Hammer to Fall
Encyclopedia
"Hammer to Fall" is a 1984 song
by the British rock group Queen
. Written by guitarist Brian May
, the song is the eighth track on their 1984 album The Works
.
It was the fourth and final single to be released from that album, although the single version was edited down by thirty seconds in contrast to the version on the album. Different sleeves were used to package this single and the live picture sleeve is now a collector's item. The song was also the subject of a popular music video
directed by David Mallet
, containing footage of a performance of the song in Brussels during The Works Tour
. The song harks back to the Queen of old, with a song being built around a hard angular and muscular riff. The song features Freddie Mercury
on lead vocals, doing a call and response with May, who sings the chorus.
"Hammer to Fall" was a concert favourite, and was the third song the band performed at Live Aid
in 1985. The song features in the setlist of both The Works Tour and Magic Tour. The full album version of the song appears on Queen Rocks
while the single version appears on Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen
.
era in which the band members grew up, fuelling the popular conception that the song was about nuclear war
:
The term "waiting for the hammer to fall" in the song was taken to refer to the anticipation by the public that Cold War would turn "hot" - or, alternatively, as a reference to the Soviet Hammer and Sickle
. The song also contains references to death
and its inevitability:
The question of the meaning of the song was effectively settled when May wrote on his website that Hammer to Fall is really about life and death, and being aware of death as being part of life. "The Hammer coming down is only a symbol of the Grim Reaper doing his job!"
, after "Bohemian Rhapsody
" and "Radio Ga Ga
". Live versions of the song in the 1980s also usually served as an opportunity for touring keyboardist Spike Edney
to appear onstage playing rhythm guitar (he was usually not visible from his keyboard stack.) "Hammer to Fall" features in the setlist of both The Works Tour
and Magic Tour
.
At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, Extreme
singer Gary Cherone
performed the song with Queen and Tony Iommi
of Black Sabbath
, having earlier done a medley of other Queen songs with his own group.
A different version of the song with the first part played in the style of a ballad
was played by Queen + Paul Rodgers
in 2005. The song peaked at number 3 in South America, and 13 in the UK. The song was featured in the film Highlander
.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by the British rock group Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Written by guitarist Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, the song is the eighth track on their 1984 album The Works
The Works (Queen album)
-Radio Ga Ga:"Radio Ga Ga" was composed on keyboards, after Roger Taylor heard his son Felix saying "radio ca ca". He wrote it in Los Angeles and locked himself in the studio with a Roland Jupiter 8 and a drum machine. Afterwards John Deacon came up with a suitable bass line. Mercury reconstructed...
.
It was the fourth and final single to be released from that album, although the single version was edited down by thirty seconds in contrast to the version on the album. Different sleeves were used to package this single and the live picture sleeve is now a collector's item. The song was also the subject of a popular music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by David Mallet
David Mallet (director)
David Mallet is a British director particularly noted for his work on music videos, including David Bowie's innovative "Ashes to Ashes", Rush's "Distant Early Warning, and Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want to Break Free" videos. He has also served as a producer on television programmes including...
, containing footage of a performance of the song in Brussels during The Works Tour
The Works Tour
The Works Tour was one of the largest tours by the English rock band Queen. During this tour, Queen participated in the Rock in Rio festival in 1985; the concert was released on VHS but there has not been a worldwide DVD release as of 2011...
. The song harks back to the Queen of old, with a song being built around a hard angular and muscular riff. The song features Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
on lead vocals, doing a call and response with May, who sings the chorus.
"Hammer to Fall" was a concert favourite, and was the third song the band performed at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
in 1985. The song features in the setlist of both The Works Tour and Magic Tour. The full album version of the song appears on Queen Rocks
Queen Rocks
-Video version:A video version of the album was made. It included slightly different videos for all these songs.# “I Want It All”...
while the single version appears on Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen
Classic Queen
-Charts:...
.
Interpretation
The lyrics at several points refer to the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era in which the band members grew up, fuelling the popular conception that the song was about nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
:
For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the mushroom cloudMushroom cloudA mushroom cloud is a distinctive pyrocumulus mushroom-shaped cloud of condensed water vapor or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. They can be caused by...
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
What the hell are we fighting for
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
The term "waiting for the hammer to fall" in the song was taken to refer to the anticipation by the public that Cold War would turn "hot" - or, alternatively, as a reference to the Soviet Hammer and Sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
. The song also contains references to death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
and its inevitability:
Rich or poor or famous
For your truth it's all the same (oh no oh no)
Lock your door but the rain is pouring
Through your window pane (oh no)
Baby now your struggle's all in vain, yeah, yeah.
The question of the meaning of the song was effectively settled when May wrote on his website that Hammer to Fall is really about life and death, and being aware of death as being part of life. "The Hammer coming down is only a symbol of the Grim Reaper doing his job!"
Live performances
A concert favourite, "Hammer to Fall" was the third song on the band's setlist at Live AidLive Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
, after "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
" and "Radio Ga Ga
Radio Ga Ga
"Radio Ga Ga" is a 1984 song performed and recorded by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with "I Go Crazy" by Brian May on the original B-side and was included on the album The Works...
". Live versions of the song in the 1980s also usually served as an opportunity for touring keyboardist Spike Edney
Spike Edney
Philip 'Spike' Edney is a British musician who, since early 1970s, has performed with a number of bands, most notably, Queen, where his participation, starting in 1984, has been so extensive that some writers have described him as the "fifth member of Queen". In the earlier phase of his career,...
to appear onstage playing rhythm guitar (he was usually not visible from his keyboard stack.) "Hammer to Fall" features in the setlist of both The Works Tour
The Works Tour
The Works Tour was one of the largest tours by the English rock band Queen. During this tour, Queen participated in the Rock in Rio festival in 1985; the concert was released on VHS but there has not been a worldwide DVD release as of 2011...
and Magic Tour
Magic Tour
The Magic Tour was the final tour by the English rock band Queen with their lead singer Freddie Mercury, which took place in 1986. The band would not tour again until 19 years later, when the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour began in 2005, after the death of Freddie Mercury on 24 November 1991, and the...
.
At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, Extreme
Extreme (band)
Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
singer Gary Cherone
Gary Cherone
Gary Francis Caine Cherone is an American rock singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work with the rock group Extreme, as well as his short stint as the lead singer for Van Halen on their 11th album Van Halen III and subsequent tour. In recent years he has released solo recordings. In 2007,...
performed the song with Queen and Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, having earlier done a medley of other Queen songs with his own group.
A different version of the song with the first part played in the style of a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
was played by Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
in 2005. The song peaked at number 3 in South America, and 13 in the UK. The song was featured in the film Highlander
Highlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
.