Don't Stop Me Now

Joy and Comfort and Sadness | Embracing a Passion | Capturing it before it all slips away

“Alexa, stop!” A Queen + Adam Lambert song came on the other day and I just couldn’t listen to it. It sounded wrong, it almost hurt. Disgust, maybe?

I love lots of different kinds of music. Generally, that is. And I have nothing per se against Adam Lambert. I’ve just been a teeny tiny bit obsessed (I mean passionate) with Queen lately; to the point where I have to turn off the radio while driving if anything else but Queen or Freddie Mercury is playing.

Photo by Iván Guerrero on Unsplash

It all started in October last year, when we found the perfect song for my kids and I to listen to on the way to school. Mornings, as you can imagine, are usually filled with rushing, one too many reminders to finally put those fucking socks and shoes on, a bit of yelling (on my part), and a lot of running around frazzled. No, not all mornings are like this, but… most have at least some dose of it. Anyway, who likes sending their children to school all grumpy? So we needed a fun, high energy song we could all sing to… Enter “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. (Anyone else have elementary school aged children who know the story about Lady Godiva?)

I learned later that the other band members had mixed feelings about the song, because Freddie wrote it during a wild, intoxicated, unhealthy time in his life, but I just love the energy of it.

“Tonight
I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive
And the world, I'll turn it inside out, yeah
I'm floating around in ecstasy, so
Don't stop me now
'cause I'm having a good time, having a good time”

- Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen

Those few minutes in the morning were just the beginning. My kids, who control 95% of the music that is played in our house, started requesting: “Alexa, play music by Queen”.
It was fun! We had this thing in common, shared fun facts, learned the lyrics, danced in the living room, sang along in the car.

And then one day, I came home from the library with every single book about Queen and Freddie Mercury I could find - including some I had requested via intra library loan.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

“Best of Queen”, Alexa’s default response, wasn’t satisfying any longer. We spent time at breakfast listening to all of the Queen albums in chronological order. We found some new favorite songs: Innuendo (this is now the song my oldest kid listens to on repeat during math tests for focus), Love of My Life, Tie Your Mother Down (the kids think it’s hilarious, naturally), Under Pressure, Spread Your Wings, Who Wants to Live Forever (all the feels), I Want to Break Free,…

“If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky
If there's a point if there's a reason to live or die
If there's an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask
Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask”

- Innuendo by Queen

Of course, we watched Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie (yes, my six and eight year olds were fine watching it) and all of the music videos; the Live Aid performance YouTube video was high in demand at bedtime for a few days.

For Christmas, I got tickets to see “Queen Rock Montreal” in IMAX for the whole family. I loved it so very much, gained a whole new level of appreciation for Roger Taylor, and my kids sang along to most of the songs. My youngest son’s biggest disappointment was that David Bowie wasn’t there (Under Pressure is his favorite song; quite the nice change after years of Old Town Road I have to say)

I might have bought a new pair of Adidas shoes, too, though I still sometimes regret not getting the white ones that look just like the ones Freddie used to wear…

When I got new acrylic paint markers for Christmas, guess what song lyrics made it into one of my art pieces (while listening to the song on repeat)? Innuendo. So good.

Earlier this year, when it just started to feel like the obsession (is there a better word? I am loving this, this feels good and joyful, not obsessed. Passion?) was coming to an end, I started to explore Freddie’s solo music. At the risk of sounding weird, I love how I can hear how he moves his lower jaw, hearing him sing words like ‘heart’ in Love Kills.

…Love Kills
…I Was Born To Love You
…Living On My Own
…Let’s Turn It On
…Made In Heaven
…The Great Pretender
…My Love Is Dangerous
…Barcelona
…Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow

There is something special about this obsession (Ok fine, I looked up the definition; fitting: an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.); not just because it’s… quite atypical in intensity or focus… but because I’m fully embracing it for the first time in my life. I’m going all in and loving every moment. It brings joy and comfort.

And it also brings sadness… I hope this never ends; and at the same time I know it will. These ‘obsessions’ usually last for about six months. I am not quite ready to let it all go yet, but I am noticing that different music is starting to find its way in here and there. So I wanted to put it all on paper before letting it all go.

I hadn’t quite realized this until now, but “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” has the perfect lyrics for this moment. So I’m going to put my headphones on, press play, and savor this moment, allowing Freddie’s voice to bring me joy and comfort and love.

Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow (by Freddie Mercury)
You had to kill the conversation
You always had the upper hand
Got caught in love and stepped in sinking sand
You had to go and ruin all our plans

Packed your bags and you're leaving home
Got a one-way ticket and you're all set to go
But we have one more day together

So, love me like there's no tomorrow
Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it
This is our last goodbye
And very soon it will be over
But today just love me like there's no tomorrow

I guess we drift alone in separate ways
I don't have all that far to go
God knows I've learnt to play the lonely man
I've never felt so low in all my life

We were born to be just losers
So, I guess there's a limit on how far we go
But we only have one more day together

So, love me like there's no tomorrow
Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it
This is our last goodbye
And very soon it will be over
But today just love me like there's no tomorrow

Tomorrow
God knows just where I'll be
Tomorrow
Who knows just what's in store for me

Anything can happen
But we only have one more day together, yeah
Just one more day forever

So, love me like there's no tomorrow
Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it
This is our last goodbye
And very soon it will be over
But today just love me like there's no tomorrow

So, love me like there's no tomorrow
Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it
This is our last goodbye
And very soon it will be over
But today just love me like there's no tomorrow

If you’re up for it, I would love to hear about your passions of the moment in the comments. What brings you joy and comfort? What is it like for you to let them go? How do new obsessions make it into your life and how do yo embrace them, give them space?