Man it's funny I remember seeing these guys when I was 12 in a church basement in Bellevue back in November of 81' 4 days after my birthday listening to them playing their songs they were getting ready to record for their first album like it was yesterday, man how time flies.

I'm one of those who have followed you since you started out as a reactor, and it has been so great following your development into one of us metalheads ... well, a part-time one, at least 🙂 Anyway, Queensrÿche from Seattle can be credited for creating the bridge between heavy metal - as in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest et al - and what was to become prog metal, as in the likes of Dream Theater. Their classic concept album "Operation: Mindcrime" (1988) tells the story, simplifying it somewhat, about a street kid, frustrated and down on his luck, who gets sucked into a political cult. The kid falls in love with an estranged nun, an underling to the evil cult leader. The cult leader eventually decides that the nun is a threat to his evil masterplan, and orders our protagonist to kill her. He does not want to, only to find her dead anyway, without knowing himself if he's the killer or not. The police, however, believe that he is, and that's as far into the story as we have come when this song ends with the police interrogating our street kid and repeating "why did you do it".

The Operation Mindcrime album is a masterpiece, IMO. Best listened to from start to finish on headphones. It's brilliant. Geoff Tate, the original vocalist, has one of the best voices I have ever heard, and he sounds just as good live. Loved this reaction.

The very ending, where you hear "We know you did it. Why'd you do it?" etc... is actually the beginning of the NEXT song. Someone cut it off at the wrong point. This whole album must be listened to in order, start to finish, so you can understand the story that's being told. This song is talking about MUCH more than a break-up, but you were right about the heartache. It's WELL worth your time to hear the whole thing! I've been listening to it, often, for over 3 decades, and it just gets better. I never get tired of it! 💥

Hey Brad, you should definitely deep dive. Operation mindcrime is great, and so are their previous two albums.

The context is the entire album is a story, a rock opera if you will. Yeah, about that breakup.. iykyk

This song really lets you know just how messed up Nikki's mind is...and all because of Doctor X manipulation with heroin.

Why did you do it Brad?