A Winter's Tale (song)
Encyclopedia
"A Winter's Tale" is a song by Queen
, from the album Made in Heaven
, released in 1995 after Freddie Mercury
's death in 1991. It was written after the Innuendo
sessions, inspired as Mercury was staring out the windows of their recording studio, at Lake Geneva
. The song has a psychedelic, dreamy feel, and describes what Mercury saw outside the windows.
It was said to have been recorded two weeks before Mercury's death. He wrote, composed, and did the vocals and keyboards for it. In the documentary "Queen - Champions of the World", it was stated that this was if not the first then an extremely rare style of recording for Freddie, as it was all performed in one take live in the studio. It was stated in the film that Freddie had always insisted upon music being completed prior to the vocal arrangement beginning, but acknowledged that he had little time left and there was not enough time to work on it differently.
The song was released as the second single from the album. In the UK the single was also available in a special limited edition green paper CD case which resembled Christmas wrapper.
, as Mercury's actual written song notes were displayed alongside imagery and clips of Mercury's past performances.
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, from the album Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven is the fifteenth studio album by British rock group Queen and the final one to feature lead singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, released on 6 November 1995...
, released in 1995 after Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
's death in 1991. It was written after the Innuendo
Innuendo (album)
Innuendo is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Queen. Released in February 1991, it was the final studio album to be released in Freddie Mercury's lifetime and is the last to be composed entirely of new material...
sessions, inspired as Mercury was staring out the windows of their recording studio, at Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. The song has a psychedelic, dreamy feel, and describes what Mercury saw outside the windows.
It was said to have been recorded two weeks before Mercury's death. He wrote, composed, and did the vocals and keyboards for it. In the documentary "Queen - Champions of the World", it was stated that this was if not the first then an extremely rare style of recording for Freddie, as it was all performed in one take live in the studio. It was stated in the film that Freddie had always insisted upon music being completed prior to the vocal arrangement beginning, but acknowledged that he had little time left and there was not enough time to work on it differently.
The song was released as the second single from the album. In the UK the single was also available in a special limited edition green paper CD case which resembled Christmas wrapper.
Music video
The music video, produced after his death, was an epitaphEpitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
, as Mercury's actual written song notes were displayed alongside imagery and clips of Mercury's past performances.
Chart performances
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 23 |
| German Singles Chart | 62 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 25 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 28 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 71 |