Released 4 June 1986 Recorded 1986 Length 4:26 | Format 7"/12" vinyl single Genre Soul | |
B-side "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)" | ||
One Year of Love is a song by the British rock band Queen which was originally released on their twelfth studio album A Kind of Magic in 1986.
Contents
Background and composition
The song was written by John Deacon and sung by Freddie Mercury for the film Highlander; it plays on a radio during the bar scene. The album version features John Deacon playing Yamaha DX-7 synth and a string orchestra conducted by Lynton Naiff. The saxophone is played by Steve Gregory, a session musician who had previously performed on George Michael's 1984 number one "Careless Whisper".
The song was written in the key of D. Deacon decided to substitute the guitar components with a saxophone solo after a discussion with Brian May, who does not appear on the song.
Release
It was released as a single in France and Spain only, and appeared during the bar scene in Highlander. The single charted only in France. The B-side of the single was "Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)". In 1992 in the U.S. the song was released as a promo-single.
The band never played the song in their live performances.
Legacy
The song was covered by Elaine Paige on The Queen Album in 1988 and by Dutch singer Stevie Ann in 2006. It was chosen by Ultimate Classic Rock as number six in a countdown of the "Top 10 John Deacon Queen Songs". They argued Deacon "bears his emotions here in ways his bandmates (especially Freddie Mercury) rarely dared", describing it as a "heartfelt ballad" and acknowledging the "rare saxophone appearance" and "lush string arrangement" that heightens the song's romantic message.