The Invisible Man

The song The Invisible Man, born from the pen of drummer Roger Taylor but credited to Queen, stands out for a very particular detail: it is the only one in the band's entire catalog where the names of the four members are mentioned. The idea, according to Taylor, arose while he was reading a book, and the bass line immediately presented itself to him, like a rhythmic pattern already formed in his mind. The title itself is inspired by H.G. Wells' novel of the same name.

During the performance, Freddie Mercury takes the lead vocals, although Taylor also contributes to the backing vocals. The play on names within the lyrics is ingenious: Taylor introduces Freddie Mercury and then John Deacon. Brian May's name appears twice, just before his guitar solo, and when saying "Roger Taylor", the first "r" is pronounced with a vibrato that imitates the sound of the drums at the end of a verse. The vocal dynamic is completed with Mercury singing Taylor's name, closing this peculiar group tribute.

The single was released in August 1989, as part of the album The Miracle. The recording of this album, which began in January 1988 and lasted for a full year, took place at a complex time for the band, following Brian May's marital problems and Freddie Mercury's HIV diagnosis in 1987. Interestingly, the album was originally going to be called The Invisible Men, but the name was changed to The Miracle just three weeks before its release. It was also Queen's last album to feature a photograph of the four members on its cover. The album reached number one on the charts in the UK, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The music video for The Invisible Man incorporates a video game of the same name. The story follows a child playing, while the band, dressed in black, becomes the "bad guys" in the game. Freddie Mercury, wearing virtual reality glasses, bursts into the real world and sings the song in his room, while the child tries to catch them with the game controller. In later scenes, John Deacon takes off his cowboy hat and throws it on the ground, a gesture the child tries to imitate. The video concludes with a "Game Over" message and an image of the band within the game. Danniella Westbrook also appears in this clip, who would join the cast of the soap opera EastEnders the following year.