Song Analysis of The Show Must Go On

The song “The Show Must Go On”, the last song on Queen’s album Innuendo, is a masterpiece. The lyrics of the song were written by the group's guitarist, Brian May, since late singer Freddy Mercury's illness made it too difficult for him to compose them. On the 24th of November 1991, Mercury died of AIDS - the day after confirming the rumours about him having the disease. The song is about the show – or life – having to continue no matter what.  

He never whined about the illness, but still hoped to make as much music as possible with the time he had left. "My make-up may be flaking, but my smile, still, stays on," the song says. As for "Another heartache, another failed romance - -", perhaps Mercury's complicated love life is being referenced in the lyrics. "Inside my heart is breaking."; AIDS destroys the body’s immune system.  

In the verses questions like “– – what are we living for?” and “Does anybody know what we are looking for?” are asked and somewhat answered in the chorus: “The show must go on”, no time for questions.   

The lyrics “I can fly, my friends” are a clear reference to death. May has stated that while brainstorming the song with Mercury they decided the song to be sung from a clown’s perspective. In reality, May wrote this song about Mercury himself, and although they never said it out loud, they both knew the truth. “Fairy tales of yesterday, grow but never die”, just like Mercury’s legacy, even after 30 long years – still growing, never dying.   

I initially thought that the song seemed hopeful, but the more I listened to it, the more I realized that it was desperate. It’s about living your life to the fullest while not knowing who we really are and questioning everything – all whilst running out of time. I love the song, yet it still makes me sad. It gets very personal, and you can hear it in Mercury’s voice. I’d say we all resonate with the song to a degree.