The story behind the Queen song ‘Cool Cat’
In 1982 Queen released their most experimental, most divisive album. A little known song from that record is now the soundtrack to Amazon Prime’s latest ad. It’s one of the band’s best, yet only features two of them, including an absolute purrfect vocal from Freddie!
One thing most Queen fans will agree on is there’s one album from their long discography that stands out. The record in question is Hot Space. Released in May 1982, their 10th studio album marked a radical departure in their sound as Freddie Mercury took the group in a new disco-inspired direction. Arguably their most experimental album, it was not embraced with the same enthusiasm by all members of Queen.
Brian May and Roger Taylor were critical of the influence Paul Prenter, Mercury’s personal manager between 1977 and 1984, had on the singer. According to Queen’s producer, Mack, Prenter loathed rock music and was in Mercury’s ear throughout the Hot Space sessions, wanting the music “to sound like you’d just walked into a gay bar.”
While the album did feature a number of funk-infused tracks, it also contained others that were more traditional Queen songs, making it a far from cohesive listening experience. Unsurprisingly, it was not well-received either by bemused fans or confused critics.
It didn’t help that Hot Space was the band’s first release after Greatest Hits which went on to sell well over 25 million copies worldwide and become the UK’s best-selling album of all time. After Hot Space their popularity in the US began to wane.
The follow-up, 1984’s The Works saw them return to commercial success and was the first of three huge albums for the band. Hot Space was quickly looked upon as an anomaly in an otherwise unblemished back catalogue.
Of all Queen’s material, the most successful dance-inspired song was their huge 1980 hit Another One Bites The Dust, written by bass player, John Deacon, recorded at Musicland in Munich and credited as being Queen’s best-selling single with sales of over 7 million. There’s no doubt that song’s success influenced the direction that — some of — Hot Space would go in.
Whilst there hasn’t been any new Queen material for many years, from time to time, previously unreleased songs do pop up and of course the group continue to perform live with Adam Lambert on vocal duties. Beyond the desire for Brian May and Roger Taylor to bask in the adoration of Queen fans — this keeps topping up their already considerable bank balances.
Something else that contributes to that is the licensing of their music to advertising soundtracks. Over the years, Queen songs have appeared on ads for a multitude of different brands, promoting products ranging from cars to supermarkets. Of course, most of these have featured the classic hits, of which their are many. But every so often, something less well-known surfaces.
The latest example being a track from Hot Space that’s being used on a new ad for Amazon Prime. The 30 second ‘Tache commercial is notable for being the work of actor turned filmaker Olivia Wilde. Queen — in the guise of a moustachioed Freddie Mercury — feature prominently and the soundtrack that appears throughout is Cool Cat.
For sometime now I’ve been wanting to take a deep dive into a Queen song, but couldn’t decide on which one. My relationship with Queen goes back a long way, I bought their first single the day it came out, was at one of their first ever gigs — at Imperial College, London — saw them many times live including iconic gigs at the Rainbow, their free show at Hyde Park as well as one of their biggest when they played Knebworth.
I knew the stories behind most of their biggest hits, but with the Hot Space album being such an outlier, the resurfacing of a track from that record, set my course.
So get hip, relax, this is the story behind Cool Cat.
Hot Space is generally regarded as being Queen’s worst-ever album, despite containing one of their biggest hits. Under Pressure, their colab with David Bowie, was their second No 1 in the UK. Although included on the album, the song was a separate project recorded ahead of the album in July 1981.
The rest of the Hot Space album was recorded in two studios, in two different countries at separate times. From what I could find out, the entire second side was at least partially recorded in Switzerland during July and August of 1981 at Mountain Studios in Montreux’s Casino Barriere, while much of the more funk-infused songs were recorded at Musicland Studios, in Munich from December 1981 to March 1982.
Released in May 1982, the album was apparently named after the phrase which describes the quality or power of withstanding hardship or stress: endurance, stamina. Or put another way, staying power.
It was also notable for being the first Queen album to feature a drum machine.
No less than six singles came from the album:
First, in October 1981 was Under Pressure. This was followed in April 1982 by Body Language. Written by Mercury, aside from Under Pressure, it was the album’s biggest hit in America reaching No 11 in June 1982. That same month saw the release of the Brian May-penned ballad Las Palabras de Amor.
In July 1982 Calling All Girls became the first Roger Taylor song to be released as a Queen single, whilst Japan chose to go with Staying Power.
August 1982 saw the album’s final single, John Deacon’s Back Chat, the track most influenced by black music.
Cool Cat was never released as a single, appearing only as the B-side to Las Palabras de Amor.
Reflecting on the album in 1989, Brian May had this to say about it:
“I think Hot Space was a mistake, if only timing-wise. We got heavily into funk and it was quite similar to what Michael Jackson did on Thriller. But the timing was wrong. Back then disco was a dirty word.”
“We became obsessed with R&B and funk. Freddie’s attitude was Less is more, be sparse and play a lot less guitar.”
Recording the album had a negative effect on the band, causing strained relations between the four members, pitting Mercury and Deacon against May and Taylor.
Indeed, at the end of 1982 — after recording and touring together for 12 years and with arguments between them becoming more and more frequent— the band agreed to take a break from each other. They decided to take a year off and go their separate ways, what they called a pause for reflection.
Freddie began working on a solo track with Giorgio Moroder and recording two songs in Los Angeles with Michael Jackson, John Deacon took the year off, Roger spent time in Switzerland skiing and began planning his second solo album, while Brian stayed in Los Angeles working on solo material.
After the break, the band got back together in 1983 to begin recording the album which became known as The Works. As well as I Want To Break Free, this contained one of Queen’s most iconic songs, the worldwide hit single Radio Ga Ga.
Now let’s return to Cool Cat and Mountain Studios, the Swiss studio that Queen purchased in 1979.
As with all the Hot Space sessions, the producer was Reinhold Mack and the engineer was Dave Richards.
Cool Cat was co-written by John Deacon and Freddie Mercury. Unusually for a Queen song, with the exception of electric piano played by Mercury, all the instruments were played by Deacon, including bass, guitars, synths, a Hohner D-6 Clavinet and a drum machine. Brian May and Roger Taylor do not feature at all on the track.
Musically, the 74 bpm song features a great groove created from John’s slap bass and his Chic-like guitar. But more than anything, what stands out is Freddie’s extraordinary falsetto which he stays in throughout the song. It’s yet another example of his amazing range and, as far as I know, the only Queen song that he sang entirely in falsetto.
It’s also notable for being just one of four Queen songs that the band never performed live.
That said, some four decades on, it sounds as fresh as the day it was recorded. Indeed, being such a simple song, it doesn’t show its age at all.
What exactly the song is about is open to interpretation.
According to Freddie Mercury, it was inspired by his love of cats, and his desire to write something that was fun and upbeat. From the lyrics, it’s hard to say whether it’s about a cat or a person. Feline or human, the central character is someone who is always making a show of themselves and trying to be the centre of attention. They “set the mood” and are always “stealing the limelight”.
Taken literally, the lyrics appear to address the need to be aware of the consequences of constantly striving for attention and recognition, and warn against trying to “hit the big time” too quickly. The chorus encourages one to “slow down,” and the importance of not “messing with the beat of my heart” — emphasising balance and moderation in life.
Sidebar: Originally, Cool Cat featured backing vocals by David Bowie. However, unhappy with the results, just days before the album was scheduled to be released, he requested his vocals be removed.
At the time, Bowie was living in Montreux and just happened to be recording in the same studio at the same time as Queen. At the behest of Dave Richards, who suggested that they work on something together, Bowie recorded some backing vocals for Cool Cat. Whilst there, he was intrigued by John Deacon’s bassline on a work in progress called Feel Like. This had evolved from an idea by Roger Taylor which he initially dubbed People On Streets. And from this, Under Pressure was born.
This extended version also includes Bowie’s backing vocals:
Lyrics: You’re taking all the sunshine away, making out like you’re the main line (I knew that) ’Cause you’re a cool cat, tapping on the toe with a new hat Ooh just cruising, driving along like the swing king Feeling the beat of my heart, huh! Feeling the beat of my heart
Ooh you’re a cool cat, coming on strong with all the chit chat Ooh you’re alright, hanging out and stealing all the limelight Messing with the beat of my heart yeah!
You used to be a mean kid, ooh making such a deal of life Ooh you were wishing and hoping and waiting to really hit the big time But did it happen? Happen, no! You’re speeding too fast, slow down Slow down, you’d better slow down, slow down You really know how to set the mood and you really get inside the groove Cool cat tapping on the toe with a new hat Ooh just cruising, driving along like the swing king Feeling the beat of my heart Feeling the beat of my heart, yeah!
Feeling the beat of my heart Can you feel it? Feeling the beat of my heart Feeling the beat of my heart Ooh feeling, feeling, feeling Feeling every feeling.
Cover design: The idea for the album artwork was Freddie’s. Designed by Richard Gray, it was loosely based on Andy Warhol’s screenprint style. Gray was the photographer and designer for Queen for almost 26 years.
Queen songs used in ads: Over the years, numerous Queen songs have appeared in commercials, so many in fact to list them all would be exhaustive. However, it’s perhaps worth noting the ones that have been synched most frequently. The popularity of Queen’s music in commercials is testimony to the timelessness of their songs the enduring relevancy of the messages they contain.
From my research, the most popular are:
I Want It All, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, A Kind Of Magic, We Will Rock You, I Want To Break Free, Don’t Stop Me Now and You’re My Best Friend.
As far as I know, the Amazon Prime ad is Cool Cat’s first appearance in an ad.
Freddie and felines: Freddie loved cats almost as much as he loved performing for live audiences. A one point he had ten and pampered them like they were his own children, even giving them Christmas presents every year. He wrote a song for his favourite, Delilah, which appeared on Queen’s last studio album, 1991s Innuendo.
Where are they now:
John Deacon (71) quit the band in 1997. Since then, he has rarely been seen or heard. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (although he chose not to attend) and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.
Freddie Mercury died at Garden Lodge, his Kensington home, from AIDS in 1991. He was 45. Following 1992s hugely successful Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach set up the Mercury Phoenix Trust in memory of Freddie’s legacy. To date, it has raised over £17m to help fight AIDS worldwide. 2023 would have been Freddie’s 77th birthday.
Roger Taylor (72) has released numerous solo albums, toured with his own band and continues to tour with Queen featuring Adam Lambert. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Brian May (75) also continues to tour with Queen featuring Adam Lambert. In addition, he is a vocal animal rights campaigner with a particular focus on stopping the culling of badgers and banning fox hunting. He also continues to be passionate about astronomy and stereoscopist photography. In addition, he owns a guitar company which produces replicas of his Red Special. In 2001 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In March 2023 he was knighted by King Charles III for his services to music and charity. That same month he was named The Greatest Guitarist by Guitar World.
Reinhold Mack (73) As well as Hot Space, Mack co-produced The Game, Flash Gordon, The Works, A Kind Of Magic for Queen, Mr Bad Guy for Freddie Mercury as well as albums by ELO, Meatloaf, Sparks, The Rolling Stones and Extreme. His third son, John Frederick Mack — who was born during the Hot Space sessions — was a godson of both Freddie and John.
Dave Richards (died December 2013 aged 57) Richards co-produced A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle, Innuendo and Made in Heaven albums for Queen. Other albums he produced include Never Let Me Down, The Buddah of Suburbia and Outside for David Bowie, Blah Blah Blah for Iggy Pop as well as Barcelona by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe. In 1993 he bought Mountain Studios from Queen.
Mountain Studios After Richards died in 2013 it became the museum/exhibition Queen: The Studio Experience which is still running today and benefits the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
Musicland Studios Originally established in the early 1970s by Giorgio Moroder, the studio was used by numerous artists including Donna Summer (I Feel Love), Marc Bolan, ELO, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. Situated in the basement of the Arabella Building, Musicland closed at the beginning of the 1990s as the nearby U4 metro was adversely affecting the recording quality.
Covers: Like all great songs, Cool Cat has been widely covered by other artists who have interpreted it in different ways. Here are a selection of my favourites.
In 2017 Lea Love recorded this reggae-tinged soulful version:
Sophie Auster recorded this laid-back jazzy version complete with trumpet in 2018:
In 2020, British soul singer Tertia May recorded this stripped-back version with just a single guitar accompanying her:
This version from 2021 by Kasia Kucharz is pretty faithful to the original:
About the author: Based in Sussex-by-the-Sea, on England’s south coast, Gary is a creative writer and image-maker. He specialises in creating out of the ordinary portraits of musicians and people with interesting faces, as well as photographing some of the world’s finest flowers and gardens, not forgetting an array of automotive exotica.
On the writing side, he has used his research skills to author deep dives into some noteworthy songs beginning with Bryan Ferry’s ‘These Foolish Things’ ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, ‘Real Wild Child’ by Ivan and ‘All The Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople.
He has also written a biography of Robert Palmer and the stories behind Whitesnake’s blatant Led Zep rip-off, ‘Still Of The Night’ and Harry Styles’ anthem to positivity, ‘Treat People With Kindness’.
Most recently, Gary has penned the fascinating story behind George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ as well as ‘Believe It Or Not’ a look into the rise of fake news.
All these can be found here on Medium, along with his reviews of gigs and events and chats with musicians including the likes of Royal Blood, Joe Satriani and Wolf Alice.
