Headlong (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Headlong


Artist = Queen
from Album = Innuendo
B-side = Mad the Swine All God's People
Released = 1991
Format = 7"/12", CD, Cassette
Recorded = 1990/1991
Genre = Hard rock, Power Metal
Length = 4:38
Label = Parlophone; Hollywood Records
Writer = Queen (Brian May)
Producer = Queen and David Richards
Chart position =
* #3 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks)
* #14 (UK)
* #20 (Australia)
* #25 (Canada)
[ Reviews = ] *
Last single = I'm Going Slightly Mad (1991)
This single = Headlong (1991)
Next single = The Show Must Go On (1991)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = single


Cover size =
Lower caption = An alternate cover to "Headlong".

"Headlong" is the third track of Queen's 1991 album "Innuendo". Written by guitarist Brian May, but credited to Queen, it is one of the album's five singles. The cover of one of the CD singles is inspired by Grandville illustrations, as are all of the others from the album.

Promotional video

The music video for Headlong was one of the final Queen videos shot with lead singer Freddie Mercury. The Headlong video clip heavily featured the group's lead singer, although it was actually shot before the I'm Going Slightly Mad video. The video showed the band in the studio performing the song (in a stage-like setup), as well as shots of the band generally fooling about and working in the studio. The version of the song in the video includes an extra short section after the second chorus not released in any audio format to date.

The performance footage (Mercury wearing a yellow sweater) was shot in early 1991, while the other footage (Mercury wearing two different blue shirts) were shot in late 1990 at Metropolis Studios in London (The footage of Mercury wearing a blue shirt with a tie was shot in fall of 1990--notice his healthier appearance; the footage of Mercury wearing a blue shirt with a darker vest was shot in the winter of 1990--notice the slightly more gaunt appearance in his face and neck). The outside of Metropolis Studios is also shown at the beginning and the end of the video.This is also the last colour video of Freddie Mercury. The next one, I'm Going Slightly Mad, was recorded in black and white.

Like all other videos for the Innuendo album, the Headlong clip was directed by Austrian director team DoRo, consisting of Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, who have been regularly working for Queen since the video to the 1986 single "Friends Will Be Friends". They also directed the video to the only new output of the group as a three-piece, "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", released in 1997.

In the course of the video, Brian May can be seen wearing a Bart Simpson T-shirt, a reference to "The Simpsons", which was very popular at that time.

It is rumored that Mercury's weight was only 120 lbs in the 1990 'blue shirt with vest' footage and 110 lbs in the 1991 'yellow sweater' video footage. His gaunt appearance in both (a clear sign of deterioration, especially in the latter) again sparked speculations regarding his health in the press.

References

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