Brian May utilizes a sharp, "walking up" riff that drives the song's energy.

"Sweet Lady," written by Brian May for Queen’s 1975 masterpiece A Night at the Opera , is a heavy, distortion-driven rocker. Often overshadowed by its legendary album-mates, it remains one of the band's most rhythmically complex and lyrically debated tracks.

Roger Taylor has cited "Sweet Lady" as one of the hardest Queen songs to play live due to its busy drums and shifting meters—the bridge famously shifts to 4/4 before returning to 3/4.