A week before the release of their first-ever live album, Queen + Adam Lambert have unveiled a live version of Freddie Mercury's "I Was Born to Love You."

The song was a modest hit from Mercury's 1985 solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, and the band later included it on its final studio album to feature Mercury, 1995's Made In Heaven. But it took on a new life after the rock icon's death.

Queen first performed this arrangement of "I Was Born to Love You" live in 2014 at Tokyo's Summer Sonic festival, and that is the version included on the Live Around the World album, available October 2.

Guitarist Brian May explains that there was something about "I Was Born to Love You" that he couldn't escape.

"I had an obsession with the song, and had the idea to make a new version, simulating how it would have sounded if we had been able to play it live with Freddie on stage," he said via a press release. "So the Queen version was put together as a 'virtual' live track, using Freddie's spectacular vocal as the central thread. Roger [Taylor], John [Deacon] and I played out parts live, to a rearranged template I'd put together — complete with some additions to the arrangement, taking some liberties with the vocal, and even borrowing some choice Freddie ad-libs, to add to the feeling that it was a live band recording. Little did we know that years later, we'd have the opportunity with Adam to finally bring this arrangement to life on a real stage."

While the song was regarded to many Queen fans as a strong album track, in Japan it took on a life of its own when it was used in a 1996 beer commercial in the country. "I Was Made To Love You" became so popular that Queen released it in Japan as a single.

Years later it was used as the theme for a popular Japanese TV drama series, Teo Torriatte, and hit No. 1.

In August, Queen + Adam Lambert unveiled a 2018 performance of "The Show Must Go On" from London.

Pre-order Live Around the World here.

Photo: Getty Images

Mel Taylor

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