Long Away
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| "Long Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Thai single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album A Day at the Races | ||||
| B-side | "You and I" | |||
| Released | 7 June 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Brian May | |||
| Producer(s) | Queen | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Long Away" is a song by the British rock band Queen; it is the third track on their 1976 album A Day at the Races. Brian May wrote the song and sings the lead vocals. It is the only Queen single released during Freddie Mercury's lifetime not to be sung by him, and was released as the third single from the album in North America and New Zealand only.
Recording
It is one of the few songs where May uses a guitar other than his Red Special. For the rhythm guitar parts, he used an electric Burns twelve string guitar (although he used the Red Special for the second guitar solo in the middle section of the track). Originally, May wanted to use a Rickenbacker guitar (as he admired John Lennon), but he didn't get along well with the Rickenbacker's thin neck.
Roger Taylor sings the highest parts of the song.
Meaning
The song has a sad tone, describing that "for every star in heaven / there's a sad soul here today," and an overall sense of melancholic nostalgia lies over the song. It is similar in feel to the song '39 from A Night at the Opera, although without the folk influence.
Live performances
The song was rehearsed several times and was slated to become a staple of the A Day At The Races Tour.[1] Despite this, the song saw only one live performance with Mercury, on January 20th, 1977, in Saginaw.[2] This would turn out to be Queen's only live performance of the song without May providing lead vocals.
In 2005, an abbreviated rendition of the song was performed five times during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour.[3] The arrangement was performed solely by May, taking on the lead vocals and guitar.[4]
The song was performed for the final time on May 11th, 2010, when May and Taylor were guests for the band Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.[5] The performance included a full rendition of the song, with Taylor Hawkins and Roger Taylor joining on drums and Chris Chaney on bass.
Reception
The Washington Post described it as "an affectionate recreation of the mid-'60s Beatles/Byrds sound," and one of the best songs on the album.[6] Wesley Strick of Circus magazine, in a mixed review of the album, named the album's best song and also noted the influence of the Beatles and the Byrds. He observed that Long Away was "haunting" and "never smart-ass or strickly for laughs, "Long Away" - unlike most of Races - feels real."[7] Cash Box said that "this gentle tune is built from endless layers of strummed guitars, showcasing the versatile Freddie Mercury's sweetest voice and the group's distinctive high register harmonies."[8]
Other album appearances
The song also appears on two Queen compilation albums: Deep Cuts, Volume 1 (1973–1976)[9][10] (2011) and Queen Forever[11][12][13][14] (2014).
Band comments on the song
"Long Away" is a twelve-string thing written by Brian... very interesting harmonies.
— Freddie Mercury, 1977
If I'm honest, I think I would like to be remembered for a few of the songs, none of which were really hits, but some of which had a lot of emotion in them: White Queen and Let Us Cling Together and Long Away off the A Day At The Races album. And We Will Rock You.[15]
— Brian May, 1982
Personnel
Queen
- Brian May – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar
- Freddie Mercury – backing vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals, percussion
- John Deacon – bass guitar
References
- ^ QUEEN Freddie Mercury interview Detroit 01 18 1977, retrieved 11 December 2023
- ^ www.queenlive.ca https://www.queenlive.ca/queen/77-01-20.htm. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Queen on tour: Queen + Paul Rodgers 2005 [QueenConcerts]". www.queenconcerts.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Concert: Queen + Paul Rodgers live at the BPA Palas, Pesaro, Italy [08.04.2005] [QueenConcerts]". www.queenconcerts.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Concert: Brian May + Roger Taylor live at the Scala, London, UK (with Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders) [11.05.2010] [QueenConcerts]". www.queenconcerts.com. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Queen Interviews - Queen - 02-07-1977 - A Day at the Races - Washington Post - Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews". www.queenarchives.com.
- ^ "Queen Interviews - Queen - XX-XX-1977 - A Day at the Races - Circus - Queen Archives: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, Interviews, Articles, Reviews". www.queenarchives.com.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 18 June 1977. p. 20. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Deep Cuts Volume 1 (1973-1976) (Remastered Edition)". Queen. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Queen - Deep Cuts Volume 1 (1973-1976)". Discogs. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Queen - Queen Forever". Discogs. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ Giles, Jeff (19 September 2014). "Queen Unearth Previously Unreleased Tracks for New 'Queen Forever' Compilation". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Queen announce Queen Forever album PLUS unreleased Freddie Mercury songs!". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Queen "Forever" album and song lyrics". www.ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Long Away". Bechstein Debauhchery. 7 July 2004. Archived from the original on 7 July 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
