20th Century Fox Fanfare

20th Century Fox Fanfare

Queen (Ft. Brian May & Roger Taylor)

The “20th Century Fox Fanfare” is a virtual brand of sound (and vision, as a fanfare inciting excitement over the spectacle of a Hollywood-level “major motion picture”), including the 20th Century Fox logo on display, introducing the offerings of the major movie studio’s feature films, since about mid-1935. The fanfare was phased out in the 1970’s but struck back in by the meteoric forces that brought on Star Wars.

This instrumental is the only “song” on the soundtrack/compilation album for the movie biopic (it’s less than one minute long) not composed by Queen, here recorded and rendered by founding members, Brian May and Roger Taylor.

It features Brian May’s signature electric guitar harmonics, often described as “orchestral” or “majestic”. Brian’s and Roger’s decision or request (or demand) to perform it might be described as a “master-stroke” instrumentally aligning the fanfare appropriate to the movie biopic, and its rock and pop soundtrack of anthemic proportions (and performances).

The classic fanfare was written in 1933 by a major theatrical composer, Alfred Newman.

Without words, the “Fanfare” gives a viewer the impression of a spectacle, like red stage curtains parting (or after the screen curtains part), in a sense, “introducing this major motion picture you are about to see …”

And with Queen performing the fanfare, it’s more specific: “may the force of this film rock you, ladies and gentleman; the history of England’s royal band, Queen …”