I'm in Love with My Car
{{Short description|1975 song by Queen}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name = I'm In Love with My Car
| cover = I'minlovewithmycar.png
| alt =
| border = yes
| caption = B-side label of the UK vinyl pressing of the "Bohemian Rhapsody" single release
| artist = Queen
| album = A Night at the Opera
| A-side = Bohemian Rhapsody
| released = *{{Start date|1975|10|31|df=y}} (UK)
- 2 December 1975 (US)
| recorded = August–September 1975
| studio = Sarm East, London
| genre = *Hard rock{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60Jde3l7WNwC&pg=PA106|title=Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists|last1=Prown|first1=Pete|last2=Newquist|first2=HP|date=1997|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=978-0-793-54042-6|page=106|author-link=Pete Prown|author-link2=HP Newquist}}
- pop{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/queen-albums-ranked-from-worst-to-best|title=Queen albums ranked from worst to best|last=Dome|first=Malcolm|date=29 August 2016|website=Classic Rock Magazine|access-date=14 July 2019}}
| length = *3:05 (album version)
- {{Duration|3:11}} (single version)
| label = *EMI (UK)
- Elektra (US)
| writer = Roger Taylor
| producer = *Queen
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|oaEM4JYFPfw|"I'm in Love with My Car"}}
| type = song
}}
}}
"I'm in Love with My Car" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released on their fourth album A Night at the Opera in 1975. It is the album's only song written entirely by drummer Roger Taylor.
History
Taylor played the guitars in the original demo, but they were later rerecorded by May on his Red Special and Taylor also doubled on electric guitar in addition to drums. The lead vocals were performed by Taylor on the studio version and all released live versions. The revving sounds at the conclusion of the song were a recording of Taylor's then-current car, an Alfa Romeo. The lyrics were inspired by one of the band's roadies, Johnathan Harris, whose Triumph TR4 was evidently the "love of his life".Mark Blake, Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen (Da Capo Press, 2013), {{ISBN|978-0306819735}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VyBp_VEiIVYC&q=%22I%27m+in+Love+with+My+Car%22+&pg=PT161 Excerpts available] at Google Books. The song is dedicated to him, with the liner notes mentioning, "Dedicated to Johnathan Harris, boy racer to the end".
When it came down to releasing the album's first single, Taylor was so fond of his song that he locked himself in a cupboard until it was agreed that it would be the B-side to the album's first single, "Bohemian Rhapsody".{{cite book|title=The Mojo Collection|date=2007|publisher=Canongate Books|isbn=9781847676436|edition=4th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AVQbF9lTBwgC&pg=PA355|access-date=4 April 2017}} This decision would later become the cause of much internal friction in the band, in that while it was only the B-side, it generated an equal amount of publishing royalties for Taylor as the main single did for Mercury simply because it was the B-side to "Bohemian Rhapsody".
The song was often played live from 1977 to 1981. Taylor sang it from the drums while Mercury played piano and provided backing vocals. During the News of the World Tour, Mercury would often sing the chorus lines with Taylor.{{cite web | author = The Crazy Game | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guS7gQxvi4k | date=30 November 2021 | title=QUEEN: Every time FREDDIE MERCURY sang I'm in Love with My Car LIVE | website=YouTube | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328123044/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guS7gQxvi4k | archive-date=28 March 2022 }}
The song's title is used as a running joke in the 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, starting with an argument between Taylor (Ben Hardy) and May (Gwilym Lee) over the song's lyrical content. Later in the film, fictional EMI executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers) suggests to have it or "You're My Best Friend" released as the first single to A Night at the Opera instead of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Shortly afterwards, on Kenny Everett's radio show, Mercury hands the single to the eponymous host, who then reads out "I'm In Love With My Car" rather than "Bohemian Rhapsody", which is then correctly played on air.{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/bohemian-rhapsody-soundtrack-queen-songs/ |title=Every Queen Song In Bohemian Rhapsody |first=John |last=Orquiola |website=Screen Rant |date=2 November 2018 |access-date=4 November 2018}}
Reception
Music writer Tom Reynolds described the song as "seriously, one of the greatest and most passionate love songs I've heard during the last thirty-plus years".Tom Reynolds, Touch Me, I'm Sick: The 52 Creepiest Love Songs You've Ever Heard (Chicago Review Press, 2008), {{ISBN|978-1556527531}}, p. 249. [https://archive.org/details/touchmeimsick00tomr/page/249 Excerpts available] at Google Books. AllMusic appreciated it as a "solid, hard hitting rocker" from Taylor. They observed, "The music lives up to the macho tone of the lyrics by matching up verses that swagger in a midtempo hard rock style", regarding it as an "album highlight".{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/im-in-love-with-my-car-mt0041538299 | title= I'm in Love with My Car - Queen | publisher= AllMusic}}
Personnel
- Roger Taylor – lead and backing vocals, drums, rhythm guitar{{cite web|url=https://www.queensongs.info/album-analysis/a-night-at-the-opera|title=A Night At The Opera|website=Queen Songs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629093117/https://www.queensongs.info/album-analysis/a-night-at-the-opera|archive-date=29 June 2017|access-date=14 July 2019}}
- Freddie Mercury – piano, backing vocals
- Brian May – lead guitar, backing vocals
- John Deacon – bass guitar
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{YouTube|id=jMnyg4Lktn8|title=Live performance by Queen + Paul Rodgers}}
- [http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/night-opera/#lyrics Lyrics at Queen official website]
{{Queen singles}}
{{authority control}}