Through Chrissie's eyes

At EMI Records

Now that Queen had an official record label and a contract, and being known a little bit, (but not so much if it was to compare to the success charts of the time), the priority of the boys in their career had to turn all to be musicians, almost in full time, which was complicated at the time.

Freddie had already graduated in Design at Ealing Art College, it was still a year before John finished Electronic Engineering, Roger had given up on Dentistry and eliminated some subjects in Biology, I just wanted to see if he would graduate, he was an excellent drummer, but not such a good student. Brian, as he worried me, had three occupations. The boys did a lot less shows now, since it was John Reid who managed the performances and chose where they would perform, which made the band have more time to study and rest. Even so, most of the time John, Roger, Freddie and Brian were dedicated to Queen.

So in recent months, their rehearsals and meetings, which were no longer in our homes, but in EMI's studios, were to make more new songs, since the plan for that year was to release two albums. Brian composed more at home, bringing the ideas ready for when they were in the studio.

When he sat in the room with the Red Special in his hands, notebook and pen next to him, playing and singing softly, it was embarrassing to stand there and watch him, but I loved doing it. When I realized he was about to pause, I took the opportunity to ask.

"Brian?" I called, half hesitant.

"What is it, honey?" He turned to me with a smile.

"I never asked you that, but ..." I grimaced in frustration. "You mind if I stare at you composing? I mean, don't I distract you?"

"Oh, no, no." Bri shook his head shaking his hair "Just because you're very quiet, I can concentrate and do what I need, but I have to confess something."

"What?" I thought he had something wrong with me watching him.

"If I keep looking at you rather than you looking at me, I can't think of any more notes or music, just you." He approached me as he spoke, sitting next to me.

"Stop it, Brian Harold May!" I laughed, but I was moved "since you answered my question, let's get serious again. I heard you training such a beautiful solo and I was thinking about what music it was part of."

"How was the solo?" my fiancé asked, focused and interested "hum it so I can hear how it is."

I sang as I remembered and Brian raised his eyebrows, his face lighting up, excited to recognize the music.

"It's this" he resumed, and played it in the Red Special.

"Can I take a look at the lyrics?" I was really curious.

He handed his notebook to me, excited and interested in my opinion. The title above was "Some Day One Day," written in Brian's running calligraphy. I read the lyrics, recognized some things that looked like things my fiancé had been through, had a bit of insecurity, but some hope.

"It's about ..." I thought well what I was going to say "you're afraid that the band won't succeed?"

"Yeah, a little bit," he sighed and suddenly felt sad. "It's been great to have a record company and be a professional musician and everything, but if the records don't sell, if we don't have a hit big enough to go on TV, our salary is not going to increase, and I'm going to have to continue being a teacher, by the way, I'm going to need to give classes even a little after our wedding ..."

"Bri, calm down, the hardest thing to happen has already happened, you've been discovered, just have patience" I held his face so he would look at me "we're on smaller expenses now, I'm working too, concentrate on doing your part now."

"Like on Doing All Right?" My fiancé managed to chuckle.

"That's right," I smiled and kissed him quickly. "Do you still remember what I said on that day we met?"

"Of course I remember," he said half-convinced, coming back to joy again.

"Now go finish composing your songs." I patted his arm in play.

"Yes, ma'am." Brian nodded and went back to work.

Then as the months went by, the songs on the new album were ready and I, Mary and Veronica followed the recordings. Queen II, as the title said quite obviously was the band's second album, and its cover was quite striking, showing the boys on a black background, with a half-ghostly light illuminating their faces. Now whoever saw them on the cover, could had a notion of what the musicians actually looked like. My favorite songs (intentionally or not) were Brian's, most notably, Some Day One Day and Father to Son, although March of the Black Queen left you glazed when you heard it.

The boys continued composing, rehearsing and recording, and this time even John ventured to compose a song.

"I don't even know if it was that good" the bass player commented to his bandmates while we were all in the studio "I just know that if I sing, I will make the music worse ..."

"John, it wasn't too bad." Veronica tried to help her boyfriend.

"If you don't sing, there's no way for us to know what the song is like." Roger shook his head.

"Stop this unnecessary self-pity and sing at once Deaky!" Freddie got tired of it.

"Okay." John was a bit scared, picked up one of the guitars from the studio and began to play and sing.

When he finished, he put the instrument back in place and came back down, avoiding looking at us.

"I loved it!" I was the first to manifest "really! The pace is contagious ..."

-The future Mrs. May is right - Freddie had a hand on his chin, thoughtfully "imagine how it will be after we put the arrangements ..."

That day, they used the rest of the time to work on John's song, which ended up getting the name "Misfire" and another from Freddie. When they played together the composition of the vocalist called "Killer Queen" (no one noticed the pun that you did with the name of the band, Freddie), my ears were enchanted with the melody, the arrangements, the voices ... This song had all of Freddie's extravagance, but it did highlight a little of each of the boys, the Beatles-style drum set, the guitar solo, the bass emphasizing the melody, not to mention the snap of the fingers, which made us want to pop too, the bells and the triangle in precise moments that gave a charm that had everything to do with the lyrics of the song. Maybe this was the hit the boys were so much in need of.

Sheer Heart Attack was Queen's third album, Misfire and Killer Queen were in it, and to make it known, the band returned to the routine of the release shows, but this time, John Reid had finally achieved what he had promised.

I learned shortly after Brian had returned from a meeting with the manager.

"My love," he smiled and held my hands, "you were right about Killer Queen."

"Why exactly?" I wasn't understanding.

"Reid got a spot for us at the Top of the Pops!" Brian said.

"On TV? You will perform on TV?" I could hardly believe it.

"That's amazing, isn't it?" - he gave me a hug.

"Very, very much." I touched my fiancé's face, feeling very proud "did you see? I told you, you just had to do your part and having patience."

"And I followed your advice." Bri answered me and kissed me, with a joy that was hard to contain.

I knew that with Queen's success, many of Brian's concerns about our future would diminish.