Barcelona (Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé song)
"Barcelona" | ||||
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Label | Polydor | |||
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"Barcelona" (4K video) on YouTube |
"Barcelona" is a single released by Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. A part of their collaborative album Barcelona, it also appeared on Queen's Greatest Hits III.
The song reflects Mercury's love of opera with his high notes and Caballé's operatic vocals, backed by a full orchestra. Originally released in 1987, it was one of the biggest hits of Mercury's solo career, reaching number eight in the
In 2004, BBC Radio 2 listed Barcelona at number 41 in its Sold On Song Top 100.[1]
History
Mercury had been a long-time fan of opera, and especially Montserrat Caballé. In 1986, he mentioned on Spanish television that he would like to meet her, and they met for the first time in Barcelona in February 1987. Later, when the city had been chosen for the 1992 Summer Olympics, Caballé, a native of the city, was asked to help produce a song for the games. She asked Mercury to collaborate.[1] Caballé became enthusiastic about the project and instead of recording a single, she proposed to make an album, on which Mercury agreed.[2] "Barcelona", their proposed opening song, had to be completed by 1988 in time to be entered as a candidate for the 1992 Olympic theme. The selection was scheduled for 1988, four years before the Games.[3] The recording was complicated by Caballé's tight schedule; to save time, Mercury recorded the song, singing Caballé's part in falsetto. He would then send a tape to Caballé to prepare her for the joint studio sessions.[4]
The song
The song was co-written by Mercury with
The song has been described as a rare textbook example of a combination of pop and opera singing which accentuated their differences.
Music video
In October 1987, the official
Versions
In 2000, The Solo Collection the Rarities 2 disc contained an early version with different lyrics, running 4:21, and a later version running 4:41 as well as on the Singles disc, an extended version lasting 7:07.
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury – vocals, arrangements
- Montserrat Caballé – vocals
- Mike Moran– keyboard, programming, arrangements
- Homi Kanga – violin
- Laurie Lewis – violin
- Deborah Ann Johnston – cello
- Barry Castle – French horn
- Frank Ricotti – percussion
Live performance
The song was first performed live in May 1987, at the Ibiza festival, held at the Ku nightclub (now Privilege Ibiza, the "world's largest nightclub").[9]
Its next important performance occurred on 8 October 1988, at the open air La Nit festival in Barcelona, which was staged on the occasion of the arrival of the Olympic flag from Seoul. Together, Mercury and Caballé sang three tracks from the forthcoming album Barcelona, namely "Barcelona", "How Can I Go On" and "The Golden Boy".[10][11] This was the last live performance by Mercury, who was already beginning to suffer from AIDS.[12] He died in 1991, so the recording of the song was played over a travelogue of the city at the start of the international broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics.[13][14]
Prior to the start of the
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Distribution
The single was distributed on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records and 5" CDs, all with Polydor labels. The 5" CD and 7" record, but not the 12" record, were reissued in 1992; a 3" CD was issued as a promotional-only to record company executives in Japan in 1992. The B-side of nearly all records contained "Exercises in Free Love" from The Freddie Mercury Album. The 1992 version of the 7" Spanish record had another version of "Barcelona" on the B-side, and the rare 1987 12" Hong Kong record was one-sided and had a unique sleeve. Most 5" CDs contained two or three versions of "Barcelona" and "Exercises in Free Love". Most 7" record and 5" CD covers featured Mercury and Caballé singing on a stage with an orchestra on the background, though the Portuguese version pictured them in a static studio photo. The 1992 reissue 7" records contained another version of the singing artists, with no orchestra.[33]
References
- ^ a b BBC – Radio 2 – Sold on Song – Top 100
- ^ Freestone, p. 105
- ^ Freestone, p. 107
- ^ a b Freestone, p. 108
- ISBN 978-0-8264-6322-7. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-521-02743-4. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ Freestone, p. 109
- ^ "Watch New 4K Version Of Freddie Mercury's 'Barcelona' Video". udiscovermusic.com. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ^ Freestone, p. 126
- ^ Freestone, p. 127
- ^ Freddie Mercury Biography. hotshotdigital.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-01.
- ^ Freddie Mercury: biography. Freddie.ru. Retrieved on 2011-03-01.
- ^ "Barcelona 92: inicio de la ceremonia". YouTube. Retrieved 23 March 2011.[dead YouTube link]
- El Mundo Deportivo. 20 July 1992. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ Queen's Greatest Hits 3, BBC, 22 March 2005
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caball". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé: Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- Les classement single. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. 16 May 1992. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé – Barcelona". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1992". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Mercury & Caballe – Barcelona". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
- ^ "Barcelona" as an a-side. Pcpki.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-01.
Bibliography
- Freestone, Peter & Evans, David (2001). Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Knew Him Best. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8674-9.
External links
- 2012 official music video on YouTube
- Lyrics at Queen official website (from Greatest Hits III)