[Verse 1]
Each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
(Take a look at yourself in the mirror and cry) Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord what you’re doing to me
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can’t get no relief, Lord
[Chorus]
Somebody (somebody)
Ooh somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me
Somebody to love?
[Verse 2]
I work hard (he works hard)
Every day of my life
I work till I ache my bones
At the end (at the end of the day)
I take home my hard-earned pay all on my own (yes, on my knees on)
I get down (down) on my knees (knees)
And I start to pray (praise the Lord)
Till the tears run down from my eyes, Lord
[Chorus]
Somebody (somebody)
Ooh somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me
Somebody to love?
[Verse 3]
(He works hard)
Everyday (everyday)
I try and I try and I try
But everybody wants to put me down
They say I’m goin’ crazy
They say I got a lot of water in my brain
No, I got no common sense
(He’s got) Got nobody left to believe
No, no, no, no
[Chorus]
(Oh Lord)
Ooh somebody
Ooh (somebody)
Anybody find me
Somebody to love
(Anybody find me someone to love)
[Verse 4]
Got no feel, I got no rhythm
I just keep losing my beat (just keep losing and losing)
I’m okay, I’m alright (he’s alright, he’s alright)
I ain’t gonna face no defeat (yeah, yeah)
I just gotta get out of this prison cell
Someday I’m gonna be free, Lord
[Outro]
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Find me somebody to love
Somebody (somebody)
Somebody (somebody)
Somebody (find me)
(Somebody find me somebody to love)
Can (anybody find me)
Somebody to love?
(Find me somebody to love) Ooh
(Find me somebody to love) Every somebody
(Find me somebody to love) Somebody, somebody, somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love) Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love) Ooh
(Find me somebody to love) Somebody find me, find me somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love) Anybody, anywhere, anybody find me somebody to love
Find me, find me, find me
The song offers listeners something similar to that of Queen’s earlier hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” with its complex harmonies and guitar solos; however instead of mimicking an English choir, the band turned to a gospel choir. It reached #2 in the UK and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.[2][3] This song made it clear to fans that “Queen could swing as hard as it could rock, by channeling the spirit of gospel music.”[4]
Written by Mercury at the piano, “Somebody to Love” is a soul-searching piece that questions God’s role in a life without love. Through voice layering techniques, Queen was able to create the soulful sound of a 100-voice choir, with that of only three voices: Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor. John Deacon did not sing backing vocals on the recorded album. Mercury’s fascination and admiration for Aretha Franklin was a major influence for the creation of this song.
Queen played “Somebody to Love” live from 1977–85, and a live performance of the song is recorded on the album Queen Rock Montreal.[5] In addition to these live performances, there were collaboration tributes to “Somebody to Love” after Mercury’s death in 1991. The song was played live on 20 April 1992, during The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with George Michael on lead vocals.[6]
Like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the major hit from Queen’s previous album A Night at the Opera (1975), “Somebody to Love” has a complex melody and deep layering of vocal tracks, this time based on a gospel choir arrangement.[7] It was the first single from A Day at the Races, on which Mercury, May and Taylor multitracked their voices to create the impression of a 100-voice gospel choir.[8] The lyrics, especially combined with the gospel influence, create a song about faith, desperation and soul-searching; the singer questions both the lack of love experienced in his life, and the role and existence of God. [1] This is reinforced by frequent use of word painting. Staying true to Queen’s guitar-driven style, it was also filled with intricate harmonies and a notable guitar solo by May, and it went to #2 in the UK Singles Chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.[2][3] The song is in the key of A♭ major. The song possesses a great variety of notes, ranging from F2 in the harmonies on the line “Can anybody find me?”, and G#2 to a C5 in full voice up to an A♭5 in falsetto in the lead vocals, all sung by Mercury.[9] The band have spoken of sections of the song which were recorded but never made it onto the final mix of the song, some of which have been leaked online.
“Somebody To Love” is Aretha Franklin-influenced. Freddie’s very much into that. We tried to keep the track in a loose, gospel-type feel. I think it’s the loosest track we’ve ever done.
A promotional video was made combining a staged recording session at Sarm East Studios (where the A Day at the Races album was recorded) and film footage of the band’s record breaking performance at Hyde Park that September.[8][11] Peter Hince, the head of Queen’s road crew, recalled to Mojo magazine: “Aesthetically, you had to have all four around the microphone, but John (Deacon) didn’t sing on the records. By his own admission he didn’t have the voice. He did sing on-stage but the crew always knew to keep the fader very low.” [12] The song was included on their first Greatest Hits, released in 1981.[1]
When performed live, Mercury would often alter the melodies of the song, but would generally hit the sustained A♭4 notes throughout the song. The A♭4 at the peak of the building line “can anybody find me” on the studio version was not part of Mercury’s original melody, but the other band members felt that it worked better than his. Mercury sings his original take on this line when live.
Even after Mercury’s death in 1991, renditions of “Somebody to Love” have been performed live with the remaining band members, May and Taylor, and a number of different lead singers. At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at Wembley Stadium, the song was performed by George Michael. Michael’s performance of “Somebody to Love” has been hailed as “one of the best performances of the tribute concert”.[19][20] The song was later rereleased in 1993 as the lead track of an EP called Five Live which went to #1 in the UK. This version is also available on Greatest Hits III, released in 1999.[1]
In 2008, the Finnish group Rajaton did a version with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra on their album “Rajaton Sings Queen with Lahti Symphony Orchestra”.
In 2009, in the first season of the TV series “Glee“, the show choir covered the song.[25]
In 2010, a group of 60 students from The Hebrew University performed a Lip dub version of the song,[26] which received critical acclaim, including a review by Brian May, who wrote: “I … got quite a lump in the throat. It’s very well done, with great heart and joy, and I’m sure Freddie [Mercury] would love it.”[27]
In 2011, English musician Frank Turner recorded a cover of the song as the B-side to his single, “I Still Believe“.
The song was briefly featured in the 2015 film Minions, in a scene where the minions desperately sing a chorus of the song, after the whole empire is built.
In other media
The song was made available to download on 7 December 2010 for use in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which allows use of a real guitar/bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits/keyboards in addition to vocals.[28]
