Fridays with Freddie: Unplugged

The Fridays with Freddie entry of the week is '39, a song that you won't hear on heavy rotation radio that may give Queen standards like Bohemian Rhapsody or We Will Rock You a spin. This song is a great example of just how broad the sound of Queen really was. I'm always happily surprised when I hear the stark jump from a futuristic punk inspired song like "Sheer Heart Attack" with absolutely no transition into the soft and melancholy "All Dead, All Dead" on "News of The World"; or in today's case, the transition from the heartfelt pop anthem "You're My Best Friend" into Brian May's string heavy folk song "'39" on "A Night At The Opera". 

While '39 sounds rather folky, it's sci-fi story focuses on a group of space explorers who travel through time as they return home to Earth to find that all of their loved ones have passed away. That's both an extremely sad thought and a really odd story that hangs on this melody in a very contrasting way. What does it all mean? I just think it sounds great. Enjoy, and don't sign up for any experimental space voyages anytime soon.