Late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music. The singer defied the conventions of a rock frontman throughout his music career that spanned over two decades. In addition, Mercury was known for his charismatic stage performances, four-octave vocal range, and his highly theatrical style.
Like the Queen vocalist, Michael Jackson was also an impeccable entertainer and a successful musician. The King of Pop is considered one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century thanks to his contributions to music, dance, and fashion.
At the height of their fame, the two brilliant musicians started to build a friendship over their artistry. Over time, both Jackson and Mercury thought it would be a good idea to collaborate, and worked on three songs. Let’s take a look at their story as well as the hidden tracks.
Did Freddie Mercury And Michael Jackson Collaborate?
The two first met when Michael Jackson showed up to Freddie Mercury’s concerts with Queen. The musician was a massive fan of the lead singer in particular, and the duo spent a lot of time together. Their friendship and mutual admiration continued during the height of their fame, which brought the possibility of a collaboration.
Eventually, the duo started to work on three demos in Jackson’s home studio, ‘There Must Be More to Life Than This,’ ‘State of Shock,’ and ‘Victory’ in 1983. While some believed the tracks were for an upcoming album of Jackson, some thought it was for Queen’s ‘Hot Space’ album.
However, the songs weren’t released since both musicians already had a lot going on in their careers. In addition to this, Mercury wasn’t happy with Jackson’s pet llama, which he brought with him every day to the studio. On the other hand, the King of Pop wasn’t happy with the Queen singer’s drug habits.
Their duets still remain unreleased, but ‘State of Shock’ was re-recorded by the Jacksons and Mick Jagger and released as a single in 1984. Mercury reworked ‘There Must Be More to Life Than This’ and involved it into his only solo album, ‘Mr. Bad Guy,’ released in 1985.
You can listen to ‘State of Shock’ and ‘There Must Be More to Life Than This’ below.
