"You're My Best Friend" is a song by the British rock band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, written by the band's bass player, John Deacon, who wrote it for and about his wife. It was first included on the 1975 album '' A Night at the Opera'', and later released as a single. The

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

also appeared on the ''

Live Killers ''Live Killers'' is a double live album by the British rock band Queen, released on 22 June 1979.Live Ki ...

'' (1979) live album, and on the compilation albums '' Greatest Hits'' (1981), '' Absolute Greatest'' (2009) and '' Queen Forever'' (2014). The song reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart and number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It is certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in the US with over one million copies sold. The song has since featured in television, film, and other media, such as ''

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'' and ''

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''.

History

Deacon wrote the song for his wife, Veronica Tetzlaff. In this song, he plays a

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

in addition to his bass guitar work. The characteristic "bark" of the Wurlitzer's bass notes plays a prominent role in the song. During live performances,

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

would play a grand piano, while Deacon played the bass guitar as in the original recording. The song would be performed live by the band from the Summer Gigs 1976 Tour up to the end of the North American leg of The Game Tour in 1980. It was then dropped from the rest of the tour, and would not be played live again until after the death of Mercury. The song was used in several TV shows and films such as '' Hot in Cleveland'', '' Will & Grace'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

The King of Queens ''The King of Queens'' is an American television sitcom that ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007, with a total of 207 half-hour episodes spanning nine seasons. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, who al ...

'', '' Good Omens'', '' The Break-Up'', the end credits of '' I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'', ''

'', '' Shaun of the Dead'', ''

Peter's Friends ''Peter's Friends'' is a 1992 British comedy film directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh, and written by Rita Rudner and Martin Bergman. The film follows six friends (played by Stephen Fry, Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Hugh Laurie, Imeld ...

'', ''

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'', and the ''

'' episode " Farmer Guy".

Music video

The music video, directed by Bruce Gowers, shows the band in a huge ballroom surrounded by over one thousand candles, including a huge

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

hung from the ceiling. The video was filmed in April 1976Promo Videos: You're My Best Friend
Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 11 November 2011. at Elstree Studios, near London. Additionally, Deacon is seen playing a grand piano rather than the Wurlitzer he used on the recording.

Composition

The song was composed by John Deacon in the key of

C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...

with a

meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

of 4/4, in swing feel.title=Queen Songs: You're My Best Friend
. Queen Songs. Retrieved 11 November 2011. The album '' A Night at the Opera'' features songs of numerous styles, including this three-minute pop song. Very unusual for the genre, there is no section appearing more than twice; characteristic of many Queen songs, as affirmed by

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

. On the other hand, in terms of phrases and measures, there are numerous repetitions or variants. The form is cyclic and very similar to that of " Spread Your Wings" (1977). Another similarity between the two songs is the lack of (real) modulation. The arrangement features 3 and 4-part vocal and guitar harmonies, bass (melodic approach), drums, and electric piano. This is Deacon's second recorded song and the first one released on single, some six months after the album-release. Mercury hits two sustained C₅s in the lead vocal track.

Reception

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'' said that "the harmonies are smoothly designed to accentuate the hook of the chorus" and that "the beat is really good, on the edge of bubblegum, but still classy." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said it "stands to be every bit the enormous hit Bohemian Rhapsody'">Bohemian_Rhapsody.html" ;"title="Bohemian Rhapsody">Bohemian Rhapsody'was," even though it does not break new ground the way "Bohemian Rhapsody" did. ''Classic Rock History'' critic Millie Zeiler rated it John Deacon's best Queen song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certification

Personnel

Information is taken from the Queen Songs website *

– lead and backing vocals *

– guitars, backing vocals *Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)">Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals * John Deacon – Wurlitzer electronic piano, bass guitar

References

External links

Lyrics at Queen official website
* {{Authority control Queen (band) songs 1976 singles Songs written by John Deacon Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker EMI Records singles Elektra Records singles Hollywood Records singles Songs about friendship 1975 songs Pop ballads British pop songs 1970s ballads