"The Dark" is the album's "short keyboard and guitar intro," "an atmospheric opener...recorded during sessions for
Flash Gordon in 1980 at Anvil Studios with orchestrations by
Howard Blake." The lyrics are reminiscent of a lullaby. "Back to the Light" is "an outpouring of emotion," The Time Traveller music video, released as part of the re-released album in 2021, features May travelling back in time to his younger self. "Love Token", "a well-constructed track", is dominated by Cozy Powell's "thunderous drums[, which] give the song its catchy rhythm.... The song was performed live on the Back to the Light Tour, usually after 'Back to the Light' (on the 1992 leg) or 'Tie Your Mother Down' (during the first part of 1993), before becoming an abridged intro to 'Headlong', as evident on the... album Live At The Brixton Academy." The original "explicit" version was never officially released, and was only found on a free CD packaged with
Rock Compact Disc Magazine, Vol. 4, 1991. The lyrics speak of a family splitting apart. "
Resurrection" is a duet between Powell's drum and May's guitar work and vocals, a tribute to a friendship which would be cut short by Powell's premature death in 1998. It was initially recorded as 'Ride to Win' on Cozy Powell's 1992 solo album,
The Drums Are Back. "The lyrics feature few references to organized religion, being of a more personal nature, as elsewhere on
Back to the Light, [May] channels his confusion of life without [Mercury] into song." The music video features May and Powell playing their instruments, and lots of early
CGI graphics. "
Too Much Love Will Kill You" was recorded by Queen for
The Miracle and rejected over songwriting royalties, eventually being released in 1995 on
Made in Heaven. May performed the song unaccompanied except for piano during
The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. A guitar version "was released as part of the CD single in August 1992." "
Driven by You", Brian's famed Ford advert theme, was released on 25 November 1991. Three different versions were recorded and used—"all sounding similar and lasting ninety seconds each", and three different DJ cuts were made. "Nothin' But Blue" was "initially recorded as 'Somewhere In Time' on Cozy Powell's 1992 solo album,
The Drums Are Back,...with John [Deacon] on bass". May used the instrumental from that session and added original lyrics to create the version heard on his solo album. "I'm Scared" is a very personal hard-rocker, one of May's ways of dealing with his depression brought on by his failed first marriage and the death of his father. The version that appears on Back to the Light includes what is called "the 'Chaos Karaoke', a litany of fears" which include "fear of losing control, pain, being unknown, being ugly, dying, [being] deformed, [being] dull, the dark, being found out[,] and...being scared of
Stephen Berkoff". "
Last Horizon" was recorded at Allerton Studios in 1988, and is one of May's favorite songs. "Let Your Heart Rule Your Head", "an unconscious update of...'39....an uplifting, upbeat moment on an album of otherwise bleak and melancholy songs". "Just One Life" could be misinterpreted as a tribute to Mercury, "but was actually written for actor
Philip Sayer". May was inspired to write the song after attending a memorial concert for Sayer, whom May had never met. "Rollin' Over" is May's cover of the
Small Faces' song. "In [May's] hands...the song becomes a scorching tour de force of guitar riffs and exploding drums, turning [it] into what might as well be an outtake from one of Queen's earlier albums (indeed, Smile played it in their touring days)". ==Release==