From Queenpedia.com

The third single from The Works album, and the third Top 10 hit, was the Freddie Mercury penned ballad It's A Hard Life. Acclaimed music video director Tim Pope helmed his first and only project with the band as a whole (though he later worked on promo videos for Roger Taylor), which features on the Greatest Flix II and Greatest Video Hits 2 releases. The piece was filmed at Arri Film studios in Munich during June of 1984, and is set at a masquerade ball.

Almost as if to contrast the melancholic mood of the lyrics, the video features Freddie surrounded by high decadence, which is being enjoyed by all around him - except for Brian, Roger and John, that is, who appear to be completely unamused. Perhaps this is due to the long hours it had taken to film the promo, combined with the tight, heavy costumes and thick make up they had to endure for what is essentially a cameo appearance in a video clearly aiming solely at Freddie. The video was entirely Freddie's idea - he had wanted to recreate the set of the Pagliacci opera, and the others were clearly not impressed by the idea or involved in the editing process. This might explain why Roger is at one point seen walking across the set in his trainers when he should have only been in his tights. Thankfully, the boys found something to cheer them up in Freddie's rather ridiculous and utterly garish bright red outfit covered in eyes, which they decided made him look like a giant prawn.

Once again, the video was an expensive one. As well as the large number of extras and the enormous set, the video also featured a custom made guitar. Made for Brian in Japan, the piece with its skull shaped body and long, bone shaped neck was impossible to play and far too small for Brian, but at a cost of over £1000 it was used rather wisely as much as possible.

Keen eyed fans might also have spotted how Freddie takes his time to sit down on the steps in the final shot of the video. This was because of an earlier injury: he had damaged ligaments in his knee outside a club in Munich and it is clear from the way he lowers himself onto the stair that he was in great pain. Thankfully, Freddie's assistants were on hand with vodka and champagne for all still on set by the time Tim Pope called the final 'cut'.

Credits

Version	Name	Artist	Recorded	Format	Length	Director	Filming Location
Standard Version	It's A Hard Life	Queen	June 1984	Video	4.10	Tim Pope	Arri Film Studios, Munich, Germany

Availability

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