Friends Will Be Friends

"Friends Will Be Friends"
Single by Queen
from the album A Kind of Magic
B-side	"Friends Will Be Friends (Extended Version)"/"Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)"
Released	9 June 1986
Format	vinyl record (7"/12")
Recorded	1985 – 1986
Genre	Rock
Length	4:07 (album version); 5:58 (CD bonus track: "Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends"); 6:15 (12" extended version); 4:14 (video version)
Label	EMI, Capitol
Writer(s)	Freddie Mercury; John Deacon
Producer(s)	Queen; Reinhold Mack
Queen singles chronology

"Friends Will Be Friends" is a song performed by Queen and written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, included on the album A Kind of Magic. It was the band's 30th single in the UK upon its release on 9 June 1986, reaching number 14 in the UK.

"Friends Will Be Friends" was performed live on The Magic Tour. It is remarkable that it was the first and only song that was sung at the end of concerts between "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" since the News of the World Tour in 1977.^[1]

The song was included in various greatest hits compilations by Queen such as Greatest Hits II, Greatest Flix II and Greatest Video Hits II.

Musical Arrangement

The song's key signature is G major, and makes heavy use of Brian May's melodic guitar playing style. The song was debuted on the second show of the Magic Tour (Leiden). Queen played the complete version of the song for the first two Leiden shows then the arrangement was shortened on June 14th (Paris). The shorter version is featured on the Live At Wembley Stadium release. On all live versions, the key was lowered a full step.

Music video

The video was directed by DoRo and filmed at JVC Studios, Wembley in May 1986 and features the band performing the song in front of fan club members. The lead singer, Freddie Mercury, high fived the audience members and at the end Freddie cuts the music and sings along with the audience letting them lead; because of this, it was nicknamed "Queen's Greatest Show Never Performed".

Personnel

Freddie Mercury - lead and backing vocals, piano, synthesiser, sampler
Brian May - electric guitar, backing vocals
Roger Taylor - drums, backing vocals
John Deacon - bass guitar, rhythm guitar
Spike Edney - keyboards

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Dutch Singles Chart^[2]	16
German Singles Chart^[3]	20
Irish Singles Chart^[4]	4
New Zealand Singles Chart^[5]	50
Swiss Singles Chart^[6]	19
UK Singles Chart^[7]	14

References

External links

Official YouTube videos: music video, music video (VEVO)
Lyrics at Queen official website

[1] Information about Queen's concerts with typical setlists

[2] Dutchcharts.nl

[3] Musiconline.de

[4] Irishcharts.ie

[5] Charts.org.nz

[6] Swisscharts.com

[7] Chartstats.com

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v t e Queen singles discography
Queen	"Keep Yourself Alive" "Liar"
Queen II	"Seven Seas of Rhye"
Sheer Heart Attack	"Killer Queen"/"Flick of the Wrist" "Now I'm Here" "Lily of the Valley"
A Night at the Opera	"Bohemian Rhapsody" "You're My Best Friend" "Love of My Life"
A Day at the Races	"Somebody to Love" "Tie Your Mother Down" "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" "Long Away" "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"
News of the World	"We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" "Spread Your Wings" "It's Late"
Jazz	"Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls" "Don't Stop Me Now" "Jealousy" "Mustapha"
Live Killers	"Love of My Life" (Live) "We Will Rock You" (Live)
The Game	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Save Me" "Play the Game" "Another One Bites the Dust" "Need Your Loving Tonight"
Flash Gordon	"Flash"
Hot Space	"Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) "Body Language" "Las Palabras de Amor" "Calling All Girls" "Staying Power" "Back Chat"
The Works	"Radio Ga Ga" "I Want to Break Free" "It's a Hard Life" "Hammer to Fall"
A Kind of Magic	"One Vision" "A Kind of Magic" "Princes of the Universe" "Friends Will Be Friends" "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" "Who Wants to Live Forever" "One Year of Love"
The Miracle	"I Want It All" "Breakthru" "The Invisible Man" "Scandal" "The Miracle"
Innuendo	"Innuendo" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" "Headlong" "I Can't Live With You" "The Show Must Go On" "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
Made in Heaven	"Heaven for Everyone" "A Winter's Tale" "I Was Born to Love You" "Too Much Love Will Kill You" "Let Me Live" "You Don't Fool Me"
Queen Rocks	"No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)"/"Tie Your Mother Down"
Greatest Hits III	"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)"
Non-album singles	"Thank God It's Christmas" "Another One Bites the Dust (Small Soldiers Remix)" "We Will Rock You" (with Five) "We Are the Champions" (with Robbie Williams) "Flash (Vanguard Mix)" "Another One Bites the Dust (The Miami Project Remixes)" "Bohemian Rhapsody" (with The Muppets)
Other songs	"Doing All Right" "Father to Son" "White Queen (As It Began)" "Ogre Battle" "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" "Nevermore" "The March of the Black Queen" "See What a Fool I've Been" "Brighton Rock" "Stone Cold Crazy" "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" "Death on Two Legs" "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" "I'm in Love with My Car" "'39" "Sweet Lady" "Seaside Rendezvous" "The Prophet's Song" "Good Company" "Sheer Heart Attack" "Is This the World We Created...?" "Ride the Wild Wind" "Delilah" "Made In Heaven" "Mother Love" "Let Me in Your Heart Again" "Love Kills" "There Must Be More to Life Than This"
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Friends Will Be Friends

Contents

Musical Arrangement

Music video

Personnel

Chart performance

References

External links

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