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"Innuendo" is the opening track on the album of the same name. Though credited to the whole band, the song was mainly written by Freddie Mercury. At six and a half minutes, it is one of Queen's longest songs.
"Innuendo" was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. The recurring theme started off as a jam session between Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor. Freddie Mercury then added the melody and some of the lyrics, which were then completed by Roger Taylor.
The "You can be anything you want to be" section features a very sophisticated orchestration, created by Freddie Mercury and producer David Richards using the popular Korg M1 keyboard/synth/workstation.
The bridge section in "Innuendo" is in 3/4, showing once again Freddie's affection for trinary metres.
A very elaborate music video was created to accompany the single, featuring stop-motion plasticine figures reminiscent of the album artwork in a detailed miniature cinema set. The band members only appear as illustrations and images, mainly taken from earlier Queen music videos on a cinema screen in the same manner as in the film "Nineteen Eighty-Four", with Freddie drawn in the style of Leonardo da Vinci, Brian in the style of Victorian etchings, Roger in the style of Jackson Pollock, and John in the style of Pablo Picasso.
The song and parts of "Kashmir" and "Thank You" were performed by Robert Plant with the three surviving members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 at Wembley Stadium.


Credits & Release Info

"Innuendo"
Written by Queen
Innuendo, 1991, EMI Records

The "Innuendo" single (with B-sides "Bijou" and "Under Pressure," depending on format) was released on January 14, 1991 in the UK, where it entered #1 on the charts.


Single Formats
[thanks to Queen Picture Hall]

7" Single
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Bijou (Queen)

12" Single
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie)
  3. Bijou (Queen)

UK 12" Picture Disc
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie)
  3. Bijou (Queen)

UK 12" Promo Single
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Innuendo (Queen)

Cassette Single
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Bijou (Queen)

CD Single
Side One:
  1. Innuendo (Queen)
Side Two:
  2. Under Pressure (Queen/Bowie)
  3. Bijou (Queen)