Sir Brian May feels like ‘a usurper’ singing beloved Queen song without Freddie Mercury
He's included a touching tribute to Freddie in his new release.
Sir Brian May says Freddie Mercury is ‘always with him’ but one Queen song in particular always makes him think of his late friend.
The rocker — who is now ‘stable’ after recently suffering a stroke — got emotional as he explained he feels like ‘a usurper’ whenever he sings Love of My Life.
He performed for a small crowd, including Metro, at Gibson Garage in London today (February 18) to launch his Signature Gibson SJ-200 12-string guitar.
The £6,899 acoustic guitar includes a touching tribute to the Bohemian Rhapsody icon — the planet Mercury in the middle of the intricate design.
Sir Brian’s first love was astronomy but as he associates the guitar strongly with performances of Love of My Life, he wanted a nod to Mercury included.
‘I feel kind of like a usurper, because it’s Freddie’s song, and no one can sing it like Freddie,’ Sir Brian, 77, said of the heartwrenching track.
He shared that Love of My Life holds a special place in his heart (Picture: Gibson)‘But I love to do it because it’s been a thing that you can share with the audience, and I can throw off all the Guitar Hero stuff and just go down there and play and sing.’
Mercury wrote Love of My Life for his then-girlfriend Mary Austin and it appeared on their 4th studio album A Night at the Opera.
While the pair did split, Mercury often said nobody ever compared to Austin and they remained close throughout his life until his death in 1991.
In a 1985 interview, he claimed: ‘The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife.
‘To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that’s enough for me.’
The emotional song was written by Mercury for Mary Austin (Picture: Dave Hogan/Getty Images) Sir Brian is back to performing after suffering from a stroke (Picture: Gibson) Sir Brian May launched his Signature Gibson SJ-200 12-string acoustic guitar at the Gibson Garage London (Picture: Gibson)In the original recordings, Mercury played piano with Sir Brian on an orchestral harp; the only Queen song which features that instrument.
While on tour around the UK, the guitarist played the delicate track on his prototype Gibson 12-string, with the crowd holding up torches and loudly singing along at every venue.
Before his rendition at the intimate gig, he shared: ‘Normally I don’t have to sing too much because everybody sings it. Tonight, if I try and sing it, I have to sing the whole damn thing — that’s probably inadvisable.
‘Nevertheless, I thought it’d be a shame to go home without us doing Love on My Life.’
Fans have been relieved to see Sir Brian performing once again after he was rushed to hospital suffering from a stroke last year, later describing it as a ‘scary’ ordeal.
Anita Dobson was at the event to support her husband (Picture: Gibson) The pair tied the knot in 2000 after first meeting in the late 80s (Picture: Tolga AKMEN / AFP)The aftermath meant he had stopped playing instruments completely ‘until after he’d recovered quite a bit,’ but is now back to serenading his loved ones.
Sir Brian teased that he might consider using his Gibson for potential new music, revealing he had started a new song for his ‘beautiful wife’ Anita Dobson.
‘She’s just about to explode back onto the TV which I’m very proud to say,’ he said of Anita’s historic return to EastEnders.
The couple keep largely out of the spotlight but are often seen supporting each other at events, with Sir Brian lovingly calling her a ‘superstar’.
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