10 Famous Songs Whose Meaning The Fans (And The Pundits) Got Wrong
1. Hammer To Fall - Queen
Make mention of a mushroom cloud and even today, a good thirty years removed from the Cold War, the spectre of a broiling fireball and a world consumed by nuclear apocalypse still haunts the global consciousness.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Hammer to Fall, which features the following lyrics, would strike a chord:
For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the mushroom cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
What the hell we fighting for
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
You've just got time to say your prayers
While you're waiting for the Hammer to Fall
Add the apparently unambiguous reference to the hammer and sickle flag of the Soviet Union and the interpretation seems clear cut.
As it turns out, not so much. Brian May, Queen’s lead guitarist, explained that, “Hammer to Fall is really about life and death, and being aware of death as being part of life,” and “the Hammer coming down is only a symbol of the Grim Reaper doing his job!”