Now I'm Here Single: 1975

Queen's Sheer Heart Attack Live Cut

The Single That Hit 11

EMI's 1975 Sheer Rock Push

Released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the UK on January 17, 1975, on EMI (catalogue: EMI 2256), Queen’s “Now I’m Here” — backed with “Lily Of The Valley” — was the second single from Sheer Heart Attack. Written by Brian May, produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker, this live favourite entered the UK Singles Chart on January 25, 1975, peaked at No. 11, and charted for 7 weeks. Issued in EMI factory sleeve with solid centre pressing.

Composed by guitarist Brian May, the song is recognized for its powerful guitar riffs and vocal harmonies. It peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart when it was released as a single in 1975. The song became a live favorite, featured in nearly every Queen concert from late 1974 to 1986.

Details

"Now I'm Here" reflects May's positive experiences during the band's US tour earlier in 1974. Mott the Hoople, whom Queen supported, are mentioned in the line "Down in the city, just Hoople and me".

The song was also included in the 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits and the 1997 compilation album Queen Rocks. In March 2005, Q magazine ranked "Now I'm Here" at number 33 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.

Live performances

"Now I'm Here" was a staple in Queen's setlists, performed on every concert tour from 1974 until their final tour in 1986. It was first played during the Sheer Heart Attack Tour in Manchester on 30 October 1974.

During the Sheer Heart Attack Tour, Mercury would be seen singing "Now I'm here" on one side of the stage amidst darkness and dry ice, and a few bars later, at "Now I'm there", he would "appear" on the opposite side, an illusion created by a stagehand dressed identically.

The liner notes of Live Killers (1979), Queen's first live album, mention that the song was removed from the setlist for a period but had recently been brought back. The song was rearranged to allow Mercury to engage with the audience in a "call and response" sing-along. The exact time when the song was dropped and for how long remains unclear.

May continued to perform the song as a solo artist after Mercury's death in 1991. At The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, May joined Def Leppard on stage to perform the song, which later became the B-side to Def Leppard's single "Tonight" and was included in the deluxe edition of their Adrenalize album. It served as the opening song for the American, Asian, and Australian legs of the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015.

Track Listing

A: Now I'm Here

B: Lily Of The Valley

UK Variants

7", 45 RPM, Single – EMI EMI 2256 – UK – 1975

7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo – EMI EMI 2256 – UK – 1975

7", 45 RPM, Single, Solid Center – EMI EMI 2256 – UK – 1975

7", 45 RPM, Single, "Roy Thomas Baker" on 2 Lines – EMI 2256 – UK – 1975

UK Chart Performance

Peak position: 11

7 weeks – January 25, 1975 to March 8, 1975

35 → 20 → 12 → 11 → 16 → 20 → 38

Do you have Now I'm Here in your vinyl stack? Ready to rock the house? Share in the comments!

Sources

Information is drawn from my personal knowledge and supplemented by web sources, including Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia and BBC Official Charts Company

Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information, mistakes do happen. Simply leave a comment and the post will be updated. Thank you.