"Brighton Rock" is the first song on Queen's 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack and it is perhaps one of the best Queen songs that few people know about. In fact, in the shadow of great albums like A Night At The Opera or A Day At The Races or News Of The World, Sheer Heart Attack as an album really gets overlooked. Sure, you've got Queen's first mega-hit "Killer Queen," and you've got the semi-hit "Now I'm Here," but other than that, the rest of the album is not nearly as appreciated as it should be. You've got "Brighton Rock," which I will talk about a little later, you've got one of the precursors to thrash metal - "Stone Cold Crazy" - a song that Metallica somewhat famously covered (and made even more awesome), you've got an entire album of really great songs. What I'm saying is, go listen to Sheer Heart Attack, you won't regret it.

The very first song you will hear when you go listen to Sheer Heart Attack (and I know you will, because I told you to, right?) is "Brighton Rock," a song that at first glance seems more confusing than Keanu Reeves doing Shakespeare. When I told my editor that I would do an article about this song and that I would talk about the town of Brighton, England, she said, "Haha, if that's what the song's about; I have no clue," which is generally the sentiment about this song. Now, at first glance, this song would appear to be an excuse for Brian May and Roger Taylor to just be awesome (which they do), as if they were like, "I don't know, Freddie, just sing something in a falsetto, who cares?" The title "Brighton Rock" is actually a reference to a type of sugar/glucose syrup/water candy called a "Brighton rock" that is popular at resorts in Brighton, England.

Brighton Rock is also the name of a popular novel and 1947 noir film. The song itself, what few lyrics there are, is about a couple who is away on a holiday that they don't want other people knowing about; specifically, the girl, Jenny, doesn't want her mother to find out about it. The majority of the song is just a chance for everybody else in the band to show off, most prominently, Brian May. This is the kind of song that makes guitarists want to shout obscenities while they throw their guitars on the ground and quit, because this guitar stuff is just certifiable. All kinds of delay, echoes and everything make May harmonize with himself while shredding and it's just amazing to listen to. That's not to discount what amazing work Roger Taylor does, going flat-out crazy on the drums, playing like a hyperactive, cracked-out version of Animal from The Muppets. And then there's John Deacon, one of the most underappreciated bassists in rock, plucking away at insanely high speeds while, I assume, Freddie Mercury goes off to get a drink of (insert name of beverage, alcoholic or otherwise, here) or flirt with a transvestite or whatever it is Freddie Mercury did in his free time. When the song is done live, the guitar solo is even longer and crazier, sometimes including bits of other Queen songs thrown in.

Now, the town of Brighton, England, which the candy, and then the song, was named after - though the song never directly mentions it - is a fairly big town of roughly 156,000 people in southeast England. Brighton is known for two very big things: the annual Brighton Festival, and a very large LGBTQ community, which - often - the two combine. The Brighton Festival has been going on since 1966 and is one of the biggest arts festivals in the UK. Multiple nights of live music, parades, and even one time in 2007 they had a world beard and mustache competition, which sounds amazing. There's also a massive gay pride parade that occurs in Brighton every year, which attracts thousands of people from all over the place. All of this together has given Brighton the title of "the gay capital of Britain."

If you ever need evidence as to why Brian May is called one of the greatest guitarists of all time, "Brighton Rock" is definitely a song to use. If you need evidence to prove to someone why Queen is called one of the greatest bands of all time, whoever you're talking to is a moron and you should stop talking to them. But "Sheer Heart Attack" isn't a bad place to start. Though this song isn't necessarily about Brighton, it's not too surprising that there's a Queen song that mentions it; Brighton seems like the kind of place Queen would enjoy hanging out in.

Ben Palmer
August 4, 2015 Brighton Rock Songfacts
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Comments: 2

• Brighton Rocker from Brighton, UkBrighton is also notorious for the "dirty weekend" - where couples (unmarried or married to other people) spend an illicit and secret few days by the sea, often booking into hotels as Mr and Mrs Smith - something that may help explain some of the lyrics.
• Ronjonsurfers from New Jersey, UsaMay puts on a clinic in every version I've ever heard of Brighton Rock. You are correct in stating that this is an album that needs to be listened to loudly and often.

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