Queen of Hearts

Album: Battering Ram (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The titular Queen in this song refers to the tyrannical playing card monarch in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, who played croquet with flamingos and later orders 'off with her head.'

    However the lyrics reference Through the Looking-Glass' Red Queen, who is a chess piece. Though in Lewis Carroll's stories they are two different characters, in the 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts delivers several of the Red Queen's statements.

    Saxon vocalist Biff Byford said: "With 'Queen of Hearts', I wanted to write something around Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, and it's about the chess game that happens in the story. I wanted it to have prog-feeling in the way of its ambiance and mood."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. JonesSongwriter Interviews

The Stax legend on how he cooked up "Green Onions," the first time he and Otis Redding saw hippies, and if he'll ever play a digital organ.

Tony Joe White

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.