by Mark Nobes, chief editor
In the U.S., the single was released on May 11th, and reached No.50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also reached No.2 in The Netherlands, No.3 in New Zealand, and No.3 in Ireland, and was a top 10 hit in several other European countries, and also in Australia.
The track features a heavy rock sound, with Freddie's vocals having a gritty edge to them. Brian May shows off his sublime guitar rolls, and also duets with Freddie in parts of the song. It's certainly one of the band's finest tracks, and a superb choice for lead single.
Who wrote "I Want It All"?
The track was written by Queen's legendary lead guitarist Brian May, although was credited to Queen on the record sleeve. It was penned before the band had even entered the studio to record the rest of The Miracle. The track was produced by David Richards, who helped to co-produce the album alongside Queen. He also co-produced the band's 1986 album A Kind of Magic, and the album "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé.
The song was never performed live by the full band due to Freddie Mercury's declining health. However, it was performed by the remaining band members after his death at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on 20th April 1992, with The Who's Roger Daltrey taking over the lead vocals and a guest appearance by Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath on guitar.
The B-side on the 7 inch and 12 inch vinyl single features the track "Hang On In There". The 7 inch single version of "I Want It All" lasts for 4:01, which is 40 seconds shorter than the original album version at 4:41. Both the single and album versions are include on Side A of the 12 inch vinyl. A 3 track picture CD was also released.
Simplyeighties.com
