1991 Iconic Hit, Which Was Recorded in a Single Take, Was Never Sung Live by Its Lead Vocalist

In 1990, Brian May had a song that he didn't think would be possible for Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. Yet, "The Show Must Go On" was recorded in one breathtaking shot.

Released in 1991 and credited to Queen, despite May being the one to pen it, "The Show Must Go On" is a heartbreaking look at Mercury's private battle with AIDs. After being diagnosed in 1987, he refused to give up, and he continued to record for as long as he could.

However, May had his doubts. By the time the iconic track was ready, May admitted to Mercury that he may not have had the vocal strength to pull it off. What came next was a masterpiece. Mercury downed his shot of vodka and said, "I'll f–king do it, darling," before heading into the recording booth. The legend recorded it all in one take, surprising everyone, making it arguably his best performance in the recording booth ever.

When you start to look at the lyrics, you'll see the message May was sharing as he wrote it. This song was specifically for Mercury, as the whole band knew that he was dying, but nobody wanted to speak about it. They would all speak through their music, and May offered Mercury a chance to share everything he was living through with one haunting song.

In an interview with Absolute Radio, May explained that there was something that spoke to him while he and the band were playing around with some chord sequences, "and the song just leapt into my head so vividly that I sort of questioned whether I'd heard it somewhere else. I could hear ‘The Show Must Go On' so clearly in my head, and…when everybody had gone, I just put down a demo of it."

In a bittersweet moment, Mercury would never get to sing the song live. He died six weeks after "The Show Must Go On" was released, at the age of 45. The first time this track would be played live would be on April 20, 1992, with Elton John performing the lead vocals. Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert have since performed the track with Queen live.

While the last track released while Mercury was alive, it wouldn't become his last song ever to be recorded. "Mother Love" gained that title, although it was released posthumously in 1995. Mercury recorded the first two verses before telling the other members of Queen that he was too tired to continue recording and that he would return the next day. That never happened, with May singing the final verse.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 8:57 AM.