Killer Queen

Context

• from album Sheer Heart Attack

• glam rock

• lyrics written first

• 1974

• can’t be performed live - fade out and over-dubbing

• Freddie Mercury - lead vocalist

• Brian May - guitar

• John Deacon - bass

• Roger Taylor - drums

Performing Forces

• drums

• 4 electric guitars

• bass guitar

• lead + backing vocals (by Freddie)

• piano overdubbed with a honkey-tonk piano

• percussion - finger clicks and bell chimes

Structure

• verse-chorus structure

• intro - finger clicks

• verse 1

• chorus 1

• instrumental (4-bar link)

• verse 2

• chorus 2

• guitar solo

• verse 3

• chorus 3

• outro

Performing Techniques

• portamento (vocal slide on ‘Killer Queen’)

• vocables

• falsetto

• guitar techniques - palm muting, slides, bends, pull-offs, vibrato

Use of Technology

• reverb

• EQ

• multi-tracking

• overdubbing (guitar + vocals)

• panning

• distortion

• wah-wah

• flanger

Melody

• mainly syllabic

• little word-painting - ‘laser beam’

• some larger leaps

• mainly conjunct

• unusual phrase lengths

• backing vocals and vocables

Texture

• mainly homophonic

• use of layering

• 3 part texture during guitar solo

• monophonic during intro

• use of imitation

Tempo

• moderato (112 BPM)

Metre

• 12/8 (compound quadruple)

• occasionally 6/8 to extend phrase length

Rhythm

• triplets

• swung feel

• frequent syncopation

Tonality

• Eb major - difficult for guitar

• ambiguous opening as it opens with a C minor chord

• diatonic

• passing modulations

• perfect cadences that establish the key of the piece

Harmony

• some dissonance

• 7th chords

• use of extended + altered chords

• circle of 5th

• pedal