About the song
Background
- Gospel Inspiration: Freddie Mercury was heavily influenced by the music of Aretha Franklin and gospel choirs. He aimed to emulate the passionate intensity and complex vocal harmonies found in that tradition.
- Musical Complexity: The song features intricate vocal harmonies with call-and-response patterns, creating a choir-like effect with just Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor.
- Album: “Somebody to Love” was a key track on Queen’s 1976 album A Day at the Races, marking a departure from their heavier rock sound into more soulful and introspective territory.
Lyrics
- A Cry For Love and Connection: The lyrics express a profound sense of loneliness and longing. The speaker asks existential questions (“Can anybody find me somebody to love?”), desperate for a meaningful connection in life.
- Doubt and Faith: There’s an ongoing struggle between despair (“Each morning I get up I die a little”) and hopeful faith in a better future (“Can anybody find me somebody to love?”).
- Questioning God: The speaker directly questions where God is in their life of loneliness, reflecting a crisis of faith.
Themes
- Loneliness and Isolation: The central theme is the pain of loneliness and the deep human need for connection.
- Existential Questions: The song touches upon the questions about the meaning of life, the role of fate, and whether there’s a greater purpose behind our existence.
- The Search for Faith: The struggle between doubt and faith is evident, demonstrating the search for belief and a spiritual anchor.
Additional Notes
- Queen’s live performances of “Somebody to Love” were often powerful, with the crowd’s participation enhancing the choir-like feel of the song.
- The song has endured, covered by artists ranging from George Michael to Troye Sivan, proving its universality.
Video
Lyrics
Can anybody find me
Somebody to love?
Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
Take a look at yourself in the mirror and cry
Take a look in the mirror and cry
Lord, what you’re doing to me? (Yeah, yeah)
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can’t get no relief, Lord
Somebody (Somebody)
Ooh, somebody (Somebody)
Can anybody find me
Somebody to love?
Yeah
I work hard (He works hard) every day of my life
I work ’til I ache my bones
At the end (At the end of the day) I take home (takes home)
My hard-earned pay all on my own
(Goes home, goes home on his own)
I go down (down) on my knees (knees)
And I start to pray (praise the Lord)
‘Til the tears run down from my eyes
Lord, somebody (somebody), somebody (please)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(he works hard) everyday (everyday)
I try, and I try, and I try
But everybody wants to put me down
They say I’m going crazy
They say I got a lot of water in my brain
I got no common sense (he’s got)
I got nobody left to believe in
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, Lord
Somebody (somebody), somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(Can anybody find me someone to love)
Got no feel, I got no rhythm
I just keep losing my beat (you just keep losing and losing)
I’m OK, I’m alright (he’s alright, he’s alright)
I ain’t gonna face no defeat (Yeah, yeah)
I just gotta get out of this prison cell
One day (someday) I’m gonna be free, Lord!
(Find me somebody to love)
(Find me somebody to love)
(Find me somebody to love)
(Find me somebody to love)
Find me, find me
(Find me somebody to love)
Find
(Find me somebody to love)
(Find me somebody to love, love, love)
Find me, find me
(Find me somebody to love)
Somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love)
(Somebody, somebody, somebody, somebody)
(Somebody find me, somebody find me somebody to love)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?
(Find me somebody to love)
(Find me somebody to love)
Find me, somebody, somebody
(Find me somebody to love)
Somebody, somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love)
Find me, find me, find me, find me, find me
(Find me somebody to love)
Ooh, somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love)
Find me, find me, find me somebody to love
(Find me somebody to love)
Anybody, anywhere, anybody, find me somebody to love
Love, love, love, love
Find me, find me, find me, yeah