Brian May Surprises Queen Fans With a Previously Unheard Christmas Song

Queen fans received a special holiday surprise when guitarist Brian May shared a previously unheard song from the band’s early days. The track, Not For Sale (Polar Bear), predates the formation of Queen itself, originating from May’s previous band, Smile. Co-written with vocalist and bassist Tim Staffell, Smile included drummer Roger Taylor and recorded the song during a session at London’s De Lane Lea Studios in September 1969.

After Smile disbanded, May brought the song to Queen, reworking it with his own vocals on the verses and Freddie Mercury singing the chorus. Despite these early efforts, the track remained unreleased — until now.

A Work in Progress Broadcast

On December 22, May premiered what he called a “work-in-progress” version of Polar Bear at the close of his Planet Rock radio show.

“My final choice is going to confuse you, probably,” he admitted while introducing the track. “Because you might possibly have heard a kind of bootleg version of this by Smile, it’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge no one has ever heard this version, which is kinda a work in progress. It will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album next year, but I’m sneaking this in because I’m just fascinated to know what people think about it. It’s a very, very ancient song called Polar Bear.”

Fans were quick to react online, praising the glimpse into Queen’s creative process and expressing excitement for the upcoming Queen II rebuild.

Revisiting Queen’s Early Studio Magic

This isn’t the first time Queen has given fans access to archival recordings. Earlier this year, the band released a set of De Lane Lea studio demos on vinyl for Record Store Day. Recorded in late 1971 and early 1972, before Queen signed with EMI, the demos captured the band experimenting with sound and structure.

“The demos we made at De Lane Lea Studios were closer to what we dreamed of than our later sessions,” May explained in February. “Nice open drum sounds and ambience on the guitar. That was much more the way we wanted it to go.”

With Polar Bear now officially available, May offers fans a rare chance to hear Queen at a crossroads — bridging the end of Smile and the beginning of one of rock’s most iconic bands. It’s a reminder that even decades later, Queen’s creative spark continues to surface, inviting listeners to explore the origins of the band’s legendary sound.