Who Wants to Live Forever

Who Wants to Live Forever is a power ballad of the English rock band Queen. The song was by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack of the movie Highlander - There can be only one written and published in a different version on 2 June 1986 on the album A Kind of Magic. The single reached number 24 in the UK charts. Since then, a variety of cover versions arose.

Style

Brian May sings the first verse and is then replaced by vocalist Freddie Mercury, who - apart from the line " but touch my tears with your lips " and the words "Who waits forever anyway" - sings the rest of the song. The instrumental accompaniment assumes, among other things, conducted by Michael Kamen National Philharmonic Orchestra. In live performances, however, Freddie Mercury sang the entire text.

Background

In Highlander accompanied Who Wants to Live Forever a scene in which it is shown how Connor MacLeod's wife Heather over the years aging on its side, and eventually dies while he (that's it, unless it is forcibly killed by decapitation ) as an immortal stay young forever. In the film version Mercury sings the first verse. In some episodes of the later TV series Highlander the song can also be heard.

An instrumental version entitled "Forever" is included as a bonus track on the CD release of the album A Kind of Magic. Here Brian May playing piano with some keyboard accompaniment during the chorus phases.

The Compilations Greatest Hits II (1991) and Absolute Greatest (2009) include a slightly abridged version of Who Wants to Live Forever.

A live interpretation of Queen, in May can be heard both on keyboards as well as guitar, was released in 1992 on the album Live at Wembley '86 and 2003 on DVD.

Cover versions

  • Shirley Bassey sang the theme to a number of concerts.
  • In 2002 the band After Forever released a cover version on the single "Emphasis / Who Wants to Live Forever". It also Arjen Lucassen (guitar) and Damian Wilson were involved (vocals), who worked together already for Ayreon.
  • In 2003, the singer Edyta Górniak a Polish version called " Nieśmiertelni " for the album Moja muzyka i Twoja on a compilation album of the radio station RMF FM. The song was released as a promotional radio single from Pomaton EMI. The cover photo was taken by photographer Robert Wolański.
  • In 2005, the band Breaking Benjamin coverte the title for the album Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen.
  • In 2006, The Ten Tenors on a version for her album " Here's to the Heroes ".
  • INXS is, on the " Who Wants to Live Forever" included: 2007 the debut album " MiG " MiG Ayesa, a finalist of the show Rock Star.
  • 2007 coverte the band Gregorian, the song for their album Masters of Chant Chapter VI.
  • 2008 Jonathan Ansell took to the song for his second album Forever.
  • Rhydian Roberts in 2008 took the song for his debut album Rhydian.
  • 2009 sang the tenor Amaury Vassili for his album Vincero a version that comes very close to the operetta-like original.
  • Published in 2009 Katherine Jenkins album Believe, the next Who Wants to Live Forever contains other already well-known and successful titles by other artists.
  • 2012 reached the Classical - pop duo Jonathan and Charlotte - then 17 or 16 years old - 2nd place in the show Britain's Got Talent. In the same year they brought out the album Together with a selection of classic titles on which inter alia, an Italian sung version of Who Wants to Live Forever is included.
Ballad#Pop and rock ballads Rock music Queen (Band) Highlander: The Series Electronic keyboard Elaine Paige Luciano Pavarotti Giorgia (singer) Dune (Band) Verena von Strenge Scottish Highlands Sarah Brightman Gregorian (band)
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