Deviating from their usual grandeur of Rock and Pop infusions, Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” is a new flavour on their supernatural discography. Brian May of Queen reveals that the song was written and performed in tribute to Elvis Presley-King of Rock and Roll. In retrospect, the music video features the band members delivering an energetic performance, especially Freddie Mercury who gets as flashy as he has ever been.
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was featured in Queen’s 1980 album ‘The Game’ and for obvious reasons in the later album ‘Greatest Hits’ in 1981. The song topped at #2 on UK Singles chart and became the first #1 hit on US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also remained in these top positions for several weeks.
How Long Did It Take Freddie Mercury to Write “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”?
The song was written by the lead singer of Queen-Freddie Mercury during their recording sessions in Munich. According to Roger Taylor, Freddie wrote this song in his bathtub during a downtime.
Freddie Mercury himself talked about coming up with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” under 10 minutes in ‘Melody Maker‘ interview;
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” took me five or ten minutes. I did that on the guitar, which I can’t play for nuts, and in one way it was quite a good thing because I was restricted, knowing only a few chords. It’s a good discipline because I simply had to write within a small framework. I couldn’t work through too many chords and because of that restriction I wrote a good song, I think. – Freddie Mercury
So, unlike most of their sophisticated tracks like “Bohemian Rhapsody“ or “We Are The Champions,” this track is simple and serenades the essence of Queen.
Watch “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” Video by Queen
Download “Crazy Little Things Called Love” Single on iTunes and Amazon
This song is an ado to love and what it makes a person be and do. The expectations, the urges, the electrifying feelings and every little other thing is entrapped in the emotion of love. This song, too, is a rock n roll ride of emotions of love.
Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
Chorus
Freddie Mercury has jitters about jumping into this mess of a thing called ‘love.’ He explicitly says he is not ready for love and what it gives and takes away from you.
Mercury probably experienced ‘love’ in a multitude of ways as per his life story. He had one love of his life-Mary Austin, who was engaged to Freddie and left him after discovering that he was bisexual. Mercury has had many same-sex partners throughout his life, which led him to be infected of HIV/AIDS that led to his untimely death. The love he had for Mary Austin was true and powerful, even until his last breath. It must have left him shattered inside to see Mary Austin have a family with another man.
Verse 1
The short-stepped lyrics are similar to those of rock n roll music.
In these lyrics, Freddie Mercury explains what love does to a man. It hurts at times and you might end up weeping like a baby. “All night” refers to the commitment of love-which ideally lasts a lifetime. To a superstar of Freddie Mercury’s stature who was hooked with parties, settling down, except maybe with Mary Austin, might have looked like imprisonment.
‘Swing and jive’ are dance moves popularized with rock n roll music. It’s fast paced, high energy and quickly exhausting, quite like love itself.
How does love make you feel inside your body? Like the wiggle of a jellyfish? Yes, Queen said it first in “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”
Freddie Mercury Plays the Guitar While Performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yziGiVua0Dg
Bridge
Freddie’s vision of his girlfriend who is into rock n roll, drives him crazy, and makes him sick with love. ‘Hot and cold’ fevers could be a reference to the good and bad times in love. However, she always leaves him in a cold sweat-which is the good kind of sweat-after a thrilling workout of bodies and a sensational relaxation afterwards.
Verse 2
In the second verse of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” we find Freddie running away from this craze. He is going to take a ride on his motorbike which usually symbolizes an alone journey. He is just not ready for such a commitment yet.
Freddie also emphasizes that he wants to get on his tracks, which could mean several things. Tracks refer to a road, so in one way he could be wanting to find his own path in life and love. On another perspective where tracks mean songs, Freddie could be committing himself to produce more music.
For a track written under 10 minutes in a bathtub, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” has achieved a magnificent spot in music history. To this day, this song has not faded away.
Let us hear your thoughts and opinions on this wild song by Queen. Drop down your interpretations and experiences of this song in the comments below.
Complete Lyrics to “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen
I always kind of wondered if this song could be about a new father who is very unsure about his abilities to care for a child, coming to terms with the situation. He loves his girlfriend, but he is not sure if he is ready to be a father, so he feels like he has to get away until he is ready. This is probably completely off, but I am just curious if anyone else has thought about this meaning behind the song.