Queen Quiz — You Don't Fool Me

Dale Tatnell
6 days ago
2 min read

Cover Artwork for Queen's single “You Don't Fool Me”

“You Don't Fool Me” was released as is the final single from Queen's fifteenth studio album, “Made In Heaven”

The band wrote and composed the song under David Richards' supervision, making it one of the few tracks actually conceived and recorded after the Innuendo sessions. It became their final European hit.

Created in an unorthodox manner, “You Don't Fool Me” was a late-stage track. Producer David Richards was key to its existence, single-handedly constructing its structure from fragments of Freddie Mercury's last recorded lyrics. The finished song, which included elements like discarded harmonies from “A Winter's Tale,” was then presented to Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, who contributed their instruments and backing vocals to finalise the surprising composition. Stylistically, the song recalls the sound of their 1982 release, Hot Space

The music video for “You Don't Fool Me” is staged in a nightclub, where a chance meeting between a young man and his former girlfriend triggers memories of their fleeting relationship. The track's theme potentially serves as the next chapter in the storyline hinted at by the earlier Queen compositions, “Play the Game” and “It's a Hard Life.”