This song was written by Brian May after he had a fever dream about the story of the great flood while suffering from hepatitis during the recording of Sheer Heart Attack. The song’s working title was “People of the Earth”. Utilizing Queen’s peak-level production and experimentation, the song is packed with interesting concepts, from its delay effect solo to its famous cannon section that goes on for 2:30 minutes. The song is structured very similarly to the song Brighton Rock from their previous album, also written by Brian May. It is also the longest Queen song (discounting the 22-minute-long untitled song), playing at 8:20 minutes. As Brian said in 1975, "I had a dream about what seemed like revenge on people, and I couldn’t really work out in the dream what it was that people had done wrong. It was something like a flood. Things had gone much too far and as a kind of reparation, the whole thing had to start again. In the dream, people were walking on the streets trying to touch each other's hands, desperate to try to make some sign that they were caring about other people. I felt that the trouble must be - and this is one of my obsessions, anyway - that people don’t make enough contact with each other. A feeling that runs through a lot of the songs I write is, that if there is a direction to mankind, it ought to be a coming together, and at the moment, it doesn’t seem to be happening very well. I worry about it a lot. I worry about not doing anything about it. Things seem to be getting worse. But I wasn’t trying to preach in the song at all. I was just trying to put across the questions which are in my mind, rather than the answers, which I don’t believe I have. The only answer I can see is to be aware of things like that and to sort of try to put yourself to rights. There is an overseer in the song, though, whose cry to the multitudes is to ‘listen to the warning of the seer’. In the song is this guy who also appeared in the dream. I don’t really know whether he was a prophet or an impostor, but anyway, he’s standing up there and saying, ‘Look, you’ve got to mend your ways.’ I still don’t know whether he’s the man who thinks he’s sent from God or whether he isn’t. The song asks questions rather than gives answers.

This is in my opinion a MASTERPIECE - but I grew up during that time and appreciated new influences differently than most young people today.

Queen was my childhood soundtrack and when I was old enough (early 90s, around my 10s) I deep-dived into their whole catalogue. This song definitely stood out for me at the time. It left me perplexed, it intrigued me in ways nothing had ever done before and it.fucking.terrified me. And yet I couldn't stop coming back to it. This song alone WAS my formative music. I've heard it a million times and I love it to death. And yet, I agree with most of your criticisms, by today's standards. The volume imbalance (not as huge as in the remaster, but still there) and those supermassive vocal harmonies annoyed me even back then, but it was kinda the signature sound of that era-Queen. With more listens maybe you'd appreciate it more, to me the production does have sort of an endearing quality to it. Same thing with some of the the vocal melodies in the middle part. Whenever I show this song to anybody, I know they will cringe a little but the per-fect layering and the way it tickles my brain feel so damn good. As usual I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction, even though we ended up in near-opposite of the "Like" spectrum lol

Interesting analysis, as always. The vocal section: this really comes down to taste, you either like it or you don't. You are correct in that it was a new thing and blew people's minds but I heard this in the 90s and it still blew my mind. Even as a vocalist it's hard not to appreciate the skill involved to nail all of those parts I also dont think there's a problem with introducing a new section within a composition that is musically "unrelated". Brian May wrote this piece to have a canon in the middle; nothin' wrong with that. Even the greats had unrelated sections in their works

In case no-one has answered this yet; yes, it does run into the next song - "Love of my Life".

@igortokarski9517

3 ай бұрын

The outro chord especially

Besides Bohemian Rhapsody, this is probably my favourite Queen song of all time. Something about the resolutions and especially the guitar parts speak to me. I especially love the way it transitions out of the middle section to the final chorus. I just feel that progression in my body a lot. I wonder if the middle section is from the perspective of the people the seer is trying to warn/proselytize? It would make sense that there'd be some things he'd said before but looped forever, as if he goes on and on about them? The random vocalisations that aren't words are essentially the listeners tuning out (as in *blah blah blah*)? Maybe I'm looking too much into it. 😆 Edit: I agree, the remaster is not good. I understand your complaints about the middle section. Maybe they were playing about with some sort of looper, but I can't help but smile whenever it starts looping the lyric "around" because it sounds like "a round" 😄

I've not heard this re-master before, but my 1st thought was 'I prefer the original'. Wouldn't the mad multi-tracking in the original have been done by hand splicing tape in '75? Check out Cellar Darling's cover of this too. It's very very good if a Swiss folk metal version sounds of interest

That "folk/medieval" sound you are hearing is a bit of a holdover from their first two albums. Before "A Night at the Opera" Queen did a lot of songs featuring folklore, fantasy, and biblical topics with a prog metal style to them. This track is really the only track on the album like this, with most of the album feeling like the Queen most people are accustomed to. There are a few points where it dabbles in other styles as well, like ragtime of all things. Thanks for taking my selection!

The issues you have with this song seem to be similar to your issues with The Mars Volta. And coincidentally, i love the things you hate lol. It seems you have an issue in music with anything that is abrupt. Any type of dramatic change without prior build up. I can understand that, and obviously most people feel the same way, but there is something that just tickles my creative bones when i hear something abrupt. Its creative, its confident, its almost "punk", in defiance of the norm.

@santiagocalderon3261

3 ай бұрын

yeah, he does mention the same thing in his haken videos, but I guess abrupt changes are an acquired taste

@colemantrebor6574

3 ай бұрын

Opeth does this as well especially on early albums.

i just realised that steven wilson takes a lot of influence from these guys for his delayed harmonies, like in the end of anesthetise.

This song has very interesting cord progressions and harmonies and is very experimental. The middle section is something you can not find in popular music much, even today. And that is why it is important for the whole genre. I love it, the graziness is just masterful and hilarious at the same time. Everything I like about music. And this is a song you have listen a few times before it grows on you. And no, without the middle section the song would not be the classic it is. It is probably most appreciated among the progheads. And that I am. PS. The compressed remasters are just horrific.

Thank you for this fascinating analysis. You really gave us a lot of insight. The bottom line of "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" isn't really the point, because that is very personal and subjective; although I see some in the comments section take umbrage. You give so much attention and care to your analysis that it is respectful to the piece. To me, the originality, the power, the creativity that makes it new while drawing on the old (folk and medieval) as well as riffing on ancient content like the story of Noah, the drama, and that weird feeling of being (or listening to) a "seer" or "prophet" who is in another consciousness which keeps it off kilter - all of these make this a great composition.

I love this song, and I've always gravitated towards it rather than the other great mass in the album, "Bohemian Rhapsody". I think you helped clarify what it is that I like about it, which interestingly enough, is something that I knew explicitly about the two songs I believe are the best in the record, " '39" and "Love of My Life". The folk, or what I would call "pastoral" quality that you identified in this song. I never really identified it in "The Prophet's Song", but now that you point it out, I hear it clearly. I don't listen to this record often, and I can count with one hand the number of times I've listened to "Bohemian Rhapsody" on purpose in the last 30 years. The problem that I have with that song is the problem you have with _this_ one. Namely, the middle vocal section. It is telling that my favorite Queen record is _News of the Word_ , an album that is as one dimensional as anything Queen ever produced before 1980. It's devoid of distracting, and yes, pretentious parts that I don't believe adds to any songs overall. I don't mind it in "Prophet's Song", although I can see how it could get tedious, but I absolutely hate it in 'Rhapsody".

Definitely one of Queen's best "album tracks." I always considered them more of a singles band in that I do think most of their best stuff managed to become pretty big hits, but they definitely had a handful of deep cuts that were real gems and this is one of them. They were always very much a band interested in combining the groove and power of rock with the more complex and elaborate aspects of prog, and this track very much shows that off. I personally love the middle bit, if just on the basis of how ballsy it was to put something like that in the middle of a rock song... but Queen were very much into this style of stitching very different styles together around this time. Bohemian Rhapsody does do a similar thing, and I agree it's better structurally and compositionally, but The Prophets Song is still pretty great. The remasters suck, by the way; they're among the worst examples of how crushing peak dynamic range can destroy some music. EDIT: I will add that having middle sections that are completely disconnected from the rest of the song has a pretty long tradition in music. For centuries classical music usually had movements called "Minuet and trio" (that became scherzos) that were basically structured ABA where the B section (the trio) only existed to serve as contrast to the minuet and rarely utilized any musical material from the minuet. As for remasters Vs originals, most remasters only jack up the volume and squash the peak dynamic range. I prefer originals not because I grew up with them (most of them were released before I was born), but because I prefer my music to have those peak dynamics that add punch to the music. Most remasters sound so flat and lacking in punch. Remasters are for people listening on low-powered portable devices that can't amplify quietly mastered music to listenable levels, but if you're listening to music with decent amplifiers there's rarely a reason to prefer remasters to the originals.

This truly is a hit or miss (and sometimes might grow on you 😋). Brian has a "Making of" video for The Prophet's Song that you would probably find very interesting.

Great analysis, I thoroughly enjoyed. I disagree with you in that I love this and I do feel there is a storyline in the lyrics, but I respect your right to have your own opinion and anyone who unsubscribes because you have an opinion is someone you are better off without.

Did you really say headphones aren’t the best way to listen to older music? Odd. Bands of the 70s and 80s really understood the dynamics of stereo. You also mentioned how quiet the instrumental section was coming out of the a cappella section. That section hits like a sledgehammer. Maybe there’s something wrong with your headphones? Everyone has different tastes, but it’s odd you don’t like this, especially since you mention being a composer. It’s a master class of composition and production.

@colemantrebor6574

3 ай бұрын

Yeah for me the instrumental section is not quiet at all, its quite loud compared to the rest

love the middle bit, personally! this is one of the most epic Queen tracks!

I am pretty sure I would prefer the non remastered version.

I do think the use of the echo was extremely well done, and as an exercise it was very good 'for the time' as do, it was probably pioneering, yet it doesn't massively add to the track. #wordoftheday - zeitgeist# Kudos for checking out the remaster vs Original. For me, musically, without that middle section the song is brilliant, and it's lovely to hear proper instrumentation. It would be great for you to consider a 'mainstream' song by Queen, as well as a proggier song. Perhaps you could do something that looks at Queen's diversity, looking at a soft, beautiful song - perhaps 'Who wants to live forever'/ or 'Show must go on', a mainstream rock song - perhaps 'Hammer to Fall' or 'One Vision', a prog song - My pick would be 'Innuendo' as it's my favourite, and one other. Death on Two Legs is also great, but missed the cut for their greatest hits. There are so many great queen songs, and whilst this is interesting, it's not a great song IMO. Regardless, I'd strongly recommend you listen to innuendo one day, even if not for reaction.

Good reaction. It's a very different song - unfortunate it wasn't for you. I use this track as proof that Queen could do progressive (and hard progressive at that). This is where I find it differs greatly from Bohemian Rhapsody - while it still has the stylistic changes throughout, it isn't as varied as Prophet's Song. Rhapsody is still constructed more as a pop song, which perhaps lends to it's popularity. To me, both are masterpieces, but I understand that Prophet's is a little less accessible. The sound is better on the original! I know this song so well, and this 'remaster' I find a little more muddy. The dynamics are superb! You just explained why the 'loudness wars' were such a spectacular failure! Without dynamics, the barrage of sound becomes exhausting, and takes away all emotion and punch to a song! The stereo panning on this is spectacular (IMHO) - equally as good on headphones or good speaker system. Cheers!

I might be wrong. But I feel it’s a element of Noah’s ark. The new green bough, two by two Out of the rain. The new land. Call me crazy but I hear ,listen to the wise man and other lyrics just gave me that feel. It’s no criticisms. I like the words ,and some of the music. I’m a big queenie, but it’s not one of my favorite. One vision. Do the documentary ((making of one vision). Good to see them also. Still like your reaction

I think you are wrong about the mid-section not carrying through from what surrounds it. The phrase "Listen to the man" recurrs throughout the song.

The acapela section is like religious indoctrination, the receptiveness is just like many religious types of music, the song warns against the apocalypse and the mad prophet. The song is fine but Queen has more interesting songs, such as The March Of The Black Queen. I think the reason why some people are so attached to it is because it was written by Brian May. Most of Queen's other masterpieces were written by Freddie Mercury. People want Brian May to have his own masterpiece. There was always a big competition between the songwriters in Queen. Freddie was just the one who tended to write the most complex songs, partly because he wrote music from the piano instead of the guitar like Brian May. Bohemian Rhapsody is a far more complex and cohesive song than The Prophet's Song. Brian May has certainly written more interesting songs then this one such as Brighton Rock or white Queen (as it began).

This song wasn't hit material, you have to accept that. Artistically, it shows what Queen was capable of and where they wanted to go. Only rock was always not enough for them.

I'm on the same camp, take the middle section out and the rest of the song would be stronger for it, at least for me.

@drosera88

3 ай бұрын

You know what's funny is that as much as liked the song, and as cool as I though the middle section was, it always did feel a bit out of place to me. When he suggested that maybe it was them showing off some new tech on an album, that's something I never thought of. That's part of the reason I sub and make these selections, to get new perspectives on these things.

Soft machine moon in june please 🙏

I have to agree with you ,this song is not that great in my opinion as well. There are much better songs on their second album Queen ll for my taste.

@santiagocalderon3261

3 ай бұрын

The march of the black queen

@ectoplasma5

3 ай бұрын

@@santiagocalderon3261 Yes !

Awful review!