`Long Away' is a twelve-string thing written by Brian...very interesting harmonies.
If I'm honest, I think I would like to be remembered for a few of the songs, none of which were really hits, but some of which had a lot of emotion in them: White Queen and Let Us Cling Together and Long Away off the A Day at the Races album. And We Will Rock You.
Long Away is a Burns [sic] 12-string. I couldn't play Rickenbackers because the necks are too thin. I like a very fat and wide neck. My fingers only work in that situation. I always wanted to play a Rickenbacker - because John Lennon did. Roger collects extremely fucking rare guitars, and he has a Rickenbacker. But I can't play it.
Obviously, you have certain of your own babies, if you wrote the song, and you want them to be heard in a wide area. And if you miss that opportunity, it's kind of gone forever. In my case, there's things like Long Away, ‘39… which could've been a single, and part of me wishes they had been, because they would've been much more in the public consciousness. Songs become hooked into people's lives in a very wonderful way. You know, you hear a song, and it reminds you of a beach somewhere at a particular time with a particular person. Generally, if the song doesn't become a single, it doesn't have that opportunity to become part of life.
Ooh, that's a nice one to play. That's amazing! Maybe it's my favourite… I feel very proud of that, it had a big effect on me listening to that just now. I hope they play it when I'm gone.
I used [a twelve-string electric] on Long Away. Funnily enough I think I bought it because I liked the pickups, but I fell in love with the guitar once I started playing around with it and the song materialised. The guitar actually inspired the riff that powers the song.