Queen caught their fans by surprise when they announced their new single ‘Face It Alone’, which included the vocals of their late vocalist Freddie Mercury. The song was released yesterday, October 13, as part of the Miracle box set, which will launch on November 18.

While working on the reissue of the 1989 album The Miracle for the upcoming box set, Queen’s production team found the ‘lost’ track. According to BBC, May wasn’t convinced the recording could be repaired, but engineers proved him wrong.

“We looked at it many times and thought, oh no, we can’t really rescue that. But in fact, we went in there again and our wonderful engineering team went, ‘Ok, we can do this and this.’ […] It’s like kind of stitching bits together… but it’s beautiful, it’s touching” he said to Zoe Ball during an interview with Radio 2.

‘Face It Alone’ is the first new single featuring Freddie Mercury since the album Queen Forever in 2014. ‘Let Me In Your Heart Again’, ‘Love Kills’, and ‘There Must Be More to Life Than This’ were the three unreleased songs recorded by Mercury and his bandmates that were included on the 2014 album.

“After all these years, it’s great to hear all four of us, yes, Deacy is there too, working in the studio on a great song idea which never quite got completed… until now,” said Brian May.

Throughout the lyrics of ‘Face It Alone’, Freddie Mercury reflects on his slowly deteriorating health and his thoughts on life and career.

“It’s wonderful, a real discovery. It’s a very passionate piece,” said Roger Taylor.

Aside from yesterday’s release, the Miracle box set will include The Miracle Sessions, which is more than an hour of unreleased content, including six more songs. Furthermore, it also includes “the band’s spoken exchanges on the studio floor in London and Montreux, giving a revealing window into the four members’ creative process and their personal relationships.”

24th November 1991: Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen and rock legend, dies from AIDS-related complication, aged 45. He was posthumously honoured with a Brit Award in 1992. A tribute concert was also held at Wembley Stadium. #OnThisDay #Queerstory pic.twitter.com/NviGnBTx1t

— Gay Community News (@GCNmag) November 24, 2018

Founded in 1970, Queen shook the rock world with numerous iconic hits, such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘I Want To Break Free’ and ‘We Will Rock You’. Throughout the years, vocalist and producer Freddie Mercury redefined the status quo with his incredible creativity and undeniable talent. His flamboyant personality made him one of modern culture’s most influential figures.