Keep Yourself Alive

When Queen was taking its first steps, still without a fixed bassist, Brian May was already gestating what would be his first song released as a single. The idea for "Keep Yourself Alive" was born in acoustic sessions, between 1970 and 1971, in places like the Imperial College and a house on Ferry Road. At that time, the main trio consisted of Freddie Mercury on vocals, Brian May on guitar, and Roger Taylor on drums. May conceived the lyrics with an ironic tone, almost like a game, but it was Mercury's interpretation that gave it a completely different nuance, charged with an urgency that resonated with the band's spirit.

The first take of "Keep Yourself Alive" was recorded in December 1971 at De Lane Lea Studios, with Louie Austin producing. This early version, which Brian May considers his favorite, already included the complete structure, with Mercury's call-and-response vocals and a moment where Taylor sang a line and May responded. However, for the version that was finally released as a single in 1973, the band moved to Trident Studios. There, with the mixing by Mike Stone, they sought to capture that definitive "magic." In this edition, Freddie Mercury handled all the vocal harmonies for the chorus, multiplying his own voice, and it was Brian May who sang the line "two steps nearer to my grave," a detail that varied from previous versions and live performances. This final recording, which lasts 3:47, became Queen's calling card, a hard rock and progressive rock track that, despite not having a major initial impact on the charts, remained in their live repertoire until the early 1980s, evolving with jams and instrumental solos that extended into the mid-80s.