Sheer Heart Attack - Flick of the Wrist
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Lyric / Section
Interpretation & Notes
1
“Dislocate your spine if you don’t sign”
Venomous satire of predatory managers/industry sharks. Threats wrapped in showbiz charm — a warning about exploitation.
2
“He’ll screw you in the end”
Blunt, black-comic line: the “he” is a composite conman figure. The song weaponises camp to expose abuse of power.
3
Stabbed piano + serrated guitars
Arrangement mirrors menace: jagged chords and tight rhythm section create a claustrophobic, hustler’s office vibe.
4
“Prostitute yourself, he says”
Dehumanising language as critique of the industry’s willingness to commodify artists — morality traded for margin.
5
Mercury’s theatrical sneer
Vocal performance is crucial: arched-eyebrow delivery turns the narrator into predator and whistleblower at once.
6
“Flick of the wrist and you’re dead, baby”
The title hook as instant execution: power can erase you with a gesture — contracts and signatures as lethal weapons.
7
Overlapping with “Tenement Funster” / segue to “Lily of the Valley”
Part of a three-song suite: the edginess of this track is buffered before/after by introspection, creating narrative flow.
8
Guitar interjections (Brian May)
Short, cutting figures act like verbal jabs — musical punctuation for the song’s threats and scams.
9
“A killer queen, gunpowder gelatine…” (faint callback vibe)
Not a direct quote, but the song’s acid glamour lives in the same world as “Killer Queen”: allure as a mask for danger.
10
Overall impact
A barbed cabaret-rock expose: Queen turn industry cynicism into theatre, bridging glam snarl and sharp social commentary.
Note: Written by Freddie Mercury. Middle chapter of the “Tenement Funster” → “Flick of the Wrist” → “Lily of the Valley” mini-suite; a vicious portrait of manipulation and artistic commodification.
