Brighton Rock

The composition of *Brighton Rock* began in 1973, shortly before the album *Queen II* was finished. However, the band did not have enough time to record it then, so it was postponed. Before its definitive recording in 1974, some variations of this solo were already part of the song *Son and Daughter*. The lyrics tell the story of two young lovers, Jenny and Jimmy, who meet in Brighton during a holiday. Jenny has to leave soon for fear her mother will discover how she spent her vacation, although she later writes him daily letters. Jimmy, who was excited that day, replies that he fears being discovered by "my lady". The song includes a sample of the track *Carnival Midway*, from a sound effects library compiled by Jac Holzman, who signed Queen to Elektra Records in the United States. Over this sound effect, the whistling of *I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside* can be heard, a melody that already appeared at the end of *Seven Seas of Rhye*, the track that closed *Queen II*. The guitar solo in *Brighton Rock* is famous for May's technique of using multiple echoes to create guitar harmonies and contrapuntal melodic lines. While the studio version features a main guitar and one with echo in a short section, live, May used to split his guitar signal into a main one and two with echo, directing each to a different amplifier bank. Live, this solo could extend between nine and thirteen minutes. The guitar solo from *Brighton Rock* was included in *Guitar World* magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, ranking at number 41. The film *Baby Driver* used the song in two key scenes: at the beginning, when Baby (played by Ansel Elgort) and Buddy van Horn (played by Jon Hamm) discuss it, and during the final confrontation between Baby and Buddy, who plays it on his car stereo. This appearance in the film and its soundtrack boosted a new wave of popularity for the track. The title *Brighton Rock* refers to a traditional sweet from that coastal town, and also alludes to a novel by Graham Greene. The recording of the song took place between July and September 1974 in studios such as AIR, Rockfield, Trident, and Wessex Sound. The musical genre is classified as hard rock and its duration is 5 minutes and 11 seconds.