PLAYLIST. During her reign, the Queen of England inspired many artists around the world, in a positive or negative way. Here are the best songs evoking Elisabeth II.
In 70 years of reign, Queen Elizabeth II of England has inspired many artists. Whether British or international, singers and singers have often mentioned the monarch in their songs, whether for good or bad. Because if the Queen of England has gone through the ages, musicians of all eras have been inspired by her reign or the monarchy in their texts. From the Sex Pistols with the timeless God Save the Queen to the Smiths with Queen is Dead and, of course, the Beatles and Her Majesty, here are the most memorable songs evoking Queen Elizabeth II:
Impossible to evoke a song on the queen without thinking directly of the Sex Pistols’ hit, God Save the Queen, released in 1977 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II. Translatable as “God save the Queen”, the title is however far from being an ode to the monarchy, as is its namesake, the British national anthem, but a song against the “fascist regime” of the Queen. Creating controversy across the Channel, the song was censored by the BBC.
Hidden at the very end of the album Abbey Road, mythical record of the Beatles, the song Her Majesty was written by Paul McCartney and composed by John Lennon. Legend has it that this track was written after the Beatles and Elizabeth II met in October 1965, when she made them members of the Order of the British Empire.
The song The Queen is Dead, translate “The Queen is Dead”, was released in 1986, at a time when Margaret Thatcher’s politics were criticized for their authoritarianism and marked by miners’ strikes. The song gives its name to the British rock band’s third album.
In 1989, the alternative rock group The Stone Roses released a song against the monarchy, represented by the Queen of England: Elizabeth My Dear. Released on the eponymous album, the track takes up the tune of Scarborough Fair, traditional English music.
In a completely different register, but after all why not, the French singer Philippe Katerine also dedicated one of his songs to Elizabeth II, baptized The Queen of England and released in 2010. “Hello, I am the Queen of ‘England and I’ll shit you to the line,’ sings the artist, dressed as a monarch in the clip of the song.
