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Screenshot from the video

Screenshot from the video showcasing The Miracle Express!

Screenshot from the video featuring Debbie Lang

The second single from 'The Miracle' album was released little more than a month after the first. Entitled 'Breakthru', it was a powerful pop-rock song with a thumping Deacon beat that seemed to suggest the chugging of an express train. As a result, the Torpedo Twins video was filmed on a custom painted steam train - The Miracle Express, which took over the privately owned Nene Valley railway in Cambridgeshire, England over two swelteringly hot days in June of 1989.

The heat was the only real discomfort during the making of the video, which made a change from the usual freezing cold studios, but kept Freddie awake all night in his hotel room after the first day of shooting. Thankfully, the open-air carriage the band were performing on as the train travelled along the line provided all involved with plenty of cool air. Despite appearances, for safety reasons, the train never travelled at speeds higher than thirty miles per hour. Nevertheless, the shoot still involved safety risks, and Freddie's unrehearsed pull-ups over the side of the moving train were far from the least of concerns!

The band enjoyed making this video - Roger in particular, who was dating the masked beauty who opens the video. Actress Debbie Lang later became Roger's wife and mother of two of his children, Rufus Tiger and Tiger Lily. However, it was Freddie's idea to have her on the shoot, feeling she fitted the requirements he and the Torpedo Twins had in mind.

Ever the perfectionists, despite enjoying the shoot immenseley, there was still one aspect of the video that neither the directors nor Freddie were entirely satisfied with. Following the cameo from Debbie, the plan was to have one of the arches of a bridge which went over the railway line filled up with a polystyrene wall which the oncoming Miracle Express could smash through as the main section of the song kicked into gear following the piano-based introduction (the song was a blend of two early demo ideas the band had worked on when the album's recording sessions began). Due to the air pressure building up in the tunnel as the train moved towards the wall, the blocks collapsed moments before the train broke through - which Freddie felt detracted from the shock of the explosion.

The single was a chart success, peaking at number seven in the UK and top ten throughout most of Europe. As a result, the video recieved a large amount of airplay, and proved popular with fans. It was first released on home video as part of 'The Miracle' EP in late 1989, then also featured on the 'Greatest Flix II' compilation in 1991. Promotional materials not included, it made its digital debut on the 'Greatest Video Hits 2' dvd in late 2003.

Credits

Availability

• Standard Version - The Miracle EP VHS, Greatest Flix II VHS, Box Of Flix VHS, Classic Queen VHS, Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD