1974 song by Queen
"Brighton Rock" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by lead guitarist Brian May. The song is the opening track on their third studio album Sheer Heart Attack. The song features one of Queen's longest guitar solos which is more than three minutes long. The solo has been performed live by Brian May at most concerts since its release. The song gained popularity after its prominent use in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver.[2]
History
May wrote the song shortly before the completion of Queen II in 1973, but because the band did not have enough time to record it, it was not included. Before the song was recorded in 1974, variations of the solo were part of "Son and Daughter".[3]
The song, the first track on the album, tells the story of two young lovers named Jenny and Jimmy meeting in Brighton on a public holiday.[4] Jenny cannot linger because she is afraid her mother will find out "how I spent my holiday", but afterwards "writes a letter every day"; Jimmy, who was eager on the day, responds that he is afraid of discovery by "my lady".[5]
The song samples the track "Carnival Midway" from stock sound effect library series titled "Authentic Sound Effects" compiled by Jac Holzman who signed Queen to Elektra Records in the US.[6][7]
The song was listed among Guitar World's Top 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, ranking at #41.[8]
The song was prominently featured in two scenes in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver: early in the film, when Baby (portrayed by Ansel Elgort) and Buddy (portrayed by Jon Hamm) discuss it and Baby describes it as "his killer track", and during the climactic face-off between Baby and Buddy, who plays the song on his car stereo because of the earlier conversation. The song's usage in the film led to a resurgence of popularity for the track.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
