Living on My Own

"Living on My Own" is a song by Freddie Mercury, originally included in his first solo album Mr. Bad Guy. It was released as a single (backed with "My Love Is Dangerous") in September 1985 in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number 50. The July 1985 release in the United States had "She Blows Hot and Cold" as its B-side.[1]

"Living on My Own"
Single by Freddie Mercury
from the album Mr. Bad Guy
Released	2 September 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop disco (original mix) Eurodance (1993 'No More Brothers' Mix)
Length	3:21
Label	EMI / Sony Music
Songwriter(s)	Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)	Reinhold Mack Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury singles chronology
"Made in Heaven" (1985) "Living on My Own" (1985) "Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow" (1985)
Music video
"Living on My Own" (1993 'No More Brothers' Mix) on YouTube
1993 Cover
Cover art for 1993 No More Brothers Mix.

1993 No More Brothers' Mix version

In 1993, two years after Mercury's death, the No More Brothers Mix of the song was released and reached number 1 in the UK, Ireland and in France (for 15 weeks), becoming Mercury's first solo number 1 hit; in the rest of the world – including Europe, Asia, Canada and Ibero-America – this version also reached the top of the charts. Meanwhile, in the United States, the 1993 version was not officially released.[2][3] It remained at the top for two weeks on the British charts.[3]

Critical reception

Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger said that Mercury "sounds terrific over house music."[4] Music & Media wrote in their review that "Belgian dance producers picked up a Mercury vocal track, put it on top of sequencers—with surprising results—and made a local top 10 hit out of it."[5] The Network Forty commented that "hitting you over the head like a hammer, the harmony-laden hook compliments an uptempo groove".[6] Sandwell Evening Mail called it "a stunning Euro-style remix".[7]

Personnel

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals
• Colin Peter – additional production / remix
• Carl Ward – additional production / remix
• Serge Ramaekers – additional production / remix

Music video

The videos for both the original 1985 and the 1993 remix versions of "Living on My Own" show footage of Mercury's 39th birthday celebration on 5 September 1985 at the Old Mrs. Henderson nightclub in Munich.[8]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Original version Chart (1985) Peak position UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 50 No More Brothers Mix Chart (1993–1994) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 1 Denmark (IFPI)[12] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 6 France (SNEP)[15] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 2 Greece (Pop + Rock) 1 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[17] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 1 Israel (Israel Top-30)[19] 1 Italy (Musica e dischi)[20] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[23] 1 Poland (LP3)[24] 3 Spain (AFYVE)[25] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[28] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[29] 7 Belgium (Ultratop)[30] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[31] 9 Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 10 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[33] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[35] 16 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 22 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[37] 20 Chart (1994) Position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[38] 65 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[39] 48 Sales and certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Austria (IFPI Austria)[40] Platinum 50,000^* Germany (BVMI)[41] Platinum 500,000^^ Netherlands (NVPI)[42] Gold 50,000^^ Sweden (GLF)[43] Gold 25,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Gold 400,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Track listings

1985 edition

7"

• A. Living on My Own (single version)
• B. My Love Is Dangerous (album version) 3:41

12"

• A. Living on My Own (extended version) 6:42
• B. My Love Is Dangerous (extended version) 6:28

1993 edition

7"/Cassette

• A. Living on My Own (Radio mix)
• B. Living on My Own (1992 album remix)

CD single

1. Living on My Own (Radio mix)
2. Living on My Own (Extended mix)
3. Living on My Own (Club mix)
4. Living on My Own (1992 album remix)

12"

• A1. Living on My Own (Extended mix)
• A2. Living on My Own (Club mix)
• B1. Living on My Own (Dub mix)
• B2. Living on My Own (LA mix)

See also

• List of posthumous number ones on the UK Singles Chart

References

1. Mr Bad Guy - Living On My Own Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 22 March 2012
2. Singles Chart For Week Up To 21/08/1993 Chart Stats. Retrieved 22 March 2012
3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
4. "FREDDIE MERCURY – "Living On My Own"". Freaky Trigger. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
5. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 31 July 1993. p. 11. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
6. "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 3 December 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
7. "Freddie Mercury - Living on My Own". Sandwell Evening Mail. 1993-06-05. page 15. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
8. Schauberger, Anja. "11 verrückte Clubs in München, die Geschichte schrieben" [11 crazy clubs in Munich that made history]. Mit Vergnuegen. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
10. "Austriancharts.at – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
11. "Ultratop.be – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
12. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
13. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
14. "Top 10 Finland" (PDF). Music & Media. 30 October 1993. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
15. "Lescharts.com – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own [1993"]. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
17. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (02.09.1993 – 08.09.1993)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir – Tónlist. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Living on My Own". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
19. Israel Top-30: 2 weeks at No. 1 (17.08.1993 & 24.08.1993)
20. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 42. 16 October 1993. p. 18. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 35, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 25 September 2018.
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". VG-lista. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
24. "Notowanie nr603" (in Polish). LP3. 3 September 1993. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
25. "Top 10 Spain" (PDF). Music & Media. 30 October 1993. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
26. "Swedishcharts.com – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
27. "Swisscharts.com – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own %5B1993%5D". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
29. "Jahreshitparade Singles 1993" (in German). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
30. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
31. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
32. "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
33. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 January 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
34. "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
35. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
36. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993" (in German). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
37. "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
38. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
39. "Bestenlisten – Singles 1990er". Hung Medien Austrian Charts Portal (in German). Retrieved 14 May 2019.
40. "Austrian single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
41. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Freddie Mercury; 'Living on My Own')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
42. "Dutch single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 24 November 2019. Enter Living on My Own in the "Artiest of titel" box.
43. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
44. "British single certifications – Freddie Mercury – Living on My Own". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 November 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Living on My Own in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

External links

• Lyrics at Queen official website (from Greatest Hits III)