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"Who Wants to Live Forever" | ||||
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Single by Queen | ||||
from the album A Kind of Magic | ||||
B-side | "Killer Queen" "Forever" (12" single only) |
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Released | September 15, 1986 | |||
Format | Vinyl record (7"/12") | |||
Recorded | 1985 – 1986 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length |
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Label | EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Brian May | |||
Producer(s) | Queen and David Richards | |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
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"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy.[1] The song peaked at No 24 in the British charts.
The song is used to frame the scenes in the film where Connor MacLeod must endure his beloved wife Heather growing old and dying while he, as an Immortal, remains forever young. (It was later used in the episodes "The Gathering", "Revenge is Sweet", "The Hunters", "Line of Fire", and "Leader of the Pack" of the Highlander television series.) The song's title is taken from a line in another movie scored by Brian May and Queen, Flash Gordon (the line can be heard on Battle Theme from Queen Flash Gordon soundtrack album).
May sings lead vocals on the first verse, before Freddie Mercury takes over for most of the rest of the song, with May singing "But touch my tears with your lips" during Mercury's verse and then the final line of the song, "Who waits forever anyway?". The version which can be heard in the film is unique, in that it features Mercury singing lead vocals on the first verse. Mercury also sang the lead in live performances. When live, however, the song was lowered by a whole tone, and Mercury would frequently alter the song's highly demanding vocal line due to the strain placed on his voice by vocal nodules: this often involved Roger Taylor handling lead vocals on the choruses, while Mercury harmonised with a counter-melody. An instrumental version of the song, titled "Forever", was included as a bonus track on the CD version of the album. This instrumental featured only a piano, with keyboard accompaniment during the chorus sections. The piano track was recorded solely by Brian May. Queen was backed up by an orchestra, with orchestrations by the co-composer of the film's score, Michael Kamen.[1]
The video was directed by David Mallet and filmed in a (now demolished) warehouse at Tobacco Wharf at London's East End in September 1986. It featured the National Philharmonic Orchestra with forty choirboys and hundreds and hundreds of candles which remain lit throughout filming as well as Mercury wearing a tuxedo suit. It is the only Queen video to feature bassist John Deacon playing an upright bass.
An alternative version with clips from the film Highlander (which the song appears in) appears on the video single with A Kind Of Magic in October 1986 and later as a hidden music video on Queen Greatest Video Hits II DVD in November 2003.
"Who Wants to Live Forever" | ||||
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Single by Dune | ||||
from the album Forever | ||||
Released | 23 October 1996 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Dune singles chronology | ||||
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German band Dune released their cover of "Who Wants to Live Forever", from their album Forever, as a single in October 1996.
Dune's version of "Who Wants to Live Forever" sold more than 500.000 copies in Germany. The single peaked at #3 in the Austrian singles charts, at #9 in the Swiss Charts, at #12 in the Dutch Charts and at #59 in the Swedish charts.
Released: 4 December 1996
The music video was shot in the Scottish Highlands.
"Who Wants to Live Forever" | ||||
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Single by Sarah Brightman | ||||
from the album Time to Say Goodbye | ||||
Released | 1997 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Producer(s) | Frank Peterson | |||
Sarah Brightman singles chronology | ||||
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Soprano Sarah Brightman released her cover of "Who Wants to Live Forever", from her album Timeless/Time to Say Goodbye, as a single in 1997 (See 1997 in music). The single peaked at #45 in the UK singles chart.
"Nieśmiertelni" | ||||
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Single by Edyta Górniak | ||||
Released | 2003 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Label | Pomaton EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ryszard Kunce | |||
Producer(s) | Edyta Górniak | |||
Edyta Górniak singles chronology | ||||
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Polish singer Edyta Górniak released a cover of "Who Wants to Live Forever" in 2003 called "Nieśmiertelni" (Immortals). She recorded the cover with Polish lyrics for the cover compilation album RMF FM - Moja i Twoja muzyka by Polish radio station RMF FM.
It was released as a promo radio single by Pomaton EMI. The image on the cover was shot by photographer Robert Wolański