May wrote the song shortly before the completion of Queen II in 1973, but because the band did not have enough time to record it, it was not included. Before the song being recorded in 1974, variations of the solo were part of "Son and Daughter". There were many working titles for the song including; "Happy Little Fuck", "Happy Little Day", "Blackpool Rock", "Bognor Ballad", "Southend Sea Scout", "Skiffle Rock and "Herne Bay". The title is something of a pun: Brighton rock is a long, cylindrical sugar candy traditional to that seaside resort. The term was also iconic in UK pop culture as the title of a dark Graham Greene thriller/noir novel later adapted into a successful film starring Richard Attenborough as a teenage sociopath. The song, the first track on the album, tells the story of two young lovers named Jenny and Jimmy meeting in Brighton on a public holiday. Jenny cannot linger because she is afraid her mother will find out "how I spent my holiday", but afterwards "writes a letter every day"; Jimmy, eager on the day, is not so happy with her "nothing can my love erase": now he is the one afraid of discovery by "my lady". The song was listed among Guitar World's Top 100 Greatest Guitar Solo's of All Time, ranking at #41. The song was prominently featured in two scenes in the 2017 Edgar Wright film Baby Driver. The song was used during the climactic face-off between Baby and Buddy at the end of the film. The song was previously heard in the film while the two discussed the song earlier. This conversation leads to Buddy playing the song during their final confrontation, as Baby had described the song as "his killer track". The song's usage in the film led to a resurgence of popularity for the track.
Live performances
The song is probably best known for its lengthy guitar solo interlude, which was rather similar to the solo of 1968 Smile song "Blag". This featured May's technique of using multiple echoes used to build upguitar harmony and contrapuntal melodic lines. The studio version only contains one "main" guitar and one "echoed" guitar for a short section, but live, he would usually split his guitar signal into "main" and two "echoed", with each going to a separate bank of amplifiers. Variations of this solo often featured during live Queen concerts, either as part of a rendition of Brighton Rock, a medley of it with some other songs, or on its own as a guitar solo. In the late '70s, the guitar solo was adapted to include some bass and drums, including a timpani solo by Roger Taylor. In 1980 and 1981, the solo was included as a medley with "Keep Yourself Alive", before becoming a performance in its own right. During the recent tour of Queen + Paul Rodgers, a modified version, incorporating bits of "Chinese Torture" and the introduction from "Now I'm Here" was featured in the concerts. The Queen + Paul Rodgers version is featured on their live album Return of the Champions, simply titled "Guitar Solo". The live piece is often between 9 to 13 minutes long. May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
