Freddie Mercury | Notebook containing autograph manuscript lyrics of songs for The Miracle, 1988-89

Freddie Mercury

Notebook containing autograph manuscript draft lyrics of songs for the album The Miracle

Including early partial drafts of 'I Guess We're All Falling Out', 'Scandal', 'Party', 'Khashoggi's Ship', 'Stealin'', 'My Baby Does Me', and 'Face it Alone', with track listings, harmonies, and other notes, in pencil, black, red, and green ballpoint, 22 pages, plus blanks, in a spiral-bound lined notebook (127 x 220mm), lacking upper cover, 1987-89

[with:] one further loose leaf with lyrics to an abandoned song (beginning "Once I had a goal I was in your life")

[also with:] track listings with timings, 2 pages, blue and red ink, on the versos of two A4 leaves of Town House Studio work sheets

Queen took a break after the 'Magic' tour ended in August 1986. The band members took time to work on their own projects - which for Freddie included 'The Great Pretender' and Barcelona - and the band did not assemble again in the studio until January 1988. Recording for The Miracle continued until February 1989 and the album was released in June.

Every song on The Miracle was credited collectively to Queen rather than to individual band members as had been the case on previous albums. This change was made to ease disputes amongst the band members but this notebook shows that there was considerable collaboration between the band members; for instance they include extensive drafts for 'Scandal', a song that was primarily the work of Brian May, and drafts relating tyo 'My Baby Does Me' which Freddie said in an interview "stemmed from John and myself". More than thirty songs were submitted to the sessions and a number of the songs in this notebook were not included on the album. 'Stealin'' was included as the b-side to 'Breakthru' and 'I Guess We're All Falling Out' remains unreleased. 'Face It Alone' was first released in The Miracle Collector's Edition in October 2022 and gives an insight into Freddie Mercury's state of mind as he faced his illness:

"When something so near

and dear to life

explodes, inside

You feel your soul is set on fire

[...]

But screaming out loud

gets you nowhere in this world..."

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