On This Day: Queen Released Somebody to Love in the UK
Queen released Somebody to Love in the UK on November 12, 1976. Explore Freddie Mercury’s gospel inspiration and Brian May’s ensemble role.
Original GuitarGangsters editorial illustration of Brian May’s 1976 era, not a photograph of a documented performance.
On November 12, 1976, Queen released Somebody to Love in the UK, backed with White Man. Fifty years later, that single remains a useful way into a side of the band that cannot be explained by guitar solos alone.
Freddie Mercury’s gospel direction
Mercury wrote the song for A Day at the Races, Queen’s fifth studio album. In the band’s official retrospective, Brian May identifies Aretha Franklin as Mercury’s inspiration and recalls him arriving with the vocal parts already prepared. Mercury, May and Roger Taylor built the layered vocal arrangement together.
That puts May in two roles: guitarist and a voice within Queen’s ensemble. For players, the anniversary offers a useful listening question: what does a guitarist contribute when the song’s centre of gravity is its singer and vocal arrangement?
A UK anniversary
The November 12 date marks the British single, not the album’s release. Brian May’s official history identifies both the date and the pairing with White Man.
Want to explore Brian May’s guitar sound? Read our guide to the Red Special and Queen.