt that Mercury "sounds terrific over house music".[6] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote that the Belgian dance producers "picked up a Mercury vocal track, put it on top of sequencers—with surprising results—and made a local top 10 hit out of it".[7] John Kilgo from The Network Forty said that "hitting you over the head like a hammer, the harmony-laden hook compliments (sic) an uptempo groove".[8] A reviewer from Sandwell Evening Mail declared it as "a stunning Euro-style remix".[9]

Chart performance

The 1993 No More Brothers Mix of "Living on My Own" was very successful in Europe. It made it to number one in Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, it hit the top spot in its third week on the UK Singles Chart, on 8 August 1993; the single spent two weeks at the top of the chart.[10] Additionally, it reached number two in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. In these countries, it was held off reaching number one by 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up". "Living on My Own" earned a gold record in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK, while it earned a platinum record in Austria and Germany.

Music video

The accompanying videos for both the original 1985 and the 1993 remix versions of "Living on My Own" show footage of Mercury's 39th birthday celebration on 5th September 1985 at the travesty nightclub Old Mrs. Henderson in Munich, where Mercury lived from 1979 to 1985.[11][12][13] The theme of the birthday party was "A Black and White Drag Ball". Because of the garishly costumed homosexuals and transvestites celebrating a decadent raucous party in the video clip, the British broadcaster BBC long refused to broadcast the music video on its channels.[14] The video was directed by Hannes Rossacher and Rudi Dolezal,[15] and received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.[16] It was later published on Mercury's official YouTube channel in November 2012, and as of January 2023, the video had generated more than 100 million views.[17]

Track listings

Personnel
  • Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals
  • Colin Peter – additional production / remix
  • Carl Ward – additional production / remix
  • Serge Ramaekers – additional production / remix

Charts

Sales and certifications
Certifications and sales for "Living on My Own"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[49] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[50] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[51] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[52] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[53] Gold 400,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 August 1985. p. 14. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  2. Mr Bad Guy - Living On My Own Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 22 March 2012
  3. Mercury, Freddie; Brooks, Greg; Lupton, Simon (5 September 2019). Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words. London: Mercury Songs Ltd. p. 120. ISBN 978-1688967489.
  4. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 17 July 1993. p. 19. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  6. Ewing, Tom (27 April 2012). "Freddie Mercury – "Living On My Own"". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  7. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 31 July 1993. p. 11. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. Kilgo, John (3 December 1993). "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 22. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  9. "Freddie Mercury - Living on My Own". Sandwell Evening Mail. 5 June 1993. page 15.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  11. Stankiewitz, Karl (May 2018). Aus is und Gar is (in German). Allitera Verlag. ISBN 978-3-96233-023-1.
  12. Schauberger, Anja. "11 verrückte Clubs in München, die Geschichte schrieben" [11 crazy clubs in Munich that made history]. Mit Vergnuegen. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  13. Mautz, Ina Simone (26 November 2021). "Schweinshaxe und Schaumbad: Wie Queen in München ihre Freiheit genossen" [Pork knuckle and bubble bath: How Queen enjoyed their freedom in Munich]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  14. Sechs Jahre hat Freddie Mercury in München gelebt – eine Spurensuche [Freddie Mercury lived in Munich for six years – a search for clues] (documentary) (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  15. Gunn, Jacky (1986). The Official International Queen Fan Club Biography.
  16. "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. 23 October 1993. p. 30. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  17. "Freddie Mercury - Living On My Own (1993 Remix Remastered)". YouTube. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  19. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  20. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  21. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 44. 30 October 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  22. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 44. 30 October 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  23. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  24. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own [1993"] (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  25. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (02.09.1993 – 08.09.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 September 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  26. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living on My Own". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  27. 2 weeks at No. 1 (17 August 1993 & 24 August 1993)
  28. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 42. 16 October 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  29. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  30. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  31. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". VG-lista. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  32. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  33. "Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  34. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 31 July 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  35. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 17 July 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  36. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1993" (in German). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  37. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  38. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  39. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  40. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  41. "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  42. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  43. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993" (in German). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  44. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
  45. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. 24 December 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  46. "Bestenlisten – Singles 1990er" (in German). Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  47. "Ultratop Nineties 500" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  48. "Top 100 – Decenniumlijst: 90's" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  49. "Austrian single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  50. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Freddie Mercury; 'Living on My Own')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  51. "Dutch single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 24 November 2019. Enter Living on My Own in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1993 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  52. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  53. "British single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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