Don't Stop Me Now

This article is about the 1979 Queen single. For other uses, see Don't Stop Me Now (disambiguation).

"Don't Stop Me Now"
Single by Queen
from the album Jazz
B-side	"In Only Seven Days" "More of That Jazz"
Released	26 January 1979
Format	7", Cassette tape
Recorded	August – September 1978
Genre	Rock
Length	3:29
Label	EMI, Elektra
Writer(s)	Freddie Mercury
Producer	Queen and Roy Thomas Baker
Queen singles chronology
"Bicycle Race" / "Fat Bottomed Girls" (1978) "Don't Stop Me Now" (1979) "Jealousy " (1979)

"Don't Stop Me Now" ( Sample (help·info)) is a song by English rock group Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz. Written by vocalist Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August/September 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes (Alpes-Maritimes), France, and is the twelfth track on the album.^[1]

Musically, the song is based around Mercury's piano playing, with John Deacon and Roger Taylor providing a bass guitar and drums backing track. The song also provides an example of Queen's trademark style of multitrack harmony vocals for the chorus lines.^[2]

On the studio version, Brian May's only guitar playing is in his guitar solo, but on live versions performed on the band's 1979 Jazz and Crazy tours, May would also play rhythm guitar throughout the rest of the song to give more of a rock feeling to it. A live version of the song features in the band's 1979 album Live Killers.^[3] The song also appears in the band's 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits, and in June 2011, as part of Queen's 40th anniversary celebrations, an old take of the song containing more guitar parts was included on the bonus EP of the re-released and remastered Jazz album.^[4][5]

The single reached number 9 in the UK charts but only number 86 in the US. Viewed at the time of release as one of the lesser songs in the Queen canon, it was only performed live during 1979, with the last performance in the Crazy Tour.^[6] Despite this the song has grown in stature with time and has been popularised not only by consistent airplay, but by its use in advertisements, television programmes and films, and through cover versions. It has subsequently become one of Queen's most popular songs.^[7] It was the first single by Queen to be released on a cassette tape. Previously, each single was released on a Vinyl Record or 7".

In popular culture

• Popular darts player Ronnie Baxter uses the song as his walk-on song as well as BDO player Brian Woods
• In 2005, this song was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by viewers of the BBC television program Top Gear, but the trophy given to Roger Taylor was mis-engraved, reading Stop Me Now.^[8]
• The 2004 horror/comedy Shaun of the Dead features the song near the middle of the film. The song is played on a jukebox in the Winchester pub as three of the main characters circle around the zombie pub landlord while hitting him over the head with pool cues in rhythm with the song, leading Shaun to utter the line; "David, kill the Queen!" Also, during the song, various things happen to the beat of the music, such as lights flashing. Thematically, the song is ironic, as its upbeat feel completely contradicts the protagonists' no-win scenario when it accidentally is played on jukebox. On the DVD Scene Selection the scene is called Killer Queen, another one of Queen's songs. "You're My Best Friend" was also featured in the film during the closing credits.
• The song is featured in a Panasonic commercial in Australia during coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics, featuring Australian Olympians in their childhood on home videos
• The song was also featured in FOX's cartoon series American Dad! during the first season episode "Roger 'n' Me".^[9]
• The song also featured in the credits of a British television show on the history of the Concorde aircraft
• The song was featured in a series of Gatorade Propel advertisements
• The song was used in a commercial for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, showing airport trucks having a race along the runway to a background of the song playing. This was later changed to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer"
• This song was used in the Australian Queensland Motorways Ad for their new tolling system
• It was used by M-Net in an advertising campaign in the early 1990s
• In 2009, the song was used on E4's show Skins on the series three episode "Cook".^[10]
• This song was used for the opening of the Youth Olympic Games.
• In 2011, Top Gear attempted to do a stunt driving show during the Four-Seater Convertibles Challenge in synchronisation with the song.
• In 2011, the song featured in the opening playlist of WFMU's The Best Show with Tom Scharpling.^[11]
• In 2011, on what would have been Freddie Mercury's 65th birthday, this song was used by Google in their Google Doodle homage to him.^[12]

Cover versions

Notable cover versions include:

• McFly, the cover is the official song for Sport Relief 2006. It reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 29 July 2006.^[13]
• The Vandals, on their 2004 album Hollywood Potato Chip. A music video filmed for the song features guitarist and producer Warren Fitzgerald busking in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre while in costume as Freddie Mercury.^[14]
• In the European release of the drumming game Donkey Konga (2004)
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.^[15]
• Katy Perry performed the song twice on her Hello Katy Tour.^[16]
• Unibet in Scandinavia featured a cover by Fibes, Oh Fibes! in autumn 2009 ^[17]
• Olly Murs sang this on 14 November during "Queen Week" of The X Factor 2009
• Parts of the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, "Ringtone" resemble this song's melody, along with several other Queen songs.^[18]
• Sally Chatfield covered this song in the Australian version of the X-Factor.

Chart positions

• Number 9 (UK)
• Number 10 (Ireland)
• Number 14 (Netherlands)
• Number 35 (Germany)
• Number 37 (Sweden)
• Number 86 (US)

References

1. ^ Jazz - Don't Stop Me Now Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 2 July 2011
2. ^ Donald A. Guarisco, "Don't Stop Me Now". Allmusic. Retrieved July 12, 2011
3. ^ Live Killers Allmusic. Retrieved July 12, 2011
4. ^ Queen Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 Allmusic. Retrieved July 12, 2011
5. ^ Jazz (Remastered) Queen iTunes. Retrieved July 12, 2011
6. ^ Queen live on tour: Crazy tour Queen Concerts. Retrieved 2 July 2011
7. ^ Official: Top 25 karaoke songs The Telegraph. Retrieved May 28, 2011
8. ^ Queen win Top Gears Best Driving Song ever poll Queen Zone. Retrieved May 28, 2011
9. ^ Queen On "American Dad" BrianMay.com. Retrieved 2 July 2011
10. ^ Skins Music guide: series 3, episode 2 E4. Retrieved 6 September 2011
11. ^ Playlist for The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling WFMU. Retrieved 5 September 2011
12. ^ Inc, Google. "Freddie Mercury Google Doodle". Video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KX2BQM0D01M. Retrieved 5 September 2011. 
13. ^ Unstoppable McFly top music chart BBC News. Retrieved May 28, 2011
14. ^ "The Vandals - 'Don't Stop Me Now' Kung Fu Records". Youtube. Kung Fu Records. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUXyBAsVr6o&feature=related. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
15. ^ Don't Stop Me Now Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
16. ^ Katy Perry - Don't stop me now, seattle showbox YouTube
17. ^ Katy Perry - Don't stop me now, seattle showbox Unibet Love The Game TVC 30 Sec Swe YouTube
18. ^ Weird Al Yankovic releases a Queen-influenced song Queen Zone. Retrieved 6 September 2011