I wrote the song for Joan Armatrading, actually, who's a friend of mine and she didn't think it suited her – stupid bitch. Freddie was in the studio and loved the song immediately, so I asked him if he wanted to try singing it. I think he did an absolutely brilliant job of it – damn sight better than I did. It really does suit his voice. It's my song and I'll do what I like with it. I happen to know Freddie sang it better than I did, and the only thing that counts in the end is the end result.
I was making a solo album, I think it was actually an album with my band The Cross, and Freddie came down to visit in the studio and he loved the song and he said, “oh God, you've got to let me sing that.” So he sang it and we got through a bottle of vodka, I think. And then eventually I think we, Brian and I, we replaced a lot of it and we re-recorded it so it had rather a long birth – a long and difficult birth. Freddie does an amazing job on the vocal, I think. Originally, I had sung this and when you then get Freddie Mercury to sing something you've sung you just realise your limits and how much further he could take something vocally.
Heaven for Everyone had some good stuff about love and dignity, the usual anti-war thing.