Studio Album · No. 2
Queen II Songwriting Credits by Queen
Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Robin G. Cable, Queen · Engineered by Mike Stone, Roy Thomas Baker
Queen wrote 11 of 11 documented tracks
Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented
Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Queen carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Queen II turns the band's individual-authorship model into structure: "Side White" gathers Brian May's songs and "Side Black" is six Freddie Mercury compositions, with Roger Taylor adding one and John Deacon still not writing. It is the first full display of Mercury's ambition as a composer, with multi-section pieces like "The March of the Black Queen" pointing toward "Bohemian Rhapsody." The album is entirely self-written, split cleanly between its two main authors.
Queen's second studio album, released March 8, 1974, produced primarily by Roy Thomas Baker with Robin G. Cable handling three tracks on the Side Black. The album is structured around a conceptual split: 'Side White' collects five Brian May compositions that are relatively melodic and introspective, while 'Side Black' groups six Freddie Mercury songs that are theatrical, fantastical, and operatic in scope, including 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke,' inspired by a Richard Dadd painting, and 'The March of the Black Queen,' a proto-'Bohemian Rhapsody' in its multi-section structure. Roger Taylor contributes 'The Loser in the End' as the only Side White track he wrote. John Deacon does not write for this album. The album contains the full version of 'Seven Seas of Rhye,' Queen's first UK top five hit. Queen II is often cited as the first true demonstration of Mercury's ambition as a composer and arranger.