Don't Stop Me Now

Album: Jazz (1977)
Charted: 9 86
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Songfacts®:

  • Freddie Mercury wrote this song - both words and music - in Montreux, Switzerland. It finds him feeling unstoppable: he's "floating around in ecstasy," "like a tiger defying the laws of gravity," and "traveling at the speed of light."

    The song is quite empowering, but it's also clear that Mercury is throwing caution to the wind and putting himself in danger:

    I am a satellite, I'm out of control
    I am a sex machine ready to reload


    After Mercury died of AIDS-related causes in 1991, it became clear that his hedonism during this period caught up with him. Brian May told Mojo that he struggled with the lyrics because it was about a detrimental time in Mercury's life, when he was "taking lots of drugs and having sex with lots of men."
  • Brian May shared his thoughts on this song when he spoke with Absolute Radio in 2011: "I thought it was a lot of fun, but I did have an undercurrent feeling of, 'aren't we talking about danger here,' because we were worried about Freddie at this point. That feeling lingers, but it's become almost the most successful Queen track as regards to what people play in their car or at their weddings. It's become a massive, massive track and an anthem to people who want to be hedonistic. It was kind of a stroke of genius from Freddie."
  • The song is a plot point in the 2004 movie Shaun of the Dead. During a zombie attack, it plays on the jukebox at an inopportune time. While some of the characters try to fight off a zombie, another attempts to "kill the Queen" to silence the song.

    Other films that have used "Don't Stop Me Now" include:

    Blackball (2003)
    Amigos... (2011)
    Hardcore Henry (2015)
  • In 2005, viewers of the BBC television program Top Gear named this "Greatest Driving Song Ever." 18 years later, a survey of 2,000 motorists found that "Don't Stop Me Now" is the favorite car sing-along song. "Dancing Queen" by ABBA came second and "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi third. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • The Jazz album had a mix of many different styles of music, although none of them were actually jazz. It got to #6 on the US Albums chart and made #2 in the UK.
  • In 2006 a cover by McFly for the Sport Relief telethon was a #1 hit in the UK. It was notionally the lead track on the single. However though it was indeed the lead track on the 2-track CD single, on the other formats, maxi CD and DVD, "'Please Please" was featured as Track 1. The latter song was rumored to be about actress Lindsay Lohan.
  • At the beginning of 2007, the UK chart rules changed allowing all digital downloads, whether or not they had a physical equivalent, to chart. This song was one of the beneficiaries of the new rules, maintaining a Top 200 presence all the way through 2007. Despite the fact it never made the Top 75 in all that time, "Don't Stop Me Now" still sold 53,000 copies and was the 160th best-selling single of 2007. Incredibly, this was 3,000 copies more than McFly's #1 hit "Baby's Coming Back."
  • Numerous TV series have used this song. Among them:

    American Dad! ("Roger 'n' Me" - 2006)
    Skins ("Cook" - 2009)
    Nip/Tuck ("Dan Daly" - 2010)
    Glee ("Diva" - 2013)
    Doctor Who ("Mummy on the Orient Express" - 2014, "Hell Bent" - 2015)
  • This is used as the theme song of the UK TV show Al Murray's Happy Hour, which ran 2007-2009. On the show, Al Murray had a band on each week that would perform a Queen song at the end of the show. On the fourth show, McFly sang "Don't Stop Me Now."
  • This returned to the UK charts in 2008 after being featured in the Cadbury's Dairy Milk truck race advert.
  • This song was used in a commercial for the Google Photos App that aired during the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the spot, memorable moments are interrupted by an error message saying "Storage Full." Google offers to solve the problem by backing up photos to free up space.
  • Freddie Mercury wrote "Don't Stop Me Now" on the piano. Roger Taylor told Mojo magazine in 2019: "I don't necessarily think it's one of our best songs, but I love the sentiment 'call me Mr. Fahrenheit.' It's hilarious and it's become a sort of rallying cry."
  • In 2011, Queen fans voted the chorus of "Don't Stop Me Now" as the band's best ever lyric. The survey, conducted by HMV, found they liked the lyric "Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball" best. The second favorite lyric came from "The Show Must Go On" and was "My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die, I can fly my friends."
  • "Don't Stop Me Now" soundtracks a Pfizer commercial called "Here's To Science" that aired during the Super Bowl in 2024. By this time, Queen songs were showing up regularly in commercials, so it wasn't surprising to hear one shilling for a drug company.

Comments: 30

  • Susan from IllinoisGreat song! It’s one of my favorites. I don’t find it offensive. It’s all Freddie. It’s an upbeat song that makes me happy every time I hear it!
  • Becbec from Usa AlabamaI'm pretty certain it was like taking ex or tripping on shrooms and rave dancing with some folks a guy he was crushing on presumable younger guy he knew was not into girls giving him the business. And turning him out. I can't see him singing about his own masterbation experience that is every teenager boy lol this was a big deal to him because he made it up beat and hyper mania intense that people are just now finding it offensive we got kids singing about wap and supermaning position getting head in the back seat of a bummer in usa and the Russian song she will fk making grandma's out of moms ten yrs old dancing to this s--t sex is a industry in america girls wanna be sexy at 10 boys watch porn at this age and we wonder why our worlds the way it is at least this song isnt so vulgar as what out here in music this day in time.
  • Yvette Griffin from Melb AusIt's for vacuuming 'on a mission'
  • Bruno from Fron New OrleansHey fellas, is the part "like lady Godiva" a reference to the Velvet Underground song? It doesn't let me sleep at night
  • Rusty Russell from NcIt is amazing what songwriters can get away with, when the audience is seduced by the beat and rhythm of a song. I ran across an article in BuzzFeed that implies this little ditty is sexual in nature. I had never heard this song so I wanted to read the lyrics first. Freddie wrote it and since he is not around, any interpretation at this point is going to be in the minds of the listeners.

    Plus the BBC is notorious for censoring songs and not allowing them to be played on radio stations. But even then if your smart about it stuffy-shirts may not catch on to this playground!
  • Steve W from Wellington, NzI always think Freddie sings Haere Ra (a Maori welcome) in the outro. Probably not, but I suppose we hear what we want to hear.
  • Patrick from No lol its about masturbating guys :P
  • Bridget from CoWhenever I play this song in my room, I almost always dance. And one time, I told the family Amazon Alexa to tell William to stop messing with her, and she played this song lol.
  • Brad from FlThe best ending to “Bohemian Rhapsody” - touché!
  • Suzi from Indianapolis, InThe one place my son, and I really bond is listening to Queen.....I adore Freddie Mercury!!
  • Camille from Toronto, OhFreddy Mercury had SUCH energy, and all the sexual charisma to go with it, and he had a certain kind of edge to the way he put it all out there. This song just builds momentum as it goes along, and most people, at some point, have felt exactly how the lyrics say "don't stop me now 'cause I'm havin' a good time, I don't wanna stop at all."
  • Chris from Saugus, MaI have some great memories tied to this. One night my friends and I were trying to pull an all-nighter so we bought energy drinks. I was really hyper and I was listening to my ipod when this song came on. I was racing my friends and then I won surprisingly because I'm not that fast but then I started dancing. It was really fun except the next day when I was really tired :P
  • Taylor from Dayton, TnI was turned on to queen a year ago and love them. they are the greastest group ever made. they have brought me joy and brought me to tears. i would have given anything to have been able to have seen them in concert just once. if i could spend one day with anyone dead or alive it would Freddie Mercury
  • Justing from Orlando , FlMaybe you just have a messed up brain? (Me too, but I don't think it's about Sex. I thought it was like him having magic powers to fly or something.)
  • Samuel from Peoria, Belgiumgood song but i think its about gay sex just read the lyrics then you will see
  • Joan from Amsterdam, NetherlandsI love thins song so much! It makes me feel happy=]
  • Alessandro from Danbury, Onthis song is awesome-just like we are the champions.
  • Ryan from Farmer City, IlThis song is one of my favorites to listen to while driving around town or for long distances.
  • Ched - from La Union, PhilippinesI LOVE THIS SONG.... i have a queen videoke cd and i just love singing this song... all my nephews and nieces love watching me sing. there are also occasions that they borrow my cd and they enjoy singing this song.
  • Matthew from Milford, MaHave you seen the EBA video of this on YouTube? This song isn't actually in Elite Beat Agents, but somebody made a funny video based on the EBA concept featuring this song.
  • Matthew from Milford, MaIf any Queen song would be best in the credits of a movie, it's We are the Champions.
  • Nerius from Vilnius, EuropeIn 2005, this song was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by viewers of the BBC television program Top Gear, but the trophy given to Roger Taylor (as Freddy is dead and May doesn't like the song) was mis-engraved, reading Stop Me Now. James May explained it being a result of a clumsy engraver.
  • Daniel from Springfield, MaI like to trip to this song. It's awesome.
  • Kaylee from Beattyville, KyThis is seriously a favorite song of mine. It's a very catchy song and it cheers me up every time I listen to it.
  • Marissa from Is This Optional?, OhThis may make me sound like someone who hasn't listened to very much Queen (in fact I only have their greatest hits CD) but Don't Stop Me Now is my favorite Queen song and quite possibly my favorite song ever. My best friend and I are the biggest fans of the song ever, me because it's completely awesome and she because it's in "Shaun of the Dead."
  • Daniel from Springfield, MaThis a great high-energy number, and a proud display of Queen unquestionable musical ablitly(not to mention Freddie Mercury's unquestionable queerness), and the album Jazz is by and large my favorite Queen record. It's actually a great song to listen to when you're trippin'.
  • Angharad from Newport , Walesi think queen is a awesome band my dad loves all their songs and so do i!!!
    i think dont stop me now is the best one of all time i have got it on my mp3 player and i dont mean to sound nastey but Mcfly are not good enough to sing it!!!!
    it gets your heart pumping ecspiecily iff your my age...
    it is my favourite song and i love it and freddie murcury is the best singer i have ever heard in my life...

    Angharad Rudge, wales, trinant, gwent
    diolch-thankyou
  • Caitlin from Upper Township, Njawesome song. Queen is one of the best rock bands ever and I love this song!Its very fun and upbeat. you get fired up just listening to it!
  • Jonathon from Clermont, FlThis is one of Queen's best songs. It's very funny how he talks about men AND women in the song, and I never hold it against Freddy that he was a bisexual, because it likely contributed to the way he carried himself on stage and expressed himself through music. I'm straight, but I LOVE Freddy.
  • Caitlyn from Jacksonville, FlI love this song, though it sounds like it should be played during the credits at the end of a movie.
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