Mustapha (song)
| "Mustapha" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
German single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album Jazz | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | April 1979 (Germany) And (Uk) | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:01 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producers |
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| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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"Mustapha" is a song written by Freddie Mercury and recorded by British rock band Queen. It is the first track of their 1978 album Jazz,[1] categorized as "an up-tempo Arabic rocker" by Circus magazine.[2]
Single
"Mustapha" was released as a single in Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia and Bolivia in 1979. The B-side of the single was "Dead on Time" for German and Spanish releases and "In Only Seven Days" for Yugoslavian and Bolivian releases. Also, all four versions had different covers.[3]
Lyrics
The composition's lyrics are mainly in English and Arabic, repeating the word Allah, the Arabic word for God used by Muslims. It also uses a sentence in Persian-emulating gibberish, reflecting Mercury's Parsi background. The lyrics repeat the names Mustapha and Ibrahim. The lyrics also repeat the phrase "Allah will pray for you." Parts of the lyrics like "Achtar es na sholei" meaning "His star, not his flame" have clear ties to the Persian language.
Particularities
In 1981/82 it was banned in Bolivia. the ban was lifted in 1983. It is unknown why «Mustapha» was censored at that time, EMI Music Bolivia stated that it was a decision of the Bolivian government and that Capitol Records was not informed of the reason or causes of that resolution,N°15221/81, of the Department of Culture of Bolivia.
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano
- Brian May – guitars
- Roger Taylor – drums, hawk bells
- John Deacon – bass guitar
References
- ^ "Jazz: Queen: Music". Amazon. 1991. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
1. Mustapha
- ^ "Interviews > Freddie Mercury Interviews > 12-12-1978 – Circus". Queenarchives.com. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- ^ "Jazz (1978)". Queenvinyls.com. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
External links