Maps of Music

The Miracle (1989)

Where the lyrics of The Miracle take you, and where it was really made.

The album was almost released as The Invisible Men; the band changed the name only three weeks before release.

Key places

Recording site Mountain Studios — Mountain Studios in Montreux is listed among the recording places for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording site Olympic Studios — Olympic Studios in London is listed among the recording places for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording site Townhouse Studios — Townhouse Studios in London is listed among the recording places for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded after Brian May's marital problems and Freddie Mercury's HIV diagnosis in 1987
The sessions took place during a period of personal hardship for the members
The album's name change came late, three weeks before release

Recording started in January 1988 and lasted for an entire year
Party began as a jam session between Mercury, May and John Deacon
Khashoggi's Ship was started by Mercury, with all four members contributing lyrics and music
The song is about billionaire Adnan Khashoggi and his yacht, the Nabila
The Miracle was co-written by Mercury and Deacon; Mercury played piano and many synth tracks on a Korg M1 and a Roland D-50
I Want It All was composed by May in 1987
The Invisible Man is Taylor's first song on the album; each member is name-checked in the vocals
Breakthru combines Mercury's When Love Breaks Up with Taylor's Breakthru
Scandal was written by May about the British press
Was It All Worth It was composed by Mercury, and Deacon later cited it as his favourite on the album

Designer Richard Gray used a chroma key and the Quantel Paintbox workstation
Photographs of the four members were morphed into one combined image
The band chose to drop individual credits and present the music as the product of Queen
The back cover shows a seamless regiment pattern of the band's eyes

Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).
John Deacon (bass) joined in February 1971, completing the classic line-up.
Mercury suggested the name "Queen".
Early works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, later expanding into arena rock and pop rock.

Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, 1970–1991, died 1991).
Brian May (guitar, vocals, 1970–present).
Roger Taylor (drums, vocals, 1970–present).
John Deacon (bass, 1971–1997, retired).
Paul Rodgers (vocals, 2004–2009) and Adam Lambert (vocals, 2011–present) toured as "Queen +".

First UK chart hit with Queen II (1974); international success with A Night at the Opera (1975) and "Bohemian Rhapsody", which topped the UK chart for nine weeks.
News of the World (1977) contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", now sports anthems.
Greatest Hits (1981) is the best-selling album in UK chart history.
Live Aid performance (1985) is ranked among the greatest in rock history.
Estimated record sales of 250–300 million, one of the world's best-selling music artists.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and the Polar Music Prize in 2025.

Rolling Stone stated that The Miracle is a showcase for Freddie Mercury's love of sweeping, quasi-operatic vocals
Rolling Stone said Mercury has never sounded better, especially on the title track
Rolling Stone said May really lets it rip only on Khashoggi's Ship and Was It All Worth It
The Sun-Sentinel wrote that the album should be used as a pop music how-to for aspirants
The Sun-Sentinel said the album never lets down and challenges even the most jaded ear
Newsday wrote that Mercury's voice is steady and solid, and May's runs are as flashy and supple as ever
Newsday noted the songs stick to the band's formula of mini-suites with edgy pop and changing tempos
AllMusic said the album is split 50/50 between pop and heavy rock and was another global smash

AllMusic would name The Miracle as Queen's best album of the 1980s, along with The Game

Number one in the UK, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland
Number 24 on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart
I Want It All: number three in the UK, number one in several other European countries
I Want It All: number three on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Singles chart, number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
Breakthru: peaked at number seven in the UK
The Invisible Man: number 12 in the UK
Scandal: number 25 in the UK
The Miracle: number 21 in the UK

Breakthru's video was filmed on a private steam train known as The Miracle Express.
Scandal is a protest song about how the tabloids dealt with May's relationship with Anita Dobson.
I Want It All became an anti-apartheid anthem among youth in South Africa.
The Invisible Man's video shows scores of computer-duplicated band members moving in unison.
The Miracle's video features young Queen lookalikes, including a then-unknown Ross McCall.