Does he mean “You’re sweet like a type of cheese, because in my opinion cheese is sweet and not savory”, does he mean “You’re sweet like a specific type of cheese which is sweet” (???) or does he mean “You try to sweet talk me as if I’m a cheesy corny man, but I’m actually a cynic and I know you are in fact the worst”???? Jury is not even in the courthouse. Jury is gone.
This song actually makes 0 sense, to be honest. The entire chorus is just “Sweet lady, stay sweet” but all the verses are about how she’s the worst. How is she supposed to stay sweet if she apparently never was sweet? Brian please.
Fully support anyone who wants to weigh in about this conundrum
I am absolutely obsessed with this take @scandalacious, you are god-tier and I think this warrants a deep dive. The verse in question:
You say You call me up and feed me all the lines You call me sweet like I’m some kind of cheese Waiting on the shelf You eat me up, you hold me down I’m just a fool to make you a home Ooh, you really do me
First of all, this has to be the only verse of a rock song that discusses the aging process of fine dairy products. Second, I’m interested by the fact that despite him not being an aged cheese, she apparently eats him up anyway. Does she care? We have to wonder. Third, and this is important: he suggests that she is also sweet. Are we meant to assume that in the context of this song he means she is also immature and unexperienced? Is the chorus meant to be taken flippantly, rather than the earnest wish I previously assumed it to be?
Fascinated by the implications of all of this, and I would love to hear all of your thoughts
I agree with this reading but can we all take a minute to contemplate that Brian either consciously or unconsciously wanted to be some kind of old mature sharp ripe cheese
Me trying different guitars at guitar shops for fun and always coming back to the 24 in. scale length neck and triple dotted octave fret markers and the overall sound and aesthetic of the BMG Special.
The Queen guitarist Brian May’s estate in Surrey become a wildlife refuge. He tells Danny Scott why saving animals means more than hit records.
What might you expect to see as you arrive at the 70-acre Surrey estate of one of the world’s most successful rock stars? A fleet of vintage sports cars, perhaps? Maybe a guitar-shaped swimming pool or a freshly tarmacked helipad?
Brian May, of Queen, greets me with… a trio of badger cubs. Little V is scampering across his shoulders, almost tangling herself in that famous mess of curls, while Bright Eyes and Chunky scuttle between his feet.
If I don’t say Somebody to Love I would only be fooling myself, I think. Holy shit.
But I also love how Pain is So Close to Pleasure has a doo wop/Motown vibe to it and Freddie sounds so much like Ron Tyson, who by that time took over as the high tenor for The Temptations. Legitimately, the first time I heard it I was like, “how does Freddie sound like Ron Tyson?” Vocal chameleon for sure.
22. Freddie’s best piano playing?
Bohemian Rhapsody. Not just for the notes but for how he plays it. Often imitated, never duplicated.
30. Deac/k/q/x/y?
Deacy. I started out by using Deaky since it makes the most sense phonetically. But Brian spells it Deacy and he spent more time with John than a lot of people, so I use Deacy.
Deaky doesn’t bother me because the argument that Deacy looks like Dee-see is valid.
44. Which song were you the most surprised to find out the writer of?
It seems like common knowledge to me now, but I was genuinely surprised when I realized Fat-Bottomed Girls was written by Brian. Brian May, who writes songs about dead cats and death and depression and not living up to expectations wrote the precursor to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back and Wreckx-n-Effect’s Rump Shaker? Who knew?
1. Most underrated 70s album? 2. What are Freddie’s best studio vocals? 3. “Queen I” or “Queen II”? 4. What are Roger’s best studio vocals? 5. Most underrated 80s/90s album? 6. What are Brian’s best studio vocals? 7. “Nevermore” or “Lily of the Valley”? 8. Fave bass line? 9. Best Roger song? 10. Fave guitar solo? 11. Fave drum fill? 12. Which lyrics never fail to make you emotional? 13. “It’s a Hard Life” or “Play the Game”? 14. 80s Queen or 70s Queen? 15. Best Freddie song? 16. An album track that deserved to be released as a single? 17. Synthesisers yay or nay? 18. Fave guitar riff? 19. “The Game” or “The Works”? 20. Which song made you fall in love with Queen? 21. Whose solo projects are your fave? 22. Freddie’s best piano playing? 23. Which 80s movie do you wish Queen would’ve scored? 24. “Jazz” or “News of the World”? 25. Fave music video? 26. Best Brian song? 27. Whose fashion style do you want to emulate the most? 28. Roger with long hair or 80s mullet? 29. Current fave Queen song? 30. Deac/k/q/x/y? 31. On a scale of 1 to 10 how breathtaking are Roger Taylor’s eyes? 32. Best John song? 33. Do you like or dislike Queen’s music hall/dixie land-style songs? 34. Which member are you most like? 35. ‘tache or no ‘tache? 36. “White Queen” or “March of the Black Queen”? 37. Who is the prettiest? 38. Least fave song? 39. Which modern day artist do you think Freddie would most like to collab with? 40. Is the “It’s a Hard Life” music video valid? 41. Jelly sandals or clogs? 42. “There Must Be More to Life Than This” or “Is This the World We Created”? 43. “A Night at the Opera” or “A Day at the Races”? 44. Which song were you the most surprised to find out the writer of? 45. Desert Island Discs time: you’re stranded on a desert island and only get 10 Queen songs to listen to, which do you pick? 46. Do you prefer Smile’s or Queen’s version of “Doin’ Alright”? 47. Is Queen your fave 70s/80s band or do they have competition? 48. If you could have any member on a modern day british panel show, which member and which show? 49. Best use of a Queen song in a movie/TV show? 50. Would you rather be a roadie, a makeup artist, a costume designer, or a personal assistant to the band?
After Brian May’s Instagram Live with Kerry Ellis for the video mix launch of Panic Attack 2021 on April 12, 2021 where he confessed he was eating raisins with his tea instead of biscuits like the last time he went live with Kerry for the Panic Attack 2021 launch on March 28th.
