“Elizabeth My Dear” by The Stone Roses
Queen Elizabeth II had been in power for nearly 71 years, from 1952 well into 2022, thus currently making her the second longest-reigning monarch in verifiable history. In fact her reign was so long that – considering that only about 12% of the world’s population is even over 60 years old as of this writing – the overwhelming majority of us were nowhere around when she was crowned.
In context, that’s a poetic way of saying that the world at large has gone through a number of generations and eras even during her time on the throne.
For instance, the UK has one of the very few monarchies that has remained pertinent not only at a local but also international level. And it can be said that at the time Elizabeth II came into power, the people were more generally accepting of such power structures. Indeed as for most of known history, monarchies were actually quite regular. It wasn’t until the 19th century and into the 20th when that really began to change.
All of that said, if you think some people are insensitive for criticizing the Queen now that she’s died, well, she also endured quite a few disses, if you will, while she was alive. Yes, the United Kingdom may be one of the world’s foremost beneficiaries of colonialism and neocolonialism even. But it’s also one of the wokest countries on Earth, especially as far as musicians are concerned.
“Elizabeth My Dear”
So for instance, we have this piece that was dropped in 1989 by The Stone Roses, a band from Manchester, which is a city found right in the heart of England. The wording is really terse and easy to interpret.
The message contained therein isn’t simply centered on a disdain for the monarchy. Beyond that, the vocalist is also putting forth that he has made it his personal mission to propagate the Queen ‘losing her throne’.
And yes, we have come across songs like this by British musicians before which even predate “Elizabeth My Dear”. One such notable one would be The Smiths’ “The Queen is Dead“.
And by the looks of things, none of these artists have even come remotely close to dropping music which could have resulted in the royals being sacked. But it’s good to know that in the very least, the United Kingdom is a liberal enough country to actually accept such artistry.
Facts about “Elizabeth My Dear”
For the record, at the time this track was dropped on 2 May 1989, Queen Elizabeth II would have been 63 years old and in the 37th year of her rule.
The Stone Roses, as noted earlier, are from England. And this act managed to stay extant, in total, for about 20 years and earlier in that timeline, during the late 20th century, put out their only two studio albums. And the first of those, which itself is titled “The Stone Roses”, is from where we get “Elizabeth My Dear”, which was not issued as one of its singles.
At the time of this track’s issuance, the group was held down by vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani and drummer Reni (i.e. the main quartet which has made up this act). And it is Squire and Brown who wrote this song, with its producer being John Leckie.
As a further taunt to the monarchy, if you will, this track utilizes the melody of another tune called “Scarborough Fair“, which is a widely-recognized English folk song.
In 2013 The Flaming Lips covered this song alongside Kesha, with both acts being from the United States.
