July 27, 1986, Queen performed at Népstadion, Budapest “Magic Tour”
That evening, Queen gifted their fans by learning and performing a quintessential Hungarian folk song, ‘Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt’ (Spring Winds Floods water)
One of the most beautiful and well-known Hungarian folksongs is ‘Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt’ (Spring wind floods water), in which water, the source of all life, appears as the metaphor of love. It is the first song that Hungarians learn and continue to cherish, as it has become a solid part of their culture and identity.
Upon arriving in Budapest, Freddie insisted on learning the well known folk song so he could perform it at their concert.
During the acoustic set that evening, Freddie and Brian performed the traditional Hungarian song, before which Freddie admits, “Now comes the difficult bit.” Even though he’s clearly seen reading the lyrics scribed on his hand to make sure his pronunciation was as accurate as possible. The performance is magnificent and the audience are very appreciative of the gesture.
After the song, Brian says cheers in Hungarian: “Gészségedre” [“to your health” is the exact translation].
As Brian then starts to play Is This The World We Created, Freddie, clearly moved by the moment, remarks, “I’m over the moon.”
Brian May said, “Freddie and I learnt this Hungarian folk song, we spent three days learning the bloody thing, and that was the turning point of the gig. The fans hadn’t known how to react, but then they realised we were serious: they knew that we knew where we were, and that we really cared where we were. The genuine audience reaction was deafening at that point but that doesn’t really come over in the film. It all changed then it was genuine contact.”
This was a definite highlight of the concert. One that fans have remembered for years. They have said it was a truly moving moment!
Freddie sang the first few verses and here’s the lyrics in English:
Spring wind floods water
my darling, my darling
Spring wind floods water
my darling, my darling
Every bird chooses a partner
my darling, my darling
Every bird chooses a partner
my darling, my darling
Well, who should I choose
my darling, my darling?
Well, who should I choose
my darling, my darling?
You choose Me, I choose You
my darling, my darling
You choose Me, I choose You
my darling, my darling
Here’s a clip of Freddie performing this beautiful song https://youtu.be/RPZdgyuixPA
A beautiful picture! Freddie reading the lyrics he wrote on his hand
