"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" is the eighth track from the British rock band Queen's 1976 album A Day at the Races, written by Freddie Mercury. It was also released as a single in 1977 on 7-inch vinyl. It was one of several British music hall-inspired songs composed by members of the band. It reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.
| "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album A Day at the Races | ||||
| A-side | "Teo Torriatte" | |||
| Released | 20 May 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producer(s) | Queen | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
editThe song begins with a piano and vocal introduction by Mercury, then continues, with the bass and drums adding on, at the start of the chorus. The second verse is sung, followed by another chorus. At this point, the drums, bass and guitar drop out, which then leads into the bridge, sung by Mercury and Mike Stone ("Hey boy where'd you get it from, hey boy where did you go?"). Following the Brian May guitar solo, another verse is sung, and then the chorus ends the track.
The song describes how "a good old-fashioned lover boy" is looking forward to a night of revelry and romance.
Live performances and other appearances
editIt was partially mimed by the band for the BBC and aired on Top of the Pops. The Top of the Pops version also has drummer Roger Taylor singing Mike Stone's line.
The song was also performed live from A Day at the Races Tour until the end of the News of the World Tour.[2][3] It was performed in a medley after "Killer Queen", and was the first two verses, followed by the final chorus.[2][3]
Personnel
edit- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano
- Brian May – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, triangle, woodblocks, backing vocals[4]
- John Deacon – bass
- Mike Stone – additional vocals
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[5] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Georg Purvis (24 August 2012). Queen: Complete Works. Titan Books. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-78116-287-3.
- ^ a b Queen live on tour: A Day At The Races: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 31 August 2011
- ^ a b Queen live on tour: News Of The World: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 31 August 2011
- ^ "A Day at the Races :: Queen Songs". Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "British single certifications – Queen – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Queen – Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
External links
edit- Official music video on YouTube
- Lyrics at Queen official website
- Queenpedia - detailed worldwide release information