The Miracle (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Miracle" is the fifth and last single
from Queen
's 1989
album
The Miracle. It was composed by the entire band, though Freddie Mercury
was the main driving force. It was released as a single in late November 1989, some six months after the album. It was the last of the singles from that album to be released, and the first 5th single released from any of Queen's albums from EMI.
The song uses the album's artwork inverted with a hologram-like fashion.
Mercury began writing the song after he and John Deacon made some chords and decided which one would be the theme. All four contributed to the lyrics and musical ideas, and the song was still credited to the entire band because they had agreed to do so during the album recording, regardless of who had been the actual writer. While both Mercury and May regarded this as one of their favourites, Taylor said in the audio commentary of Greatest Video Hits II that although it was not a favourite of his, he respected it as "an incredibly complex track".
The song describes several of "God's creations, great and small", such as great buildings like the Taj Mahal
and the Tower of Babel
, all described as "miracles" in the song. The song also references such well-known figures as Captain Cook, Cain and Abel
, and Jimi Hendrix
.
as Freddie Mercury – performing as Queen on stage. Throughout the video, McCall appears dressed as four different incarnations of Mercury: '70s era (long hair and harlequin leotard), early '80s (thick mustache, leather jacket and pants), the mid-80s Live Aid outfit, and Magic Tour '86 (the iconic yellow leather jacket, white pants and Adidas
sneakers). Queen themselves appear only near the end of the video. According to Roger Taylor, Mercury joked about sending the boys out on tour instead of them because of how well they did in the video. According to a story in a 2011 issue of rock magazine NME
, the boy playing the part of Brian May (Howard) is currently fronting London rock band Silvery
.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Queen
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...
's 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
The Miracle. It was composed by the entire band, though 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...
was the main driving force. It was released as a single in late November 1989, some six months after the album. It was the last of the singles from that album to be released, and the first 5th single released from any of Queen's albums from EMI.
The song uses the album's artwork inverted with a hologram-like fashion.
Mercury began writing the song after he and John Deacon made some chords and decided which one would be the theme. All four contributed to the lyrics and musical ideas, and the song was still credited to the entire band because they had agreed to do so during the album recording, regardless of who had been the actual writer. While both Mercury and May regarded this as one of their favourites, Taylor said in the audio commentary of Greatest Video Hits II that although it was not a favourite of his, he respected it as "an incredibly complex track".
The song describes several of "God's creations, great and small", such as great buildings like the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
and the Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel , according to the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built in the plain of Shinar .According to the biblical account, a united humanity of the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, came to the land of Shinar, where...
, all described as "miracles" in the song. The song also references such well-known figures as Captain Cook, Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel
In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. The Qur'an mentions the story, calling them the two sons of Adam only....
, and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
.
Music video
The music video for the song features four young boys - Paul Howard as Brian May, James Currie as John Deacon, Adam Gladdish as Roger Taylor, and a then-unknown Ross McCallRoss McCall
Ross McCall is a Scottish actor notable for his role as T-5. Joseph Liebgott in the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.-Career:...
as Freddie Mercury – performing as Queen on stage. Throughout the video, McCall appears dressed as four different incarnations of Mercury: '70s era (long hair and harlequin leotard), early '80s (thick mustache, leather jacket and pants), the mid-80s Live Aid outfit, and Magic Tour '86 (the iconic yellow leather jacket, white pants and Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
sneakers). Queen themselves appear only near the end of the video. According to Roger Taylor, Mercury joked about sending the boys out on tour instead of them because of how well they did in the video. According to a story in a 2011 issue of rock magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, the boy playing the part of Brian May (Howard) is currently fronting London rock band Silvery
Silvery
Silvery are a London-based 4-piece indie rock band, signed to Blow Up Records . Their sound was best described by Journalist David Quantick in The Word as “Splenetic, frenetic, kinetic” and in NME as “Girlie harmonies, sniggering, fairground piano.....
.
Trivia
- On the B-side of the original single a live version of the song "Stone Cold CrazyStone Cold Crazy"Stone Cold Crazy" is a song by English rock band Queen from their successful 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack. The song is the eighth track on the album. Although the song was never released as a single, it was played live at almost every Queen concert between 1974-1978...
" can be found.
Chart performance
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 16 | 9 |
| German Singles Chart | 78 | 4 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 23 | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 21 | 5 |