Freddie Mercury Promo Videos

This page briefly summarises all promo videos, giving known details including directors, filming locations and dates, content, and availability of each. All of the videos on this page have been officially released, with the exception of the original video for 'In My Defence'.

In the notes below, a 'standard performance' means that the track is performed live, without audience involvement, but the studio version is dubbed over the top.


Barcelona


Promo Video, Original Version
Directed by David Mallet.
Filmed at Pinewood Studios, London, on 7 October 1987.
In this video, Freddie and Montserrat perform the song on a stage surrounded by burning torches.
Available on the 'Barcelona EP', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'. It is also on 'Greatest Flix III', but the very start of the track is audibly different.

Promo Video, Special Edition Version
This is the same video as above, but uses the 'Special Edition' single version of the track, rather than the original.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.

Promo Video, 2012 Edit
This version features a number of alternate shots from the original recording, including shots from the audience and close-ups of Freddie and Montserrat. During parts of the song it also switches between Freddie and Montserrat, depending on who is singing at the time. It also uses the 'Special Edition' single version of the track, with some added wind noise at the start.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.

'Live' Performance, Ibiza '92 Festival
Filmed at the Ibiza '92 Festival at the Ku Klub, Ibiza, on 29 May 1987
This is a mimed performance which uses the 'Special Edition' single version of the track. It has been edited slightly at the end of the track to show the bows, but otherwise seems to be the full performance.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.

'Live' Performance, Ibiza '92 Festival, Alternatve Version
Filmed at the Ibiza '92 Festival at the Ku Klub, Ibiza, on 29 May 1987
This is a slightly different video to the above, which features some alternate shots and camera angles in places.
It was broadcast on the German TV channel '3sat' but is officially unreleased.

'Live' Performance, La Nit Festival, Original Version
Directed by Gavin Taylor.
Filmed live at Montjurich Castle, Barcelona, 8 October 1987 as part of the 'La Nit' festival.
This is a mimed standard performance of the full album version (out of synch due to technology failure on the night).
Available on 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.

'Live' Performance, La Nit Festival, 'Special Edition' Version
This uses footage of the same performance as above, but edited slightly differently, with some alternate shots. The footage also has a narrower angle, meaning many of the shots only feature the top half of Freddie and Montserrat. During the instrumental introduction, this version has shots of fountains and the venue, whereas the original had more audience shots, and it also uses the 'Special Edition' full album version, rather than the original.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.


How Can I Go On


Original Version
Directed by Gavin Taylor.
Filmed live at Montjurich Castle, Barcelona, 8 October 1987 as part of the 'La Nit' festival.
This is a mimed standard performance of the single version (out of synch due to technology failure on the night).
Available on the 'Barcelona EP', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.

Special Edition Version
This uses footage of the same performance as above, but edited slightly differently, with some alternate shots. The footage also has a narrower angle, meaning many of the shots only feature the top half of Freddie and Montserrat. This version starts later, and has a full outro, whereas 'Lover Of Life - Singer Of Songs' had more of the bridge from 'Guide Me Home' at the start, and just stopped rather than fully fading out. It also uses the 'Special Edition' version of the track, rather than the original.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.


In My Defence


Original Version
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, this is a montage video of clips of Freddie over the years.
Officially unreleased.

2000 Re-Edit (original)
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher.
This is also a montage video of Freddie over the years, and is presumably the above video, just re-edited to fit the 2000 Remix of the track. At the start and end there are a few quotes from Freddie.
Available on 'The Video Collection' only.

2000 Re-Edit (alternative)
Available on 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs', this is the above 2000 Re-Edit, but without the quotes from Freddie. As such in a couple of places, the footage is slightly different, but nothing major.

I Was Born To Love You


Directed by David Mallet.
Filmed at Limehouse Studios, London.
This video features Freddie singing in front of a wall of mirrors, then running through a house with an unknown woman, before dancing on a podium.
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video EP', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.


Living On My Own


Original Version
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher.
Filmed at Freddie's 39th Birthday Party at Henderson's Nightclub, Munich, Germany, 5-6 September 1985.
This video features footage from the party, intercut with video of Freddie singing the track which was filmed afterwards.
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video EP', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.

1993 Remix Version
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
This video features some additional footage to the original, and some of the footage is in black and white with old film effects.
Available on 'Greatest Flix III' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.


Made In Heaven


Directed by David Mallet.
Freddie sings the track whilst standing on a platform at the top of a huge spinning globe, before flying down to the workers below.
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video EP', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.


The Golden Boy


Original Version
Directed by Gavin Taylor.
Filmed live at Montjurich Castle, Barcelona, 8 October 1987 as part of the 'La Nit' festival, with the Barcelona Opera House and Choir, and backing singers Peter Straker and Madeline Bell.
This is a mimed standard performance of the full album version, including the full instrumental intro (out of synch due to technology failure on the night).
Available on the 'Barcelona EP', 'The Golden Boy' CD Video, 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.

Special Edition Version
This uses footage of the same performance as above, but edited slightly differently, with some alternate shots. The footage also has a narrower angle, meaning many of the shots only feature the top half of Freddie and Montserrat. The original footage also had some shots in split-screen whereas this is all in full screen, and it uses the 'Special Edition' version of the track, rather than the original.
Available on the 'Barcelona - Special Edition' CD and DVD set only.


The Great Pretender


Single Version
Directed by David Mallet.
Filmed at Battersea Studios, London, England, on 12 February 1987.
This video features Freddie performing the song in a pink suit, surrounded by cutouts of himself, with himself, Peter Straker and Roger Taylor in drag as backing singers, while Freddie revisits and remakes promo videos from the past.
Available on the videosingle, 'Greatest Flix III', 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.

Extended Version
Directed by David Mallet.
This video is the same as single version, with additional behind the scenes footage of the track and also some out-takes from 'I Was Born To Love You'.
Available on the videosingle, 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.


Time


Original Version
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher.
This features Freddie singing the song by himself, before being joined by a crowd of backing singers.
Filmed at the Dominion Theatre, London, on 22 May 1986. Due to the musical being staged in the afternoon and evening, the video was filmed early in the morning.
Available on 'The Freddie Mercury Video EP' only.

Re-Edit Version
Directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher.
This is almost identical to the above version, but edited slightly differently to fit the 2000 Remix of the track.
Available on 'The Video Collection' and 'Lover Of Life, Singer Of Songs'.