Queen had something pretty unusual tucked away on the B-side of one of its biggest singles. Released in the UK on October 31, 1975, the record went on to become one of the band’s most recognizable releases. But for anyone with gasoline running through their veins, the other side was arguably just as interesting. It even featured the sound of a real Alfa Romeo.
Roger Taylor’s Love Letter To A Triumph TR4
The song was “I’m In Love With My Car,” written and sung by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. It was the B-side to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Taylor was dead set on getting it there. He’s a genuine car nut, and the inspiration came from someone else in Queen’s touring circle. In a 1997 BBC radio interview, Taylor explained that the song was inspired by the band’s sound guy and roadie, Jonathan Harris, who was mad about his Triumph TR4. Taylor also said the recording featured the exhaust note of his own “little Alfa Romeo.” That’s some serious automotive authenticity. Rather than reaching for a sound-effects library, the band used the noise of an actual car belonging to the man behind the song. Taylor dedicated the track to Harris in the liner notes of A Night at the Opera, describing him as a “boy racer to the end.”
Roger Taylor’s Car Collection Went Beyond One Alfa Romeo
Taylor’s interest in cars didn’t end there. From 1978, he owned a V8-powered Mercedes-Benz 450SL roadster, and period photos show him perched on it like the ’70s rock star he was. They’re great shots, and a reminder that the man behind Queen’s drum kit had plenty of enthusiasm for cars away from the recording studio. A Night at the Opera arrived on November 21, 1975, with “I’m In Love With My Car” among its tracks. More than five decades later, it’s still one of rock’s more unusual automotive tributes, and October 31 gives us a pretty good excuse to crank it up.
133 autotechSource: Queen Official YouTube
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