Spread Your Wings

The lyrics of "Spread Your Wings" tells of a character named Sammy, who works cleaning floors at a bar but dreams of improving his life despite his boss telling him that he has no ambition. Lead singer Freddie Mercury considered it to be the best song Deacon had written to date. Musicologist Nick Braae describes the structure of "Spread Your Wings" as being somewhat unusual, in that after the initial verse and refrain centered on the key of D major, there is a bridge centered on the key of B minor, followed by an instrumental bridge that starts moving back to D major for the next verse-refrain pair. Deacon used this double-bridge strategy in several other songs, including "You and I" and "Need Your Loving Tonight". ==Reception==

Dayton Daily News critic Gary Nuhn called it "a song with Beatles-like lyrics of a man pulling himself up". Courier News critic Bill Bleyer wrote that it makes a similar point as the more popular song "We Are the Champions", that "while the established order continues to hold down the young, they can still make it if they try". He added that it does so better and "without overpowering the listener". Ross described it as a "melancholy anthem" that has "the same sense of bombast as 'We Are the Champions' but shot through with existential sadness and a desire to burst the shackles of mundane employment." Ultimate Classic Rock critic Eduardo Rivadavia rated the song as the fourth-best song Deacon wrote for Queen, praising its "rising appreciation of musical drama". Classic Rock History critic Millie Zeiler rated it John Deacon's fourth-best Queen song. ==Music video==

The music video for "Spread Your Wings" was shot in January 1978 in the garden of Roger Taylor's house in Surrey, on the same day the band also shot the video for "We Will Rock You". The video was directed by Rock Flicks. ==Personnel==

• Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano • Brian May – electric guitar • Roger Taylor – drums, percussion • John Deacon – bass guitar, acoustic guitar ==Charts==

This song was covered by German power metal band Blind Guardian on their 1992 album Somewhere Far Beyond. The same recording reappeared on their 1996 album The Forgotten Tales. ==References==