{"id":150000,"date":"2026-03-02T19:39:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150000\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T19:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:39:30","slug":"queens-brian-may-admitted-this-sleeper-hit-song-made-him-deeply-uncomfortable-to-perform-due-to-the-lyrics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/150000\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen’s Brian May Admitted This Sleeper Hit Song Made Him Deeply Uncomfortable to Perform Due to the Lyrics"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no contesting how great Queen<\/a> is. Led by the magnetic Freddie Mercury<\/a>, the English rock band is easily one of the greatest (if not the greatest) musical acts of all time. Apart from live performances that have gone down in history as some of the most epic and iconic, they also delivered tracks that continue to thrill listeners decades later<\/a>. That includes \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now,\u201d a high-energy rock anthem that makes you want to dance every time you hear it. However, no matter how beloved the song may be, not everyone seemed to be a fan of it. That\u2019s not to say fans and casual listeners alike treat it with low regard. In fact, it stands as one of the most celebrated Queen songs. Interestingly, though, the band\u2019s lead guitarist, Brian May<\/a>, expressed discomfort over it. But why, of all their songs, did \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d make him uncomfortable?<\/p>\n

It really isn\u2019t unusual when an artist doesn\u2019t like their own work. Several musicians have publicly expressed resentment toward their songs, and in some cases, even their signature hits. These artists include Alanis Morissette<\/a> (\u201cIronic\u201d), Oasis<\/a> (\u201cWonderwall\u201d), Nirvana<\/a> (\u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit\u201d), Radiohead<\/a> (\u201cCreep\u201d), and many more. In May\u2019s case, it\u2019s not that he dislikes the song entirely; he\u2019s just uncomfortable with it. While \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d holds the title of Queen\u2019s biggest hit, \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d was a massive force in and of itself. Over the past decades, the track has grown in popularity, even becoming the band\u2019s most-listened-to song in the streaming era, second only to \u201cBohemian Rhapsody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brian May Thinks Freddie Mercury Downplayed Something Important on “Don’t Stop Me Now”<\/p>\n

Released as a single in 1979, \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d is part of Queen\u2019s 1978 seventh studio album Jazz \u2014 and perhaps the most beloved song among the album\u2019s 13 tracks. The song was far from a chart-topping hit, especially upon its release, but it is considered a success in its own right. It is, in every sense of the word, the ultimate feel-good song, complete with an irresistible melody laced with anthemic and euphoric lyrics about living life to the fullest and having \u201ca good time.\u201d Despite that, May once shared that he didn\u2019t like the song (at least at first) as he felt it was somehow downplaying the dangers of HIV\/AIDS<\/a>. However, over time, May\u2019s perception of the song shifted when he realized \u201cit gave people great joy.\u201d He eventually came to accept that \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d is simply a great song. He said<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it a little bit too flippant in view of the dangers of AIDS and stuff. But as time went on, I began to realize that it gave people great joy. I had to give in. It’s a great song \u2014 there’s no way around it. I think that’s what Freddie had an amazing knack of doing: he could put his button on things that make people feel a bit more alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The-Beatles<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tJohn Lennon Resented Paul McCartney for Writing the Most Popular Beatles Song
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Not writing this song was “the worst thing” for John Lennon.<\/p>\n

May has since acknowledged the song\u2019s impact, despite his initial discomfort, realizing that the joy it gave people was perhaps even bigger than the song itself. \u201cIt’s a phenomenon, that song. I’ve seen it played at all sorts of functions. It’s become the most requested song at hen parties and stag parties and marriages and weddings and funerals \u2014 just because it brings joy,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cI don’t have any quarrel with it now \u2014 I enjoy playing it onstage. It’s wonderful that everyone wants to sing it. In singing with us, they express their own joy and their own determination to make the best out of their lives, and to keep on and not get knocked down by things. It’s an amazing kind of spiritual lift. That’s what the song has become.\u201d<\/p>\n

Written by Mercury himself, \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now\u201d has been featured in commercials, television shows, and movies, most notably in the 2004 British zombie comedy, Shaun of the Dead<\/a>, which went on to become a cult classic. Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, at just 45 years old, from AIDS-related pneumonia. Though he was taken far too soon, he left behind a legacy that no illness could ever erase. That includes \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Me Now,\u201d the song that \u2014 in May\u2019s words \u2014 \u201cgave people great joy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is no contesting how great Queen is. Led by the magnetic Freddie Mercury, the English rock band…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-150000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}