6663. Queen - I Want to Break Free

- Saturday, December 13, 2025

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Mr+SoLzKL._SX522_.jpg

From: The Works; Year: 1984; Genre: Rock/Synthpop

For my fourth pick in this theme I am going with a one of the most popular bands of all time, which used to get vilified by overtly self-righteous people. This was mostly due for people looking for and finding something to get offended about and those who just don't understand humour from another place.

A few times back in Sunday school they would put in one VHS tape or another to show "proof" that some popular music was indoctrinating children by putting in back masked messages, i.e. supposed lyrics if you played them backwards would say some satanic or some other bad message. Of course, this idea goes way back further than the "Satanic Panic" with some claiming there is/was hidden messages by The Beatles in their music about dead band members being replaced and such. Other ones I do remember was Led Zeppelin doing it as well as Electric Light Orchestra. Jeff Lynne actually did respond in kind on the epic track Fire on High where he actually did include a backwards spoken section that said: "The music is reversible, but time is not... turn back, turn back, turn back!" Anyway, one I clearly remember them going at teeth and claws bared was Queen's Another One Bites the Dust. In the video they showed where it supposedly said "Smoke marijuana," which was also subtitled. Not surprising, if you were not looking at the television or were outside the room it sounded like the gibberish that it was. It all has to do with Expectancy Theory where your brain will try to make figure out something one sense cannot make sense of, so it will rely on information from another. In this case, visual is aiding audio and thus you can make out the backwards lyrics with the subtitles they need you to read to affirm their ascertain that this song does in fact have a diabolical message.

Anyway, I Want to Break Free is another amazing song that, at least here in The States, got a lot of hate from those who did not understand the humour the band was using in the accompanying music video clip. They decided to do a parody of the venerable British show Coronation Street, which was a show many non British had not seen, so the connection was not made. Also the band went deep into British comedy standards such as being so campy it hurt, self-deprecating jokes, and, of course, men in drag. I believe that it's some kind of protective mechanism in American society where you strike out at something not understood and thinking their campy comedy was serious, where, if you watched even a little bit of Monty Python you probably could have had a chuckle at their self-demeaning jokes.

All that being said, I myself have and always will enjoy the song and at least grin when I watch the music video. I know it is facile to say, but this was Queen at their best.

Hear I Want to Break Free on YouTube.

My song pick 1 year ago today: Bernard Wright - Bread Sandwiches

My song pick 2 years ago today: Concrete Blonde - Someday?

My song pick 3 years ago today: Mastodon - Cold Dark Place

My song pick 4 years ago today: Jerry Reed - How Many Tomorrows

My song pick 5 years ago today: Charley Pride - When I Stop Leaving (I'll Be Gone)

My song pick 6 years ago today: Béla Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle Bells