Speaking in the latest issue of MOJO, Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May have spoken about the band’s reaction to Taylor’s 1975 song I’m In Love With My Car.
“Brian was like, ‘Is this a joke?’” Taylor tells MOJO’s James McNair. “I said, ‘Look at all those people out washing their cars on a Sunday morning, lavishing attention on them – they probably love their cars more than they love their wives.’ It’s a valid lyric I think, but kind of tongue in cheek, too, obviously… cars and girls – what else is there?”
In 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek, Taylor’s song is the subject of a running joke in which May’s character, played by Gwilym Lee, complains about the drummer’s frivolous piece of autophilia being made the B-side to their multi-million selling hit Bohemian Rhapsody.
“There was a lot of truth in that,” laughs the guitarist. “We were aware of the injustice of I’m in Love With My Car making as much money as Bohemian Rhapsody. It was a real sticking point for the band and it’s good we got through it. I think our sense of humour saved us. How long did it take me to get over it? Oh, quite a while.”
“He’s never forgiven me,” confirms Taylor. “And I’ve never stopped laughing about it!”
Taylor spoke to MOJO the same week that Queen’s 1979 track Crazy Little Thing Called Love hit one billion Spotify streams. “Every time I hear something like that I’m still delighted,” said the drummer. “If people are still listening that much, we must in some miraculous way still be relevant.”
Taylor went on to reminisce about the track’s creation. “Freddie [Mercury] wrote it in the bath at the Munich Hilton, I think. I remember the recording session so well. Just Freddie on acoustic guitar, myself and John [Deacon, bassist] down in the basement at Musicland Studios. One take.”
On his favourite Mercury-written song, Taylor singled out Somebody To Love from 1976’s A Day At The Races: “That song is on another level. We became a rock band that could do gospel. People talk about Freddie’s stage antics or about his teeth or whatever, but he was fantastically gifted, a really unique, irreplaceable talent.”
In a career-spanning interview—only available in the latest issue of MOJO, on sale now—Taylor and May both discuss the creative dynamics within Queen, how they would often work on each other’s songs and their later decision to share songwriting credits equally.
“It was Freddie’s idea, bless him, to split everything equally after a while,” says Taylor. “He was very generous that way. You win and you lose, but it felt like the grown-up thing to do.”
On the subject of May’s contribution to Taylor’s songs, however, the two appear to have differing recollections.
“I think Roger would say to you that it’s very simplistic with him. He thinks in barre chords on the whole. My contribution would be to come in and make the melodies work better,” May tells MOJO. “It’s a humble task but that’s what I’ve done on Roger’s songs – add a bit of colour.”
“Not really, no!” Taylor retorted to the suggestion his writing was simplistic. “I’d take issue with quite a lot of that. It’s a little bit, OK, so you’ve got a piano - now I’m going to come in and tune it. I don’t only think in barre chords - that’s a slightly arrogant statement to make. Brian’s a perfectionist and he will chase down the detail, but that didn’t mean I was going to let him fuck up my songs!”
During the pair's on-screen bickering about I'm In Love With My Car in Bohemian Rhapsody, May’s character repeatedly asks Taylor’s what the sexiest part of a car is, so MOJO put the same question to the drummer.
“It’s the radiator grille” confirms Taylor.
“Freddie announced, ‘You know Michael Jackson has just put out this album called Bad?... What do you think about us calling our next album Good?’” Get the latest issue of MOJO to read the full exclusive interviews with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Plus! Bowie, blow, and Jon Bon Jovi: the inside story behind the making of Queen’s Under Pressure. More info and to order a copy HERE!
Main picture: Linda D. Robbins/Getty