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| "I Want to Break Free" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for UK release | ||||
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album The Works | ||||
| B-side | "Machines (or 'Back to Humans')" | |||
| Released | 2 April 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:19 (album version) 3:43 (soundtrack version) 4:18 (single version) 7:14 (12" extended version) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | John Deacon | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "I Want to Break Free" on YouTube | ||||
"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by their bassist John Deacon. It appears on the album The Works (1984), and was released in three versions: album, single and extended. The track became a staple of the band's 1984–85 Works Tour and their 1986 Magic Tour.
The song is largely known for its music video for which all the band members dressed in drag, a concept proposed by drummer Roger Taylor, which parodied the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The second part of the video included a composition rehearsed and performed with the Royal Ballet and choreographed by Wayne Eagling. Whereas the parody was acclaimed in the United Kingdom, where cross-dressing is a popular trope in British comedy,[3] it caused controversy in the United States.[4]
After its release in 1984, the song was well received in Europe and South America and is regarded as an anthem of the fight against oppression. The single reached only number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but reached number three in the UK and was certified double platinum with over 1,200,000 copies sold. It also topped the charts of Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The song features on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits II.
- ^ Nolan, Paul (19 May 2005). "Live at the Point Depot". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ^ Dome, Malcolm (29 August 2016). "Queen albums ranked from worst to best". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ^ "The Brits and Cross-Dressing: A History". BBC America. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
- ^ "100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2019.