Some songs don’t need to be read too much into because if we did, there’s a chance it might change our perception of them. Queen have so many universal hits that it’s hard to pinpoint their most famous one, but there is no doubt ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ would be up there.
After David Beckham received his red card during the 1998 World Cup, the Daily Mail ran a story where they sent journalists around the world to try and find someone who hadn’t heard of him. They found that person in the form of a farmer in the Asian countryside. A similar experiment could be done with dancefloors and ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. It would be interesting to see if any party out there isn’t heightened by the instantly recognisable and forever iconic “Tonight, I’m gonna have myself a real good time” that opens the song.
Any social event seems to be added to by ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ as it permits people to do whatever they’re already doing. If you are having a drink and are starting to worry about how you might feel the next day, it helps you brush away those worries. It allows the listener to embrace the fun side of being irresponsible instead of dwelling on the fact they are being irresponsible.
The song sees Freddie Mercury throw caution into the wind and embrace the crazy lifestyle he was neck deep in at the time. It was one filled with sex, drugs, alcohol and parties, all of which remain the focal point of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’.
“I thought it was a lot of fun, but I did have an undercurrent feeling of, ‘aren’t we talking about danger here,’” said Brian May, reflecting on the song. Freddie wrote it during a particularly chaotic time in his life, one which had his bandmates concerned rather than partying along. “We were worried about Freddie at this point. That feeling lingers, but it’s become almost the most successful Queen track as regards to what people play in their car or at their weddings.”
Freddie suffered the repercussions of living such a hectic life, as he had to get off drugs and develop a healthier relationship with alcohol. The singer also died of AIDS-related causes in 1991. In that sense, the song that embraces such hedonism could instead be read as a warning towards it.
Alternatively, there is the mindset May has. Mercury lived through this period of his life because he could and because it was what he wanted to do at the time. The song doesn’t dwell on repercussions; it doesn’t even acknowledge them. Mercury takes the fragments of joy and excitement from that period and puts them on instrumentation that mirrors it. In that sense, it is less a cautionary tale and more a reminder that life is short and we should enjoy it.
“It’s become a massive, massive track,” said May, “And an anthem to people who want to be hedonistic. It was kind of a stroke of genius from Freddie.”
