Hammer To Fall is a song by Queen. It was written by Brian May for the band's 1984 album The Works. It was also released as a single with Tear It Up on the B-side.
The song marks Queen's return to their hard rock roots, with emphasis being placed on drums and guitar returning to the forefront of the track. Designed with live performances in mind, it quickly became one of Queen's biggest live hits of the 1980's.
It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 10 September 1984 and peaked at #13 on the British charts. Following Mercury's death in November 1991, the song entered the US Mainstream Rock charts at #35.
Queen performed Hammer to Fall at Live Aid in 1985, reigniting interest in the song (and the rest of Queen's catalog) worldwide. A recording of the Live Aid performance was released as a single to promote the Bohemian Rhapsody movie soundtrack, peaking at #23 on the US Hot Rock & Alternate Songs charts.
History[]
Composition[]
Album version (4:28)[]
This is the version of the song which appears on the album The Works. It can also be heard on Queen Rocks and was the version which Queen played live.
Single edit (3:40)[]
The single version of the song was edited down by almost 50 seconds to remove an instrumental section in the middle and to shorten the outro. It features a different vocal take by Freddie Mercury on the line "baby, now your struggle's all in vain" and a re-recorded guitar solo with some added guitar harmonies. The single edit appears on Greatest Hits II and in the song's music video.
Headbanger's Mix / Extended version / 12" version (5:25)[]
An extended version of the song (known as the 'Headbanger's Mix') was released as a 12" single and also appears on The 12" Collection and the bonus disc of the 2011 deluxe edition of The Works. It features an extended intro based on the song's bridge and a new extended guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Reception[]
Hammer to Fall is the track number 8 of the album The Works. It was also featured in the compilation Greatest Hits II and in Queen Rocks.
Live Performances[]
Gallery[]
Main article: Hammer to Fall/Gallery