One of the earliest songs ever recorded by the band as part of the first demo they put together in December 1971, the group’s first release double as the opening track on the band’s self-titled album.
“I wasn’t very sure that I was a songwriter, really,” explains Brian May. “I just sort of had this idea, and strangely enough the lyrics for ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ are meant to be kind of a comment, they’re meant to be slightly ironical. Everyone always did think that ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ was just a jolly song about how great it is to be alive, but it’s actually more about asking the question ‘is there more to life than this?’ in a sense.”
To launch the single, Queen originally filmed a companion video on a stark white set as arranged by their management, in complete contrast to how the band wanted the song to be portrayed; so, the group insisted that an alternative version was shot with black stage clothes against a darker background.
Queen’s new streaming series is a celebration of 50 of the greatest songs, performances, and achievements from the Queen story so far, with new episodes to be released each Friday over the next year.
See also:
Queen preview new YouTube series The Greatest
Queen and Adam Lambert reschedule UK and European tours
Queen and Adam Lambert share live highlights video
Queen and Adam Lambert share Don’t Stop Me Now fan video
Search Queen at hennemusic
