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Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 8th, and many have been mourning her death. In honor of Her Majesty, we have a special music Friday this week. So get your speakers ready and check out five songs written or inspired about The Queen.
1. The Beatles - “Her Majesty”
The Beatles met Queen Elizabeth II in 1965, with John Lennon and the rest of the group receiving the Order of the British Empire. Released in 1969, it’s a less than 30-second song describing The Queen as a “pretty nice girl.”
2. Johnny Cash
Country legend Johnny Cash’s song “The Man Comes Around” was inspired by a dream he had. Per Taste of Country, in the dream, he came face to face with Queen Elizabeth II who gave him a message. “There she sat on the floor, and she looked up at me and said, ‘Johnny Cash, you’re like a thorn tree in a whirlwind,’” Cash told Larry King during a 2002 interview.
3. Leon Rosselson - “On Her Silver Jubilee
English singer Leon Rosselson included “On Her Silver Jubilee” on the 1979 album If I Knew Who the Enemy Was. “She’s as poised as a picture, she’s a sight for all to see / With a glass cage around her on her Silver Jubilee,” he sings.
4. Billy Bragg
Released in 1997 Billy Bragg’s “Rule Nor Reason” references Queen Elizabeth in a somewhat solemn but interesting way. “The Queen on her throne plays Shirley Bassey records when she’s all on her own / And she looks out the window / And cries,” he sings.
5. Pete Shop Boys, “Dreaming of the Queen”
Another song inspired by a dream is Pete Shop Boys’ 1993, “Dreaming of the Queen.” It was inspired in part by Brian Masters’ 1972 book Dreams About HM the Queen and other Members of the Royal Family. It’s kind of dark but touches on what Geowayn called a fairly common English anxiety dream.