It’s just a song. That’s what some people say. But if you’ve ever watched Freddie Mercury stare directly into the camera lens and whisper those final three words, you know it’s so much more than a track on a 1991 album. These Are the Days of Our Lives is the sound of a man saying goodbye while the world was still pretending he wasn’t leaving.
The year was 1991. The album was Innuendo.
By the time the public heard it, Freddie was weeks away from passing. People didn't know the full truth yet, though the tabloids were circling like vultures. The song itself is surprisingly simple for a band known for operatic explosions and complex layering. It’s a soft shuffle. A gentle synth pad. A percussion track that feels like a heartbeat slowing down.
The Music Video That Changed Everything
The music video for These Are the Days of Our Lives is arguably one of the most significant pieces of film in rock history. Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher (the "Torpedo Twins"), it was filmed on May 30, 1991.
Freddie was in pain. Everyone on set knew it.
He spent hours in the makeup chair to hide the ravages of AIDS. The video was shot in black and white, a deliberate choice by the directors to mask the discoloration of his skin and the extreme weight loss he had suffered. If you look at the color behind-the-scenes footage that surfaced years later, the reality is staggering. He was frail. He was thin. But his eyes? They were still fierce.
There’s a specific moment in the video where Freddie wears a waistcoat featuring hand-painted cats. It was a gift from a friend, and he insisted on wearing it. It’s a tiny, human detail in a career defined by leather jackets and royal capes.
Brian May later recalled that Freddie could barely stand for long periods. He would do a take, sit down, have a drink, and then get back up for one more go. He wanted it to be perfect. He knew this was the final visual legacy he would leave his fans.
Writing the Farewell: It Wasn't Actually Freddie
A common misconception is that Freddie wrote the lyrics as a personal goodbye.
Actually, Roger Taylor wrote the bulk of it.
Roger was thinking about his kids. He was feeling nostalgic for the early days of the band—the touring, the chaos, the youth. But as the band worked on it in Mountain Studios in Montreux, the meaning shifted. It became a vessel for Freddie’s situation. John Deacon’s bass line is steady and supportive, and Brian May’s guitar solo is one of his most melodic, opting for soaring, clean tones rather than aggressive distortion.
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The lyrics reflect a universal truth: you don't realize you're in the "good old days" until they're gone.
"You can't turn back the clock, you can't turn back the tide / Ain't that a shame?"
It's conversational. It's blunt. It's honest.
The Impact on the Charts and the Public
When the song was released as a double A-side with "Bohemian Rhapsody" following Freddie's death in November 1991, it hit number one in the UK. It stayed there for five weeks.
The timing was heavy.
The world was mourning. Seeing the video on Top of the Pops became a weekly ritual of collective grief. It wasn't just a hit song; it was a memorial service broadcast into living rooms.
The song eventually won a Brit Award for Best British Single in 1992. Roger and Brian accepted it. It was a bittersweet moment because the "Days of Our Lives" they were singing about were officially over.
Technical Brilliance in Simplicity
Musically, the song is a masterclass in restraint.
Queen was famous for "more is more." Think about the vocal layering in Somebody to Love. Now, listen to the vocal in These Are the Days of Our Lives. It’s incredibly raw. Freddie’s voice had changed by 1991. It was thinner in some places but had a new, gravelly soulfulness in others.
The use of congas (played by David Richards or potentially a programmed loop, depending on which studio sessions you track) gives it a slight Latin feel. This was a departure from their heavy rock roots. It feels airy. It feels like a sunset.
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Brian May’s solo is particularly interesting. He used his Red Special, as always, but he played it with a softness that mimics a vocal melody. He wasn't trying to show off. He was trying to complement the sentiment.
Why We Still Talk About It
Why does this track still show up on every "Best of" list? Why does it still make grown men cry in their cars?
Because it’s not just about Queen.
It’s about the passage of time. We all have those moments—sitting in a cafe, looking at old photos, realizing that a specific chapter of our life is closed forever. Queen just happened to capture that feeling while their lead singer was literally at the end of his life.
It’s also about the bond between the four members. Despite the internal friction that happens in any band that stays together for twenty years, they stayed united until the end. John, Roger, and Brian protected Freddie. They kept his secret. They showed up to the studio every day he felt well enough to sing.
Realities of the Recording Process
People forget how difficult the Innuendo sessions were.
The band moved to Montreux to escape the London press. Freddie lived in a flat overlooking Lake Geneva. He told the band, "Write me things. I know I’m not long for this. Keep writing me words, keep giving me things, I will sing and then you can do what you like with it and finish it off."
They were racing against a clock that only they could hear.
In These Are the Days of Our Lives, you can hear that urgency masked as calm. There's no panic in the performance. Just acceptance.
Key Misconceptions About the Song
- "Freddie wrote it to say goodbye." As mentioned, Roger Taylor was the primary songwriter. It was inspired by Roger's memories of his children and the band's early years, though Freddie's performance certainly gave it the "goodbye" weight.
- "It was the last song Freddie ever recorded." Not quite. While it was the last video he filmed, the last song he actually recorded vocals for was "Mother Love," which appeared on the posthumous Made in Heaven album.
- "The video was black and white for artistic reasons only." While it looks great, it was a practical necessity to hide Freddie's illness.
How to Appreciate the Track Today
If you want to truly experience this song, don't just listen to it on a tinny phone speaker.
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- Watch the video first. Pay attention to Freddie’s hands. He often kept them in his pockets or moved them carefully.
- Listen for the "I still love you." That's the final line. Freddie breaks character for a second, looks right at the camera, smiles a genuine, tired smile, and disappears from the screen.
- Compare it to "Radio Ga Ga." Also written by Roger Taylor. You can hear the evolution of Roger's songwriting—from the stadium-filling anthem of the mid-80s to the reflective, quiet power of the 90s.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this era of Queen's history, here's what you should actually do:
Check out the "Days of Our Lives" documentary. It's the most honest account of the band's history, featuring extensive interviews with Brian and Roger. It puts the song in the context of their entire career.
Listen to the Innuendo album from start to finish. The title track is a massive, Led Zeppelin-esque epic. Following that journey all the way to the end of the album makes the impact of the final tracks much heavier.
Look at the photography by Neal Preston and Richard Young from that era. It captures the atmosphere of the band's final years in a way that words can't quite manage.
Understand the history of the "cat waistcoat." It's a small detail, but it represents Freddie's personal life—his love for his cats (especially Delilah) and the people who stayed by his side at Garden Lodge.
The song serves as a reminder that legacy isn't built on the loudest moments. It's built on the honest ones. Queen gave us "We Will Rock You," but they also gave us this. One is for the stadium; the other is for the soul.
When you hear that final drum hit fade out, it’s not just the end of a song. It’s the end of an era. And yet, every time someone presses play, those days live again. That’s the magic of it. Honestly, it's pretty incredible that a group of four guys from London could distill the entire human experience of aging and loss into four minutes and fifteen seconds.
The next time you’re feeling nostalgic, put this on. Let the synth wash over you. Remember that even when things change, the music stays exactly where you left it.
Practical Next Steps
- Analyze the Lyrics: Read the lyrics of These Are the Days of Our Lives alongside Roger Taylor's other nostalgic tracks like Tenement Funster to see how his perspective on the band's history evolved over 15 years.
- Comparative Listening: Listen to the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert version sung by George Michael and Lisa Stansfield. It offers a different, more soulful take that highlights the song's melodic strength outside of the original context.
- Documentary Viewing: Watch Queen: Days of Our Lives (2011) to see the raw footage from the music video shoot. This provides the necessary context to understand why the performance was so physically demanding for Mercury.