No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young)

This is my first post, although I've been browsing the site for many years. :)

I believe that, with the personal angst of Freddie's untimely death still fresh among the band members, that they decided to honor and lionize Freddie in the best way they could - with a eulogy song that they would record as a trio. This song is thick with references to western mythology as well as to modern pop culture. In various parts, it portrays him as a martyr, a hero and perhaps a saint. Below I put one verse at a time with what I think it references.

"A hand above the water An angel reaching for the sky Is it raining in heaven - Do you want us to cry?"

-->"A hand above the water" seems to reference the old European legends of King Arthur. These legends had as a common theme that there was a magical lake, far below which there existed a land of faeries. When a man had been born who was destined to rule the land as its rightful king, a woman would deliver from this lake the sword Excalibur, symbolizing the right to rule and making him invincible in combat. When the King's time came to die, he had to cast the sword back into the lake, renouncing his rule. According to the legends, "the lady of the lake" (a faerie) would reach from below the water and catch the sword. Only -after- the sword's return, the King would be carried off to sea (and the afterlife) by a vessel crewed by divine beings. In this context, I think that Queen was implying that with Freddie's death, a faerie somewhere must be reaching for Excalibur because the world had lost a hero.---

"And everywhere the broken-hearted On every lonely avenue No-one could reach them No-one but you"

-->These lyrics seem to allude to what Queen found heroic about Freddie. Referencing lonely avenues full of broken-hearted people, they assert that Freddie had a unique ability to elevate humanity above its suffering. This is a common theme in Queen lyrics: you hear a line with one meaning. (No one could reach them...) and then you hear another line that alters its context (No one but you). No one could fight off the sadness of the world-except Freddie, that is.---

"One by one Only the Good die young They're only flying too close to the sun And life goes on - Without you..."

-->This seems to reference both rock n' roll and classical mythology. "Only the Good Die Young" was a hit song written by Billy Joel. That song juxtaposed the positives associated with a "sinful" life free of restraint with the negatives of a "saintly" life bound to conformity. Freddie was loved by many and died quite young, so that line seems to lament this. To "fly too close to the sun" is most likely a reference to the ancient legend of Icarus. According to this tale, a father and son were held captive on an island. The father was a brilliantly skilled craftsman, and built shoes for himself and his son with wings out of wax that would let them fly off the island. He warned his son to maintain a low altitude at the risk of the sun melting the wax if he got too close to it. In his excitement, Icarus soared high into the sky until he realized that his wings were melting. Before he could do anything, he fell to his death in the ocean. Here, they compare Freddie to a Greek legend who was snuffed out while doing something beautiful and yet dangerous.---

Another Tricky Situation A get to drowin' in the Blues And I find myself thinkin' Well - what would you do?

--> More straightforward. His loss is referred to as "tricky" because they don't know how to proceed. The "blues" is a music genre, but also a reference to human sadness; the band is at a loss without him. They wonder, though, what he would want of them; their best guess is ambiguous.---

Yes! - it was such an operation Forever paying every due Hell, you made a sensation You found a way through - and

--> This seems to reference what an incredibly difficult time Queen had during their early years. It took them awhile to get their first hits, but that they stuck together during this time fostered in them a great admiration for each other. Here, they seem to give Freddie significant credit for their survival and triumph as a musical group, indicating that he "found a way through" the "operation" of forever "paying their dues" when others were skeptical about their music.---

One by one Only the Good die young They're only flyin' too close to the sun We'll remember - Forever...

And now the party must be over I guess we'll never understand The sense of your leaving Was it the way it was planned?

-->Parties were a common motif in Queen's music videos and other visual art. Dance halls, waltzes, balls, house parties. They were quite fond of elaborate costumes and complex presentations of vivid fantasies. Here, they suppose that this way of life cannot continue without Freddie. They lament the end of their fantasy, and wonder whether there was any reason for his death. The one who "planned" the death would have been God; I'm not sure how religious the band was, but here the singer's avatar wonders aloud whether some benevolent God might have called Freddie away from the world for reasons he simply can't understand. Either way, the latter's departure represents the end of the "party" they'd been a part of for so many years.---

And so we grace another table And raise our glasses one more time There's a face at the window And I ain't never, never sayin' goodbye...

-->This is a deeply religious verse. In Judeo-Christian mythology, many angels patrolled the world as its protectors and were only selectively visible, sometimes as faces in the window, checking on humanity. To raise one's glass in toast was a form of prayer, and it is implied that the band is confident Freddie must still be watching them from somewhere. Therefore, they sing of toasting to him assuming he will hear them and do not say goodbye because they want him to continue watching them until they pass away too.---

One by one Only the Good die young They're only flyin' too close to the sun Cryin' for nothing Cryin' for no-one No-one but you