From Queenpedia.com

David Mallet returned in March of 1984 to direct the video for the second single from The Works album, John Deacon's I Want To Break Free, an enormous hit throughout Europe, reaching number 3 in the UK singles chart and becoming an anthem in oppressed areas of the world. The video itself soon became one of the most loved, and most controversial of the era - as at the suggestion of Roger's then girlfriend, Queen got themselves dragged up in the name of comedy, spoofing the long running soap opera and British institution Coronation Street.

The video comprised of three sections, the most notable of which was the drag sequence. Set in a mid-terraced house, but in reality filmed at a small studio in Battersea, mother Brian wakes up in the morning, hair in curlers and feet encased in fluffy pink rabbit slippers, only to find local tart Freddie dancing around with the hoover in a tight leather skirt, fishnet stockings and a garish pink top - bra straps clearly visible. Grandmother John sits on the sofa looking grumpy, while sexy schoolgirl Roger shows off his legs at the kitchen sink. The process of getting the band into drag was surprisingly easy, though the process of walking in high heels proved much harder for Freddie!

As she-Freddie opens the door to the cupboard under the stairs, we are led into the next section of the video, where the band are surrounded by fan clubs members once again - drafted in at the last minute and forced into black boiler suits and miners helmets. This section was filmed in a large warehouse next to Limehouse Studios, and it was apparently freezing cold inside. Not surprisingly, however, the fan club members didn't complain at all - most were so in awe at being in the presence of their heroes that only a small number actually plucked up the courage to ask for autographs.

This section is followed by an intricate recreation of the Debussy ballet L'Après-midi d'un faune, performed by the Royal Ballet. Freddie rehearsed intensely with the Royal Ballet members, and the results, which took an entire day to film and were choreographed by Wayne Eagling, were astonishingly beautiful, and have since become yet further proof of Freddie's perfectionist genius, even if he felt somewhat humbled by his lack of dancing ability compared to the professionals. The sequence was also the source of much delight amongst certain female fans, who were thrilled to see that Freddie had shaved off his mustache for the shoot - though quite why it remained while he was in drag is a mystery to all bar Freddie...

Controversy & Legacy

Upon its release, the video was Queen's most expensive yet - topping even Radio Ga Ga. It proved as popular as the song, but was also the source of a great deal of controversy. The biggest issue was the ballet sequence. Although based on original choreography by Nijinski, Sir Kenneth Macmillan felt that some of Eagling's touches and also the choice of costumes were near identical to pieces in his own ballet, The Rite Of Spring. As a result of this, Queen Productions donated an undisclosed sum to Macmillan's chosen charity, the Institute of Choreology.

Another difficulty was the drag section. Perhaps it was to be expected that a great number of the British press would be outraged by the sight of four men, one of whom was clearly homosexual and very much anti-tabloid, prancing around in women's clothing. That some accused them of corrupting their young fans was more of a surprise - particularly as the fans adored the video.

Roger: "We had done some really serious, epic videos in the past, and we just thought it was time we had some fun. We wanted people to know that we didn't take ourselves too seriously, that we could still laugh at ourselves. I think we proved that."

A further incident occurred in January of 1985, when Queen performed to 250,000 people at 2am, as part of the Rock In Rio festival in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The crowd were phenomenal, and with the band from the offset, until the encore - for which Freddie decided to come back on stage wearing the top half of his 'Break Free' drag outfit - complete with even bigger false breasts than in the video. The audience reacted in a hostile manner, throwing bottles and cans at the stage, causing Freddie to quickly remove the offending items - and the crowd were with the band once again. After the show, Queen learned that the song had become an anthem for liberation in the country, and Brazilian fans, most of whom would never have seen the video on the strictly controlled government television stations, saw the outfit as a mockery of their beliefs.

Despite all the controversy surrounding the video, it has since become one of the most celebrated Queen promos. Originally released as part of The Works EP home video, it was also included on Greatest Flix II and now features on the Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD. It has also become a regular parody piece, recreated by stars ranging from the cast Eastenders (as part of the BBC's annual charity fundraiser 'Children In Need' in 2001) to the famous foxy entertainer Basil Brush!

Credits

Version	Name	Artist	Recorded	Format	Length	Director	Filming Location
Standard Version	I Want To Break Free	Queen	March 1984	Video	4.18	David Mallett	Battersea, London, Limehouse Studios, London (now destroyed warehouse next door)

Availability

• Standard Version - The Works EP VHS, Greatest Flix II VHS, Box Of Flix VHS, Classic Queen VHS, Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD