Queen’s “Face It Alone” Lyrics Meaning

Maybe one of the reasons why Queen’s “Face It Alone” didn’t see the light of day at the time it was originally conceived was because the message contained therein, perhaps we can say in comparison to other Queen tracks we are familiar with, isn’t as abundantly clear. 

Lyrics of “Face It Alone”

The lyrics we are dealing with here, as far as the verses are concerned, are highly metaphorical/symbolic, which isn’t necessarily the standard this band is known for. But then again “Face It Alone” is a song they put together circa the early 1990s, a notable time after Queen’s artistic heyday of the late 1970s.

That said, it isn’t such that the message of this song is necessarily difficult to understand. Indeed, going back to Queen’s modus operandi, they actually have a number of what can be deemed inspirational classics under their belts. These lyrics also read along such a line, or let’s say being more of the implicit self-encouragement type of variety.

So what the vocalist appears to be putting forth, most simply put, is that life, ultimately, is a challenge that one must master on his or her own. Or as Freddie Mercury plainly expresses in the chorus, “your life is your own”, and “you’re in charge of yourself”. 

It’s interesting to note that, with this song being recorded during the late 1980s, that Mercury most likely recited these lyrics at a time that he already knew he was seriously sick as a result of HIV/AIDS.

In other words, this is a vocalist who is very much qualified to let us listeners know that “in the end, you have to face it alone”. Or put otherwise, the chorus is a fancy way of saying that conclusively, we all must personally deal with the consequences of our own actions. 

And this is especially true at times, as the outro puts forth, “when the moon has lost its glow”, i.e. when we’re going through those particularly trying era in life, as Freddie was at the time.

Queen

Queen, an act that originated in 1970’s London, is still technically extant to this day, though they’ve really stopped releasing new songs decades ago. 

The last original song they appear to have dropped prior to “Face It Alone” was 2014’s “Let Me in Your Heart Again”, a piece whose conception dates back to 1984. 

So what is actually considered to be the last original single recorded by Queen is a 1997 outing called “No-One but You”. 

Facts about “Face It Alone”

“Face It Alone”, though being released as recently as 13 October 2022, was actually recorded while Queen was putting together “The Miracle”, their 1989 studio album. 

Then, they remixed it circa 1991’s “Innuendo”, which was the last LP the band put out while lead singer Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) was still alive. 

And it is also known that “Face It Alone” managed to leak in 2011. But again, it was not officially released until late 2022, some 30 years after its conception. This is a testament to how popular Queen and Freddie Mercury have managed to remain throughout the years.

The occasion upon which Queen has decided to drop this song is the reissuing of “The Miracle”.  The said reissue is officially called “Queen The Miracle Collector’s Edition” (2022). It feature just about every recording associated with the LP. It also includes five other tracks which up until now remained unreleased.

Since the turn of the century, Queen has been held down by Brian May and fellow cofounder Roger Taylor. Both of these legends teased, a bit earlier in 2022, the forthcoming of “Face It Alone”. 

May and Taylor also co-wrote this song with Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. It should be stated that Deacon left the group shortly after Mercury’s death.

The entirety of Queen is credited with producing this track alongside the following:

• Kris Fredriksson
• Justin Shirley-Smith
• David Richards (1956-2013)