Queen’s โFinal Album, ‘Made in Heaven,’โ Offered aโฃ Poignant Farewell to Freddie Mercury, Released 28 Years After His Death
Teh album Made in โฃHeaven, released inโ november 1995, served as queen’sโ final studio album with Freddie Mercury and a deeply emotional coda to the band’s storied career followingโข his โคdeath in 1991. โขConstructed from vocal tracks Mercury recorded before โคhis passing, โand instrumental parts laid โdown by Brianโ May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, the album became a global โฃphenomenon,โ reaching No. 1 in the โU.K. and โselling an estimated โฃ5 million units worldwide.
The project โขbegan taking shape with producer Dave Richards, who helped organize the wealth of unreleased material. “dave came in with an overview and helped everyone bring it together,” engineer Justin Shirley-Smith recalls. “But everyone was โpushing and really enthusiastic.” The album wasn’t solelyโฃ comprised of โentirely new compositions; performances ofโ “Made in Heaven” โฃand “I Was Born to Love You” were reworked from Mercury’s 1985 โคsolo album,โ mr. Bad Guy,โฃ with new Queen arrangements. “It’s a Beautiful Day,” an outtake from 1980’s โ The Game, was reimagined in bothโข contemplative and anthemic forms to frame the album.
Otherโค tracks had equally circuitous origins. โข”Heaven for Everyone” initially appeared on Roger Taylor’s bandโฃ The Cross’ debut album, Shove โIt, โขthoughโข Taylor re-recordedโ the โvocals for Made in Heaven. “Let meโ Live” was an expanded version โof an unfinished โขsong from 1984’s The Works,originally featuring Rod Stewartโข and Jeff Beck. “My โขLife Has Been Saved” was a reworked B-side โfrom 1989’s Theโ Miracle, โขreplacing the โtrack “Tooโฃ Much Love Willโข Kill You,” which was removed from theโ album at the lastโ minute. Theโ Made in โHeaven version of “My Life Has โBeen Saved” included only one added vocal ad lib.
A surprise addition was “Track 13,”โข a nearly 23-minute ambient instrumental โpieceโข with fragmentsโ of Mercury’s vocals, created overnight by richardsโ and May during mastering.It has been interpreted as a sonic representation ofโ Mercury’s afterlife.
Despite not reaching the Top 50 in the U.S.,Made in Heaven was certified gold in early 1996. According to those involved, the albumโ provided closure for the โband. “[[[[Made in โHeaven]was very catharticโ forโ them,” says journalist Jack Macrae. “Roger was noticeably changed by the experience. They were in the doldrumsโค for aโฃ while after Freddie went-itโ left a โคbig hole in thier lives.”
shirley-Smith remembers Richards describingโค Mercury’s creative process: “I rememberโข Dave Richards saying that Freddie would come โup โwith an idea, and if it was just someone coming โin โoff the street, you’d have them thrown out because โขit’s so ridiculous. But because it was Freddie,โข you’d try it out-and it would turn โout to be โขamazing.” The album ultimatelyโข allowedโ Queen to deliver a final, poignant farewell to their iconic frontman.