Well, this is different: To mark the 15th anniversary of their first (and biggest) hit Rock & Roll Queen, the British power trio The Subways have cut a new version — then expanded it into an album by having singer-guitarist Billy Lunn sing part of the song in 20 different languages (from Belarussian, Belgian and Bulgarian to Spanish, Swiss and Ukrainian). Sure, it’s a novelty. And yes, it’s insanely repetitive. But it’s also weirdly soothing. Either that or I’m way more masochistic than I realized.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Being isolated to our respective domains (Josh in France, Charlotte in Sheffield, and myself in Hertfordshire), we all decided that it’d be a fun exercise to hark back to the days of being onstage by recording a brand new version of Rock & Roll Queen for our fans, given that it’s exactly 15 years since its initial release. Josh recorded his drums in France, Charlotte recorded her bass guitars and backing vocals in Sheffield, and I recorded my guitars and vocals in YFE Studios in Herts, where I also compiled all the audio and mixed the song together. Being that we’re reminiscing of being back onstage whilst we remain locked away during coronavirus, we also thought it’d be a fun exercise for me to sing the third verse of Rock & Roll Queen in all the languages in which I’ve learnt to sing it over the years. We LOVE going out on tour, visiting new countries, and we LOVE playing to our fans in those countries — but we love even more going back to play for those fans, and building a community of our own there. Additionally, it’s very important to us that we learn as much of the languages and cultures of the different places we play as we embark on our tours, so that we can relate to our fans in their own respective language — even if we sometimes get it wrong (which can be very funny)! Over the years, as we’ve done this, my books have been filling up with the various languages in which I sing the third verse of Rock & Roll Queen — but, for the sake of my sanity, for this occasion I’ve whittled it down to 20. So, here you are: a brand new version of Rock & Roll Queen with the third verse sung in YOUR language! We hope you enjoy it, and that you sing along as loud as you can in your homes. We cannot wait to be back onstage and playing to all of you once again.”
