"Now I'm Here" is a song by English rock band Queen, released on their third studio album, Sheer Heart Attack (1974). Written by guitarist Brian May, the song is noted for its gritty guitar riffs and vocal harmonies. In the UK, the song reached #11 on the charts when released as a single in 1975.[5] The song was a live favourite, performed at virtually every concert from late 1974 to 1986.[6]
| "Now I'm Here" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belgian picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album Sheer Heart Attack | ||||
| B-side | "Lily of the Valley" | |||
| Released |
| |||
| Recorded | September 1974 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1][2][3][4] | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Brian May | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Now I'm Here" on YouTube | ||||
Details
editThe song draws on May's fond experiences of the band's US tour earlier in 1974. Mott the Hoople, whom Queen was supporting, are referenced in the line: Down in the city, just Hoople and me.
It also appeared on the 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits and the 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks.[7] In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Now I'm Here" at number 33 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.[8]
Live performances
edit"Now I'm Here" was a fixture of Queen's setlists, being performed on every concert tour from 1974 until the band's final tour in 1986. It was first performed on the Sheer Heart Attack Tour in Manchester on 30 October 1974.
On the Sheer Heart Attack Tour, Mercury would be seen singing the line "Now I'm here" on one side of the stage amidst the darkness and dry ice, and a few bars later, at "Now I'm there," he would "appear" on the other side of the stage, an illusion created by an identically dressed stagehand.[9]
The liner notes of Live Killers (1979), Queen's first live album, say that the song was dropped from the setlist for some time, but had recently been reintroduced. The song was rearranged to allow Mercury to interact with the audience in a "call and response" sing along.[10] It is unclear when the song was dropped and for how long.
May continued to perform the song as a solo artist following Mercury's death in 1991. At The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, May joined Def Leppard on stage to perform the song, which went on to become the B-side to Def Leppard's single "Tonight" and would also make it onto the deluxe edition of their Adrenalize album. It was used as the opening song on the American, Asian and Australian legs of the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015.
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11] | 29 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] | 32 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 29 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 11 |
| West Germany (GfK)[15] | 25 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
editQueen
edit- Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, Hammond organ
- Brian May - electric guitar, piano, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor - drums, percussion, backing vocals
- John Deacon - bass
Live recordings
edit- Live Killers (1979)
- Concerts for the People of Kampuchea (1979) (recorded at their Christmas concert in Hammersmith Odeon, London)
- Queen Rock Montreal (1981)
- Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl (1982)
- Live at Wembley '86 / Live at Wembley Stadium (1986)
- Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest ’86 (1986)
- The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (1992) (played by Def Leppard and Brian May)
- Live at the Brixton Academy (Brian May album) (1993)
- Live at the Rainbow '74 (2014)
- A Night at the Odeon – Hammersmith 1975 (2015)
References
edit- ^ "Now I'm Here :: Queen Songs". Queen Songs. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ Terich, Jeff; Karman, Chris (6 June 2012). "10 Essential Glam Rock Albums". Treblezine. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
and hard rocking riff-fests ('Stone Cold Crazy,' 'Now I'm Here').
- ^ "The 50 best Queen songs of all time". Classic Rock. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (26 October 2018). "Queen's 50 UK singles – ranked!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
- ^ Queen on tour Queen Concerts. Retrieved 10 July 2011
- ^ Queen Rocks, Vol. 1 Allmusic. Retrieved 10 July 2011
- ^ Tracks 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever! Q Magazine. Retrieved 10 July 2011
- ^ Purvis, Georg (2018). Queen: Complete Works (revised and updated). US, CA: Titan Books. ISBN 9781789090499.
- ^ Live Killers (Media notes). EMI. 1979. EMSP 330.
- ^ "Queen – Now I'm Here" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Queen" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Queen – Now I'm Here" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Queen: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – Now I'm Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 August 2020. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Queen"
- ^ "British single certifications – Queen – Now I'm Here". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 December 2022.