Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle[1]Released as the lead single to their 1978 album Jazz–which, ironically, contains no Jazz
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle[2]Freddy Mercury (née Farrokh Bulsara, born to Parsi-Indian parents in Zanzibar, who later emigrated to England) was purportedly inspired to write the song as he watched the Tour de France pass by his … Continue reading
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike[3]And yes, to get the stupid elephant in the room out of the way: bicycle does indeed sound homophonically similar to bisexual, which Freddy Mercury was. And if you’re done giggling, the very … Continue reading
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like[4]“Ride it where I like” expresses a very childlike desire for freedom and autonomy; but then, we must become as little children–and respect free agency, for which the War in Heaven … Continue reading
You say black, I say white[5]The binary oppositions of black/white initially appear to merely express a simplistic and juvenile contrarianism, until (like the Gospel) the nuances of the text start to manifest themselves
You say bark, I say bite[6]This line in turn expresses a desire for less talk and more action–to not just “bark” but also “bite”–to actually live your religion; recall that the Savior … Continue reading
You say shark, I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene[7]His rejection of Jaws–the film that basically single-handedly invented the entire genre of Summer blockbuster only 3 years earlier in 1975–appears to be metonymic of his rejection of the … Continue reading
And I don’t like Star Wars[8]Another example of a summer blockbuster, which had only come out the year before. We at Ships of Hagoth are also more fans of Star Trek anyways
You say Rolls, I say Royce[9]British luxury automobile, apropos for an English rock band
You say God, gimme a choice[10]The God line again expresses a desire for free agency in religious worship, as enshrined in our own 11th Article of Faith, not to mention D&C 121:39; the importance of forcing no one into … Continue reading
You say Lord, I say Christ[11]Anyone can be crudely blasphemous in a rock song, but only Queen could do it so playfully; for though this shouted “Christ!” can be read as a mere expletive of frustration, it can also … Continue reading
I don’t believe in Peter Pan[12]Although there is clearly a very childlike, Peter-Pan-esque sense of jubilation about this song, it is still certainly not childish. Like Paul, the singer puts away childish things, rejecting the … Continue reading
Frankenstein[13]“Frankenstein” is the famed early-19th century Mary Shelley novel about a man who plays God by assembling together corpses; by implication, the singer also desires not after something … Continue readingor Superman[14]Superman here perhaps refers not just to the comic book superhero, but the Nietzschean concept of the ubermensch, or the more highly evolved human specimen who rejects all traditional morality. … Continue reading
All I wanna do is
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my
Bicycle races are coming your way, so forget all your duties[15]“Forget all your duties:” Like Christ telling the Apostles to leave behind their nets and follow him, so are we, too, supposed to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for … Continue reading, oh yeah
Fat bottomed girls[16]“Fat Bottomed Girls” is an intertextual allusion to the song that the “Bicycle Race” single shared a split A-side with, they’ll be riding today
So look out for those beauties, oh yeah
On your marks, get set, go
Bicycle race, bicycle race, bicycle race
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
(I want a) bicycle race
[Bicycle bells ringing][17]During live performances of this song back in the ’70s, local bike shops would purportedly sell out of bike bells, due to all the fans waiting for this moment to ring them together in concert. … Continue reading
You say coke, I say ‘caine[18]Coke representing both the soda and the illicit substance–although this line is also cleverly confused by the fact that Coca Cola used to actually contain the cocaine a hundred years ago; and … Continue reading
You say John, I say Wayne[19]A John is slang for a solicitor of a prostitute; John Wayne is of course a famous movie star; but film and passive entertainment, “the great whore of Babylon,” is also a form of … Continue reading
Hot dog, I say cool it man
I don’t wanna be the President of America[20]As an Englishman, he can’t run for U.S. President anyways; but then, like Captain Moroni, it is also nice to see that the singer “seeks not for power but to pull it down” (Alma … Continue reading
You say smile, I say cheese[21]“Cheese” being the prime example of a fake smile–again, a hypocrisy, which Christ condemned above all
Cartier[22]Famous French jeweler, I say please
Income tax, I say Jesus[23]With this “Income Tax” line, it is worth remembering that Jesus himself sat and ate with the hated tax-collectors–of which the Apostle Matthew was one–but that is still only … Continue reading
I don’t wanna be a candidate
For Vietnam[24]the U.S. had only pulled out of the failed Vietnam debacle 3 years earlier in 1975 or Watergate[25]Nixon’s forced resignation from office, which did so much to erode public trust in the government, the fallout of which we are still dealing with today–had also only happened 6 years … Continue reading
‘Cause all I want to do is
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle (c’mon)[26]that “c’mon” is an invitation; the singer isn’t just announcing his intentions to separate himself alone from this wicked world, but calls for us to join him. “Babylon, … Continue readingbicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like
References
| ↑1 | Released as the lead single to their 1978 album Jazz–which, ironically, contains no Jazz |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Freddy Mercury (née Farrokh Bulsara, born to Parsi-Indian parents in Zanzibar, who later emigrated to England) was purportedly inspired to write the song as he watched the Tour de France pass by his hotel in Montreaux |
| ↑3 | And yes, to get the stupid elephant in the room out of the way: bicycle does indeed sound homophonically similar to bisexual, which Freddy Mercury was. And if you’re done giggling, the very word “homophonically” also sounds like a double entendre. Get over it. That’s not what we’re addressing today |
| ↑4 | “Ride it where I like” expresses a very childlike desire for freedom and autonomy; but then, we must become as little children–and respect free agency, for which the War in Heaven was waged–if we are to inherit the kingdom of God |
| ↑5 | The binary oppositions of black/white initially appear to merely express a simplistic and juvenile contrarianism, until (like the Gospel) the nuances of the text start to manifest themselves |
| ↑6 | This line in turn expresses a desire for less talk and more action–to not just “bark” but also “bite”–to actually live your religion; recall that the Savior condemned the self-righteous Pharisees for hypocrisy above all else |
| ↑7 | His rejection of Jaws–the film that basically single-handedly invented the entire genre of Summer blockbuster only 3 years earlier in 1975–appears to be metonymic of his rejection of the empty spectacle of worldly vanity in general. Like Lehi in the desert, he would have us walk away from the Great and Spacious building. Of course, Lehi also “is gonna need a bigger boat” |
| ↑8 | Another example of a summer blockbuster, which had only come out the year before. We at Ships of Hagoth are also more fans of Star Trek anyways |
| ↑9 | British luxury automobile, apropos for an English rock band |
| ↑10 | The God line again expresses a desire for free agency in religious worship, as enshrined in our own 11th Article of Faith, not to mention D&C 121:39; the importance of forcing no one into religion is also highlighted in our most sacred Temple rituals, wherein Satan himself declares he will raise many “false priests who oppress […] reign[ing] with blood and horror on this earth.” This key line from the Temple is also a reminder to ourselves not violate others free agency ourselves, no matter how well intentioned–the road to hell being paved with the same and all… |
| ↑11 | Anyone can be crudely blasphemous in a rock song, but only Queen could do it so playfully; for though this shouted “Christ!” can be read as a mere expletive of frustration, it can also plausibly be read as an affirmation that Christ really is Lord. Like all great art, this line is an excellent Rorschach test, that will reveal more about yourself than it ever will about the artist–as Paul writes to Titus, “To the pure, all things are pure…” |
| ↑12 | Although there is clearly a very childlike, Peter-Pan-esque sense of jubilation about this song, it is still certainly not childish. Like Paul, the singer puts away childish things, rejecting the arrested development of the Peter Pan syndrome; that is, his desire to bicycle isn’t merely one of childish escapism, but of manful rejection of all that is illusory, put-upon, and false |
| ↑13 | “Frankenstein” is the famed early-19th century Mary Shelley novel about a man who plays God by assembling together corpses; by implication, the singer also desires not after something dead and cobbled together, but living and whole–a True and Living Church, not an assembled one |
| ↑14 | Superman here perhaps refers not just to the comic book superhero, but the Nietzschean concept of the ubermensch, or the more highly evolved human specimen who rejects all traditional morality. Given how much this philosophical concept had been abused to justify eugenics, sterilization, racism, fascism, laissez-faire capitalism, third-world exploitation, gross income inequality, and ultimately the Nazi death camps, one can see why the singer would want to reject the Superman entirely. |
| ↑15 | “Forget all your duties:” Like Christ telling the Apostles to leave behind their nets and follow him, so are we, too, supposed to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” D&C 25:10 |
| ↑16 | “Fat Bottomed Girls” is an intertextual allusion to the song that the “Bicycle Race” single shared a split A-side with |
| ↑17 | During live performances of this song back in the ’70s, local bike shops would purportedly sell out of bike bells, due to all the fans waiting for this moment to ring them together in concert. This is integral, cause one could quite reasonably accuse Queen of hypocrisy themselves when they rag on blockbuster movies, since as a mega-popular Rock band, they regularly put on a giant spectacle themselves. But the key difference here is that films are a fundamentally passive experience, while a Queen concert is a participatory one–you sing along, you dance and wave, you ring your bells and make yourself part of the show. By way of comparison, too many religions are passive experiences as well–you merely listen to the sermon, listen to the choir, smell the incense, watch the Mass, or what have you–whereas the only religions capable of producing the faith necessary for salvation are those that require the sacrifice of all things; that is, where you are a part of the religious experience |
| ↑18 | Coke representing both the soda and the illicit substance–although this line is also cleverly confused by the fact that Coca Cola used to actually contain the cocaine a hundred years ago; and in any case, mass consumerism as represented by mass-produced soda pop is still its own addicting, self-destructive drug even now |
| ↑19 | A John is slang for a solicitor of a prostitute; John Wayne is of course a famous movie star; but film and passive entertainment, “the great whore of Babylon,” is also a form of prostitution; and John Wayne’s notorious collaboration with McCarthy and the Blacklist was also a form of violating Free Agency–just as him frequently playing war heroes despite never serving during WWII himself like so many other actors his age, is a form of hypocrisy. Seriously, John Wayne may have made some good movies, but for the love, please quit making some moral examplar out of him. |
| ↑20 | As an Englishman, he can’t run for U.S. President anyways; but then, like Captain Moroni, it is also nice to see that the singer “seeks not for power but to pull it down” (Alma 60:36). Seeking not after power, by the way, is why if all men were like unto Moroni, the foundations of hell would be shaken forever, and the devil would never more have power on this Earth. By implication, the devil has all power on the Earth today because far too many of us–like Lucifer during the War in Heaven–seek after power and gain instead. |
| ↑21 | “Cheese” being the prime example of a fake smile–again, a hypocrisy, which Christ condemned above all |
| ↑22 | Famous French jeweler |
| ↑23 | With this “Income Tax” line, it is worth remembering that Jesus himself sat and ate with the hated tax-collectors–of which the Apostle Matthew was one–but that is still only to highlight that the tax-collector is a sinner; or more precisely, it’s what the taxes are gathered for that’s a sin, as the ensuing Vietnam reference highlights |
| ↑24 | the U.S. had only pulled out of the failed Vietnam debacle 3 years earlier in 1975 |
| ↑25 | Nixon’s forced resignation from office, which did so much to erode public trust in the government, the fallout of which we are still dealing with today–had also only happened 6 years earlier; Nixon was also one who famously sought after power, not to pull it down–just as Vietnam, like all the proxy wars of the Cold War, was fought for power, not to pull it down |
| ↑26 | that “c’mon” is an invitation; the singer isn’t just announcing his intentions to separate himself alone from this wicked world, but calls for us to join him. “Babylon, O Babylon, We bid thee farewell” used to be a hymn we meant quite literally; and if you’ve ever wondered why the kids turn so often to pop music instead of the hymnal for inspiration, it’s because if they can’t find a genuine rejection of the sins of the world (as opposed to mere self-righteous lip-service of the same) at church, then they will seek it elsewhere, because this desire for transcendence and redemption is a real human need |