The March of the Black Queen

"The March of the Black Queen" is a song by British rock band Queen. The song was composed by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury. It is the ninth track on their second studio album Queen II.

The song is one of Queen's most complex songs with over more than eleven sections in the whole song. Many credit this song as more complex than their 1975 hit, "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Recording

Mercury wrote the song in 1973, shortly before recording the album.

The song is one of the two Queen songs (the other being "Bohemian Rhapsody") containing polyrhythm/polymeter (two different time signatures simultaneously 8/8 and 12/8) and a simpler polyrhythm around the end uptempo section, which is very rare for popular music. The lead vocals cover two and a half octaves (G2 - C5).

The song segues into the next track, "Funny How Love Is". This song ends with an ascending note progression, which climaxes in the first second of the following track.

Live performances

The song was too complex to be performed live. However, the hard rock section containing the lines "My life is in your hands, I'll foe and I'll fie..." etc. was sometimes included in a live medley (usually after "Killer Queen") with vocals by Mercury and Taylor, during the mid 1970s.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Personnel

Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, piano
Brian May - acoustic and electric guitars, tubular bells, backing vocals
Roger Taylor - drums, co-lead and backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar

References

↑ Queen live on tour: Sheer Heart Attack: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 1 September 2011
↑ Queen live on tour: A Night At The Opera: Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 1 September 2011
↑ Queen live on tour: Summer 1976 :Setlist Queen Concerts. Retrieved 1 September 2011

External links

Lyrics at Queen official website

Queen

Freddie Mercury Brian May Roger Taylor John Deacon

Studio albums	Queen Queen II Sheer Heart Attack A Night at the Opera A Day at the Races News of the World Jazz The Game Flash Gordon Hot Space The Works A Kind of Magic The Miracle Innuendo Made in Heaven

Live albums	Live Killers Live Magic At the Beeb Live at Wembley '86 Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow '74 A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975

Compilations	Greatest Hits Greatest Hits II Classic Queen The 12" Collection Queen Rocks Greatest Hits III Stone Cold Classics The A–Z of Queen, Volume 1 Absolute Greatest Deep Cuts (Volume 1, 2, 3) Icon Queen Forever

Additional albums	The Cosmos Rocks (with Paul Rodgers) Five Live (George Michael and Queen EP) (with George Michael)

Box sets	The Complete Works The CD Single Box Box of Tricks Ultimate Queen The Crown Jewels The Platinum Collection The Singles Collection (Volume 1, 2, 3, 4)

Videography	We Will Rock You The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Greatest Video Hits 1 Queen at Wembley Queen Rocks Greatest Video Hits 2 We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow '74 A Night at the Odeon - Hammersmith 1975

Tours	Queen II Tour Sheer Heart Attack Tour A Night at the Opera Tour Summer Gigs 1976 A Day at the Races Tour News of the World Tour Jazz Tour Crazy Tour The Game Tour Hot Space Tour The Works Tour The Magic Tour Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour (with Paul Rodgers) Rock the Cosmos Tour (with Paul Rodgers) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2012 (with Adam Lambert) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015 (with Adam Lambert) Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour (with Adam Lambert)

Related articles	Discography Awards Live performances Songs Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen + Adam Lambert Queen & Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live Highlander Flash Gordon Ibex Larry Lurex Mike Grose Smile The Cross The Brian May Band One Night of Queen Queen: The eYe We Will Rock You We Will Rock You: 10th Anniversary Tour Queen at the Ballet Deacy Amp The Official International Queen Fan Club Mercury Phoenix Trust Queen Extravaganza Tour Mountain Studios Red Special Spike Edney Jim Beach John Reid List of "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover versions SingStar Queen Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen Mercury A Night at the Hip Hopera

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Queen singles discography

Queen	"Keep Yourself Alive" "Liar"

Queen II	"Seven Seas of Rhye"

Sheer Heart Attack	"Killer Queen"/"Flick of the Wrist" "Now I'm Here" "Lily of the Valley"

A Night at the Opera	"Bohemian Rhapsody" "You're My Best Friend" "Love of My Life"

A Day at the Races	"Somebody to Love" "Tie Your Mother Down" "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" "Long Away" "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"

News of the World	"We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" "Spread Your Wings" "It's Late"

Jazz	"Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls" "Don't Stop Me Now" "Jealousy" "Mustapha"

Live Killers	"Love of My Life" (Live) "We Will Rock You" (Live)

The Game	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Save Me" "Play the Game" "Another One Bites the Dust" "Need Your Loving Tonight"

Flash Gordon	"Flash"

Hot Space	"Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) "Body Language" "Las Palabras de Amor" "Calling All Girls" "Staying Power" "Back Chat"

The Works	"Radio Ga Ga" "I Want to Break Free" "It's a Hard Life" "Hammer to Fall"

A Kind of Magic	"One Vision" "A Kind of Magic" "Princes of the Universe" "Friends Will Be Friends" "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" "Who Wants to Live Forever" "One Year of Love"

The Miracle	"I Want It All" "Breakthru" "The Invisible Man" "Scandal" "The Miracle"

Innuendo	"Innuendo" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" "Headlong" "I Can't Live With You" "The Show Must Go On" "These Are the Days of Our Lives"

Made in Heaven	"Heaven for Everyone" "A Winter's Tale" "I Was Born to Love You" "Too Much Love Will Kill You" "Let Me Live" "You Don't Fool Me"

Queen Rocks	"No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)"/"Tie Your Mother Down"

Greatest Hits III	"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)"

Non-album singles	"Thank God It's Christmas" "Another One Bites the Dust (Small Soldiers Remix)" "We Will Rock You" (with Five) "We Are the Champions" (with Robbie Williams) "Flash (Vanguard Mix)" "Another One Bites the Dust (The Miami Project Remixes)" "Bohemian Rhapsody" (with The Muppets)

Other songs	"Doing All Right" "Father to Son" "White Queen (As It Began)" "Ogre Battle" "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" "Nevermore" "The March of the Black Queen" "See What a Fool I've Been" "Brighton Rock" "Stone Cold Crazy" "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" "Death on Two Legs" "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" "I'm in Love with My Car" "'39" "Sweet Lady" "Seaside Rendezvous" "The Prophet's Song" "Good Company" "Sheer Heart Attack" "Is This the World We Created...?" "Ride the Wild Wind" "Delilah" "Made In Heaven" "Mother Love" "Let Me in Your Heart Again" "Love Kills" "There Must Be More to Life Than This"

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