“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” is considered one of the greatest songs in the history of rock music. This is because it is a highly-energetic, uplifting track. In fact a scientific study has concluded that it is “the world’s most effective song to make you feel good”. 

This may be due to the fact that the song’s writer and singer, the iconic Freddie Mercury, was going through an exhilarating, ultimately self-destructive high himself during the time he and the rest of Queen put this classic together.

As such, one of the main themes of this song is the pleasure the singer is reveling in. And this enjoyment is largely, if not entirely, sensual in nature.

Also, Freddie advises the audience not to attempt to bring him down from this emotional and physical high. In fact even if so were desired, the speed at which he is traveling makes the chance of successfully stopping him a great impossibility.

However, the purpose of this song is not to challenge listeners with getting in Mercury’s way. Rather it is to invite them, male and female alike, to join him on this adventure. And while specifically appealing to both sexes to partake of this journey has been theorized to be an allusion to Mercury’s well-documented bisexuality, his intimate preferences are never forthrightly stated in the song.

“I’m having such a good time
I’m having a ball
(Don’t stop me now)
If you wanna have a good time
Just give me a call
(Don’t stop me now)
‘Cause I’m having a good time
(Don’t stop me now)
Yes, I’m havin’ a good time
I don’t want to stop at all, yeah”

Ultimately Mercury knows that the fast pace at which he is living his life is dangerous. However, he also acknowledges that no one has the power to halt the momentum that he has built up in living it.

When was “Don’t Stop Me Now” released?

This empowering rock tune is the twelfth song on Queen’s 1978 album “Jazz”. It was issued, on November 10 of 1978, as the second single from the album.

Writing and Production Credits

The composition of “Don’t Stop Me Now” was done by Queen’s lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS-related complications in 1991. Production was handled by the entire members of the group alongside British record producer Roy Thomas Baker.

Notable Highlights

“Don’t Stop Me Now” achieved significant commercial success in the UK. It peaked at No. 9 on the region’s major singles chart. In the US, the song reached No. 86 on the famous Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Multiple cover versions of this tune have been put out by various recording artists. American rock group The Regrettes and rapper T-Pain both released their versions of “Don’t Stop Me Now” in 2019.

Prior to this, English rock collective McFly released a very popular rendition of this song. Their version, which dropped in 2006, topped the official singles chart in the UK.

“Don’t Stop Me Now” has been used in numerous media productions. For instance, it can be heard in the 2004 comedy-horror movie titled “Shaun of the Dead”. It has also featured in TV series such as “Glee” and “American Dad!”.

The Jazz Album

“Jazz” is the seventh studio album from the band, and it was accompanied by multiple singles. On October 13 of 1978 the songs, “Bicycle Race” and “Fat Bottomed Girls” were released together as the first singles from the album.

The final two singles from this record were both released during April 1979. “Mustapha“, was the first to be issued, whereas “Jealousy” followed as the final single of this album. 

“Jazz” achieved huge success in the UK and the US, peaking at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, on the main albums’ chart in both regions. It was also a top-10 hit in several other countries including Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway.