Sheer Heart Attack - Tenement Funster
#
Lyric / Section
Interpretation & Notes
1
“My new purple shoes, bin’ amazin’ the people next door”
Roger Taylor’s street-level swagger: glam style as rebellion from working-class confines (the “tenement”).
2
“And my rock ’n’ roll 45s…”
Youth identity through records and fashion — DIY self-creation before fame; a love letter to rock culture.
3
“Hey big boy, you got it down”
Taylor adopts a cocky narrator voice; playful bravado masking frustration with authority and gatekeepers.
4
Crunchy guitars, mid-tempo stomp
Gritty glam groove sets up the album’s streetwise side; less baroque than earlier Queen, more direct attitude.
5
“I’m a tenement funster, baby, I’m a funster, baby”
Self-mythologising: a kid turning cramped reality into style and swagger — making joy from scarcity.
6
Vocal grain & sneer
Taylor’s rasp sells the attitude; contrasts with Mercury’s polish, broadening the album’s character palette.
7
Segue → “Flick of the Wrist”
Ending dovetails into the next track, beginning a three-song mini-suite with narrative/energy continuity.
Note: Written and sung by Roger Taylor. A glam-rock vignette of youth swagger and defiance, leading straight into the “Flick of the Wrist”/“Lily of the Valley” sequence.
