Face It Alone
{{Infobox song
| name = Face It Alone
| cover = Face It Alone.png
| alt =
| caption =
| type = single
| artist = Queen
| album = The Miracle Collector's Edition
| released = {{Start date|2022|10|13|df=y}}
| recorded = 1988
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 4:07
| label = EMI
| writer = Queen
| producer =
- David Richards
- Queen
- Kris Fredriksson
- Justin Shirley-Smith
- Joshua J. Macrae
| prev_title = We Are the Champions (Raw Session Version)
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title = Machines (or Back to Humans)
| next_year = 2023
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|_yJBd99tLdU|"Face It Alone"}}
}}
}}
"Face It Alone" is a song by British rock band Queen.{{Cite web |last=Van der Graaf |first=Arie |date=9 October 2022 |title=Queen To Release Single "Face It Alone" With Freddy Mercury |url=http://www.melodic.net/news/queen-to-release-single-face-it-alone-with-freddy-mercury |access-date=10 October 2022 |website=Melodic}} Written by Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury (credited as Queen) and produced by David Richards, Kris Fredriksson and Justin Shirley-Smith, recorded over thirty years prior to its eventual release, and originally thought "unsalvageable" by May and Taylor, it was released on 13 October 2022 as a single as part of promotion for The Miracle Collector's Edition box set, which itself was released on 18 November 2022.{{cite news |title=Queen premiere previously unheard Freddie Mercury song Face It Alone |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63241308 |access-date=13 October 2022 |work=BBC |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015133811/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63241308 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://retropopmagazine.com/queen-share-previously-unreleased-track-face-it-alone-featuring-late-freddie-mercury/|title=Queen share previously-unreleased track 'Face It Alone' featuring late Freddie Mercury|website=Retro Pop Magazine|date=15 October 2022|access-date=25 November 2022|archive-date=25 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125193352/https://retropopmagazine.com/queen-share-previously-unreleased-track-face-it-alone-featuring-late-freddie-mercury/|url-status=live}}
Background
Mercury and the rest of the band recorded "Face It Alone" in 1988 during the recording sessions for their 1989 album The Miracle. It was revisited during the recording sessions for Innuendo but was ultimately not included on either album. In summer 2022, Brian May and Roger Taylor leaked the news of the newly discovered song, and stated that the song had a good chance of being released (using the earlier recordings from The Miracle).
The final, officially released version of the song does not contain all of the lyrics present in the original takes, nor from Mercury's original handwritten lyrics.{{cite web |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/freddie-mercury-a-world-of-his-own-on-stage/freddie-mercury-notebook-containing-autograph |title= Freddie Mercury Notebook containing autograph manuscript lyrics of songs for The Miracle, 1988-89 | website=Sotheby's | date = 6 September 2023 | access-date = 4 February 2024}} A verse beginning "But screaming out loud gets you nowhere in this world" as well as lines such as "and the Sun begins to loom" were cut from the eventual 2022 release. In addition to the unused lyrics, alternate guitar parts and an extended guitar solo were recorded, too.
The original 1988 recording that served as the basis for the official release has a running time of 5:18. Studio dialogue from Mercury, directed at May, can be heard at the beginning of this version. Many of the lyrics on this recording are incomplete and ad-libbed, as was typical of Mercury's writing style at this point in his career. This track has been known to collectors since the late 1990s and has leaked online multiple times since the mid 2000s.
Music video
A lyric video was released on 13 October 2022. The official music video was uploaded on Queen's YouTube channel on 21 October.{{cite web |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/queen-launch-new-video-for-uncovered-freddie-track-face-it-alone |title=Queen launch new video for uncovered Freddie track Face It Alone |first=Fraser |last=Lewry |website=Louder Sound |date=21 October 2022 |access-date=21 October 2022 |archive-date=21 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021070811/https://www.loudersound.com/news/queen-launch-new-video-for-uncovered-freddie-track-face-it-alone |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/queen-share-newly-created-video-070702341.html |title=Queen Share Newly-Created Video For "Face It Alone" |first=Tim |last=Peacock |publisher=Yahoo! |date=21 October 2022 |access-date=21 October 2022}} The music video features figures of the band along with footage of the sessions from The Miracle.
Critical reception
Reviews for "Face It Alone" were generally positive. Neil McCormick, writing for The Telegraph, rated the song 4/5 stars and called it "tender, moving [and] defiant".{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/queen-face-alone-review-freddie-mercury-tender-moving/|title=Queen's beautiful Face It Alone will make you miss Freddie Mercury more than ever|website=The Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|date=13 October 2022|access-date=25 November 2022}} In a review for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis gave the song 3/5 stars, adding that whilst he felt it was "not a bad song, [and] nor is it anything approaching a classic", he praised Mercury's vocals, calling "Face It Alone" "moving and slender, a minor footnote that manages to pack an emotional punch regardless".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/13/queen-face-it-alone-review-slight-song-boosted-by-freddie-mercury-giving-it-150|title=Queen: Face It Alone review – slight song boosted by Freddie Mercury giving it 150%|website=The Guardian|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|date=3 October 2022|access-date=25 November 2022}} A subsequent review from Rolling Stone magazine felt the song fit "effortlessly" into the band's back catalogue.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/queen-share-unreleased-freddy-mercury-track-face-it-alone-23903/|title=Queen share unreleased Freddie Mercury track 'Face It Alone'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Reilly|first=Nick|date=13 October 2022|access-date=25 November 2022|archive-date=25 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125194856/https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/news/queen-share-unreleased-freddy-mercury-track-face-it-alone-23903/|url-status=live}}
Chart performance
On the day of its digital release, "Face It Alone" became the most downloaded song in the world for five days in a row and topped the iTunes download charts in 21 countries.{{Cite web |title=QueenOnline.com - News |url=https://www.queenonline.com/news/face-it-alone-no1-in-21-countries |access-date=2022-11-25 |website=www.queenonline.com |archive-date=2022-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127095121/https://www.queenonline.com/news/face-it-alone-no1-in-21-countries |url-status=live }} In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart, and at number 1 on the UK Physical Singles and Vinyl Singles charts. It debuted at number 90 on the main Singles Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/queen-face-it-alone/|title=Queen - Face It Alone|website=Official Charts|date=27 October 2022|access-date=5 September 2024|archive-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007102436/https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/queen-face-it-alone/|url-status=live}}
Placing on various charts around the world, the single peaked at number 7 on the US Hot Hard Rock Songs chart,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/queen/chart-history/hsg/|title=Queen Chart History (Hot Hard Rock Songs)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=3 November 2022|archive-date=3 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103051216/https://www.billboard.com/artist/queen/chart-history/hsg/|url-status=live}} number one on the Dutch Single Tip 100 chart,{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=st&date=20221022&year=2022|title=Dutch Single Tip 22/10/2022|website=dutchcharts.nl|language=nl|access-date=25 November 2022|archive-date=21 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021185616/https://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=st&date=20221022&year=2022|url-status=live}}
"Face It Alone" was the 14th best-selling vinyl record of 2022 in the UK behind the Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) box set by David Bowie and ahead of "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash.{{Cite web |title=The Official Top 40 Best-Selling Vinyl Albums and Singles of 2022 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-best-selling-vinyl-albums-and-singles-of-2022__38205/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=www.officialcharts.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104002912/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-best-selling-vinyl-albums-and-singles-of-2022__38205/ |url-status=live }}
Personnel
;Queen
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, keyboards
- Brian May – guitars
- Roger Taylor – drums, percussion
- John Deacon – bass guitar
;Production
- David Richards – producer, engineer
- Kris Fredriksson – producer, engineer, music supervisor
- Justin Shirley-Smith – producer, music supervisor
- Josh Macrae – producer, engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer