Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor, and later joined by John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock.
members: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon
formed in: London
labels: Elektra, Capitol Records, EMI Records, Hollywood Records, Parlophone, Island Records, EMI
genres: progressive rock, glam rock, hard rock, rock music, art rock, pop rock, traditional heavy metal, heavy metal music
influenced by: The Beatles, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Pink Floyd
awards: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Polar Music Prize, Echo Pop Award for the Best International Rock/Pop Group
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Queen drew artistic influence from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Genesis, and Yes, with Mercury also inspired by the rock and roll singers Little Richard, Elvis Presley and the gospel singer Aretha Franklin. On the Beatles, Brian May stated they "built our bible as far as musical composition, arrangement and production went. The White Album is a complete catalogue of how you should use a studio to build songs." Mercury said, "John Lennon was larger than life, and an absolute genius. Even at a very early stage when they were the Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon's things. I don't know why. He just...
Upon being awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2025, Queen were described as being "a band synonymous with the very fabric of pop culture" who "have made an impact on music that spans decades, generations and genres", and they are "beloved the world over".
Queen have been credited with making a significant contribution to genres such as hard rock and heavy metal. In the early 1970s, they helped spur the metal genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence. Their 1974 song "Stone Cold Crazy" has been cited as a precursor of speed metal. Metallica recorded a cover version of "Stone Cold Crazy", which first appeared on the Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary album in 1990, and they still performed it live in the 2000s. Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, a pioneer of "neo-classical metal", listened to Queen as a child, and spoke of Brian May being "very inventive when it comes to tones and having all those pickup configurations. Brian tends not to stick to just pentatonics,...
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"A Kind of Magic" is the title track of the 1986 album of the same name by the British rock band Queen. It was written by the band's drummer, Roger Taylor, for the film Highlander and featured as the ending theme.
The single reached number three in the UK Singles Chart and the top 10 in a number of European countries. The single was released on 4 June 1986 in the United States and reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Roger Taylor wrote the song, which originally appeared in the movie Highlander. Brian May described this original version as "quite lugubrious and heavy". For the album version, Freddie Mercury created a new bass line, added instrumental breaks, and changed the song's order to make it more chart friendly. Mercury and David Richards produced this new version.
Upon its release, Howard Johnson of Kerrang! believed that "A Kind of Magic" would be a hit, but noted how, like the band's 1984 hit "Radio Ga Ga", it is "overloaded with keyboards, [leaving] poor guitarist Brian May once again reduced to a supporting role". Mike Gardner of Record Mirror remarked that the band "plod through 'Radio Ga Ga' territory without any pretensions to anything as lowly as a song". He added that it is "rescued from total evaporation by Freddie's spirited vocals and some marvellous, but all too brief, guitar pyrotechnics from Brian May". Ron Romulus of Sounds noted that the "enduring Queen produce another slick piece of cabaret and vaudeville", with Mercury "bellow[ing] bold heroics".
The music video for this song was directed by Russell Mulcahy, director of Highlander. Brian May did not use his famous Red Special guitar in the music video, but instead a 1984 copy. In the video, Mercury is dressed as a magician type figure. He enters an abandoned theatre (The Playhouse Theatre in London) where May, Taylor and John Deacon (all dressed as stereotypical tramps) are asleep until awakened by Mercury's entrance. Mercury transforms the hobos into the Queen members, dressed regularly with their instruments, then back to hobos again as he leaves. Throughout the video, cartoon images dance to the beat of the song which were produced by The Walt Disney Company As May later remembered, the theater was old and derelict, and lacking...
The single was certified platinum in Brazil for more than 100,000 digital downloads of the single.
"Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury.
It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and number 24 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The song is included in their 1981 Greatest Hits compilation.
The song was written by Freddie Mercury and was inspired by watching the 18th stage of the 1978 Tour de France passing Montreux, where the band were recording Jazz in Mountain Studios. It starts with a chorus unaccompanied by instruments. The chorus is followed by two verses connected with a bridge, both followed by a chorus. Around the middle of the song is a solo played with numerous bicycle bells. The song has an unusual chord progression with numerous modulations, a change of metre (from 44 to 34) in the bridge, and multitracked vocal and guitar harmonies, all in keeping with the band's progressive rock roots.
Cash Box called it "a jaunty theatrical tribute to bike riding." Record World said that it combines "inventive lyrics and harmonies" with class.
The lyrics are topical for the time and contain social, political, and pop culture references, such as religion, the Vietnam War, Watergate, cocaine, fictional characters (Peter Pan, Frankenstein and Superman), and the films Jaws and Star Wars.
Filmed by Denis de Vallance, the promotional video featured 65 nude women, all professional models, bicycle racing at Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium, southwest London. The group rented the stadium and several dozen bicycles for one day for filming the scene; however, when the renting company became aware of the way their bikes were used, they requested that the group purchase all the bicycle seats. The released video used special effects to hide the nudity, but the uncensored video exists on YouTube and is age-restricted.
"Breakthru" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor but credited to Queen, it was released in June 1989 from the album The Miracle.
The single reached number seven in the UK, and peaked at number 6 in the Netherlands and Ireland, but failed to chart in the US. The song is notable for its video where the group is performing the song on an open platform of a fast-moving steam train.
Upon its release as a single, pan-European magazine Music & Media praised "Breakthru" as "up-tempo, basic, highly effective and expertly constructed pop of the very highest quality". Based on the "first three or four piano-festooned seconds", Mike Soutar of Smash Hits was optimistic that the song "might be a classic of the 'We Are the Champions'/'Bohemian Rhapsody' mould". However, he felt that the song then "degenerates into a bit of a turgid plod in which Queen entirely neglect to insert a chorus [and] Mercury striv[es] to drown out everyone else".
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track appears on their 1980 album The Game.
It reached number two in the UK singles chart in late 1979, before becoming the group's first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. The song was Queen's final single release of the 1970s and was later included on their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits.
The song was written by Mercury as a tribute to his musical heroes Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard. In a Melody Maker interview dated 2 May 1981, Mercury stated that he composed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on guitar in just five to ten minutes.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" received acclaim from contemporary music critics. Cashbox described it as a "hip shakin' rockabilly romp" and an "upbeat tune", while Record World said that the band "does a superb job of capturing the spirit and sound of the late '50s be-bop rock'n'roll". Billboard praised May's guitar playing, calling it "stunning in its simplicity".
The music video for the song, directed by Denis deVance, was filmed at Trillion Studios in London on 21 September 1979 and features four dancers, including Nikki Billyeald and Julie Warwick, as well as a floor made up of hands. An alternate version was later included on the Days of Our Lives DVD and Blu-ray releases.
"Don't Stop Me Now" is a song by the British rock band Queen, featured on their 1978 album Jazz and released as a single on 26 January 1979. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it was recorded in August 1978 at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes (Alpes-Maritimes), France, and is the twelfth track on the album.
The song was written by Freddie Mercury during the sessions for Jazz. The band felt they were "getting better at having a good time" and the lyrics reflect this. Musically, the song builds on Mercury's piano playing, with John Deacon and Roger Taylor providing a bass guitar and drums backing track. The song also provides an example of Queen's trademark style of multitrack harmony vocals for the chorus lines.
The single reached number 9 in the UK charts but only number 86 in the US; as the album was a top-10 hit, the song got some airplay on U.S. album-oriented rock stations despite its low chart ranking as a single. Despite this, the song has grown in stature with time and has been popularised not only by consistent airplay, but by its use in advertisements, television programmes and films, and through cover versions. It has subsequently become one of Queen's most popular songs. The song was voted as the third-best Queen song by readers of Rolling Stone, who noted that "time has also been very kind to it and it's widely seen now as one of the group's best works." The single also has reached platinum status in the United Kingdom. In a March...
The video for the song was directed by J. Kliebenstein and filmed at the Forest National, Brussels, Belgium on 26 January 1979. The video was uploaded to Queen's official YouTube channel on 1 August 2008.
"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song appears on the band's seventh studio album Jazz (1978) and later on their compilation album Greatest Hits.
When released as a single with "Bicycle Race", the song reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and number 24 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It is one of the band's best-known songs.
Cash Box said it has "a solid thumping beat, soaring harmonies and sonorous guitar work." Record World said that it combines "inventive lyrics and harmonies" with class.
During an interview with The A.V. Club, Michael McKean stated that "Fat Bottomed Girls" was an influence for the song "Big Bottom" in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap.
"Friends Will Be Friends" is a song performed by Queen, written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, released on 9 June 1986 as a single for the album A Kind of Magic. It was the band's 30th single in the UK upon its release, reaching number 14 in the UK.
The video was directed by DoRo and filmed at JVC Studios, Wembley in May 1986 and features the band performing the song in front of fan club members. During the show, Freddie Mercury "high fives" audience members, and at the end cuts the mic and sings along with them, letting them lead. Because of this, this performance was nicknamed "Queen's Greatest Show Never Performed".
Upon its release in the UK, reviews were largely negative. Di Cross of Record Mirror considered "Friends Will Be Friends" to be "more overblown pomposity from a band who have made anthemic pop big business", although she noted it is "a bit mellower and slightly less theatrical than their usual performance". She was critical of the "banal lyrics", but concluded it was one of two "bearable" songs on a "disturbingly dull album". Stuart Husband of Number One awarded one out of five stars, calling it "more of the usual hard-driving over the top drivel". John McCready, writing for the NME, noted its chart potential and popularity but added that it is "so sad to see bags full of bombast translated into pound notes". Howard Johnson of Kerrang!...
"Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" is the eighth track from the British rock band Queen's 1976 album A Day at the Races, written by Freddie Mercury. It was also released as a single in 1977 on 7-inch vinyl.
It was one of several British music hall-inspired songs composed by members of the band. It reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song begins with a piano and vocal introduction by Mercury, then continues, with the bass and drums adding on, at the start of the chorus. The second verse is sung, followed by another chorus. At this point, the drums, bass and guitar drop out, which then leads into the bridge, sung by Mercury and Mike Stone ("Hey boy where'd you get it from, hey boy where did you go?"). Following the Brian May guitar solo, another verse is sung, and then the chorus ends the track.
"Hammer to Fall" is a 1984 song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song is the eighth track on their 1984 album The Works.
It was the fourth and final single to be released from that album, although the single version was edited down by thirty seconds from the version on the album. Different sleeves were used to package this single and the live picture sleeve is now a collector's item.
Upon its release, Mark Putterford of Kerrang! stated, "At last! Brian May has plunged Queen's fingers back into the rock 'n' roll mains socket and charged up glorious memories of the band pre-'76. If 'Radio Ga Ga' made you puke, this riff-handed rocket will clear up the mess." He added that the B-side, "Tear It Up", is "another May kick up the 'jacksie'" and concluded the single is "bliss for old Queenie boppers like me". Vici MacDonald of Smash Hits was negative in her review, describing it as a release aiming for the "tinkle of cash registers" over "artistic integrity". She wrote, "Although Brian May's song [is] about as modern as his stage outfits (i.e. prehistoric), it's bound to be a monster hit. How depressing." Karen Swayne, writing...
The music video was directed by David Mallet, containing footage of a live performance of the song in Brussels during The Works Tour.
"Headlong" is a song by British rock band Queen, released as the third single from their fourteenth studio album, Innuendo in May 1991. The song was written by Queen guitarist Brian May, who intended to record it for his then-upcoming solo album Back to the Light (1992), but when he heard Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury sing the track, he allowed it to become a Queen song.
As with all the songs on Innuendo, the track was promptly credited to the entire band.
Upon its release as a single in the US, Larry Flick of Billboard noted how Queen "drops their trademark vocal acrobatics into a speedy, guitar-based arrangement" and called it a "strong album rock contender, though pop will likely take a pass". Kent Zimmerman of the Gavin Report remarked that Brian May "steps to the forefront as Queen returns to the rock fold" and added how "layers and layers of guitar and matching vocals are frighteningly consistent as Queen backbeats past the twenty year mark with enviable vitality". Pan-European magazine Music & Media considered "Headlong" to be "the kind of hard rock that Van Halen would be jealous of" and added, "EHR programmers shouldn't be afraid: it's loud but it's also melodic."
"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by the British rock band Queen drummer Roger Taylor. It originally appeared on his side project the Cross's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist.
It was reworked in Queen style and appeared in their fifteenth and final studio album, Made in Heaven (1995), and was released as the first single by Parlophone—four years after Mercury's death—to become a chart hit. In 1999, Queen's version was included on their compilation album Greatest Hits III.
Some reports have Taylor writing the song in 1986 as part of Queen's A Kind of Magic album sessions, after their work on Highlander was complete. If he did, the song was not used, or was incomplete when the album was finished.
The music video was directed by Diebel/Myers in a former gasworks (location of the London O2 Arena), filmed in early 1988. For the Cross version it involved Taylor singing the song on a beach-like setting, while elderly people walked past the band and climbed up ladders to reach heaven.
A reviewer from Music Week rated Queen's version of the song four out of five, adding, "Four years in the making, Freddie Mercury's final work has resurfaced with the long-awaited album Made in Heaven due in November, from which comes this emotional ballad with all the signs of a big hit." John Robinson from NME wrote, "Brought back to life for you by the miracles of modern financial practice, this has the air of a single whose video will comprise either slow motion footage of Sir Fred playing 'Hammer to Fall' at Live Aid, or by slow motion footage of children playing happily on the facilities — swings, possibly a roundabout — thoughtfully provided by the borough in a municipal park. There is also, however, an awful undercurrent of...
"I Want It All" is a song by British rock band Queen, featured on their 1989 studio album, The Miracle. Written by guitarist and vocalist Brian May and produced by David Richards, it was released as the first single from the album on 2 May 1989.
"I Want It All" reached number three on the singles charts of the United Kingdom, Finland, Ireland and New Zealand, as well as on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Elsewhere, it peaked at number two in the Netherlands and charted within the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Switzerland.
The song, according to John Deacon, was one of only a few which was already written before the band entered the studio in the beginning of 1988 for what would become The Miracle album. According to May, it was the first song they did in the studio, recorded as a live band take without any drum machines or technology (except the sequencer section added later). The song was inspired by May's conflicted feelings after his breakup with his first wife, Christine Mullen, and his new relationship with Anita Dobson.
Upon its release as a single, pan-European magazine Music & Media described "I Want It All" as "pure, irresistible pomp" and a "definite hit". The reviewer added that it is "highly reminiscent of the time when Queen dominated the European charts with songs like 'We Are the Champions'". Jerry Smith of Music Week commented that Queen are "back with one of their typically pompous blockbusters". As a guest reviewer for Kerrang!, Chris DeGarmo of Queensrÿche commented, "I love those vocal tracks they use. I think it really developed, it took a little patience. I liked the nice shift in the middle of the song. It went into a blaze and then came back." In the US, Cash Box commented that Queen "returns with a bang, featuring their patented...
The music video features the band performing in a studio that used halogen lighting. It was directed by David Mallet and filmed at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood in March 1989. In the Greatest Video Hits 2 DVD audio commentary, Brian May and Roger Taylor recall that Mercury's health was already quite bad when the video's shooting took place, and it was remarkable that it did not show up in the video, with Mercury performing with all the energy he had. The video also features Mercury's first public appearance with a beard to hide the kaposi's sarcoma marks on his jawline, after shaving off his trademark moustache during the video shoot for "The Great Pretender" in February 1987.
"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by their bassist John Deacon. It appears on the album The Works (1984), and was released in three versions: album, single and extended.
The track became a staple of the band's 1984–85 Works Tour and their 1986 Magic Tour.
Deacon said that "I Want to Break Free" was inspired by the women's liberation movement. It was written in 1983 and released in April 1984. Most of the song follows a traditional 12 bar blues progression in E major. It has three verses with one bridge, no chorus, and relatively little section repetition.
Upon its release, Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout, as guest reviewer for Record Mirror, predicted that "I Want to Break Free" would be a hit and considered Queen to be "trying to reach for 'Every Breath You Take' type of territory" with the "kind of song that's supposed to be very simple and will appeal to everyone". Dante Bonutto, writing for Kerrang!, noted how the "gently swaying, stealthily advancing, airplayable single" was "yet another keyboards-based offering" from Queen and one with "not too much in the way of balls". Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits was critical in his review, writing, "After the masterly pop construction of 'Radio Ga Ga' comes a big, fat dud: an unfinished song (loosely borrowed from Shirley Bassey's ancient hit 'What...
Following in the tradition of cross-dressing in British comedy, the music video for "I Want to Break Free" sees the members of Queen in a suburban house dressed as women, a parody of the characters from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.
The "I Want to Break Free" music video was directed by David Mallet. It was shot on 22 March and 4 May 1984 at Limehouse Studios.
"I'm Going Slightly Mad" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury but credited to Queen, with uncredited lyrical contributions by Peter Straker, it was released as the second single from the band's fourteenth album, Innuendo (1991).
The song was released as a single on 4 March 1991 by Parlophone, a month after the release of the album. The lyrics and the accompanying music video project the song as humorous and lighthearted, despite the lyrics dealing with the mental decline Mercury was experiencing as one of the effects of advancing AIDS.
"I'm Going Slightly Mad" had been mentioned by John Deacon in a letter printed in the Queen Fan Club magazine of Spring 1990. Deacon revealed that work was being done on the song, calling it the "whacky single". Mercury composed the song; he had the song's title in mind before anything else. During an evening with his friend Peter Straker, Mercury explained his idea for the song, which he wanted to feature lyrics of tongue-in-cheek one-liners inspired by Noël Coward. The pair then spent the night coming up with such lines.
Upon its release as a single, Sylvia Patterson of Smash Hits described "I'm Going Slightly Mad" as "blustering Queen pomp rock as usual". Chris Roberts of Melody Maker remarked, "I am prepared to go along with the perennial seer and prophet Fred Mercury. This is the very song where he makes the now-infamous claim that he is "a banana tree". So it's Fyffes stars for this one!" Robin Smith of Record Mirror was negative in his review, calling it "more crud from Queen" and "another incomprehensible single with Freddie sounding strangely like Billy Mackenzie – a terrifying thought indeed".
The accompanying video was directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher of DoRo Productions. Like most of other Innuendo videos, it was filmed in February 1991 at Limehouse Studios. Costumes were created by Diana Moseley. It features the band dressed and acting in an absurd and surreal manner, including guitarist Brian May dressed as a penguin (a reprise of his outfit featured in the booklet of the first Queen album), drummer Roger Taylor wearing a tea kettle on his head and riding a tricycle while Mercury sneaks up on him and is chasing him, a man in a gorilla suit, bassist John Deacon as a jester, and Mercury wearing a bunch of bananas as a wig, which corresponds with the line "I think I'm a banana tree".
"Innuendo" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor but credited to Queen, it is the opening track on the album of the same name (1991), and was released in January 1991 by Parlophone as the first single from the album.
The single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart same month, the band's first number-one hit since "Under Pressure" nearly a decade before, and additionally reached the top ten in ten other countries. It is included on the band's second compilation album Greatest Hits II.
"Innuendo" was pieced together "like a jigsaw puzzle". The recurring theme (with the Boléro-esque beat) started off as a jam session between May, Deacon and Taylor. Mercury then added the melody and some of the lyric, which were then completed by Taylor.
A very elaborate music video was created to accompany the single and released on 20 December 1990, combining stop motion animation with rotoscoping and featuring dolls in a detailed miniature cinema set. The band members only appear as illustrations and images, mainly taken from earlier Queen music videos (such as "The Miracle", "Scandal", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man", "I Want It All", and clips from the then unreleased "Live at Wembley '86"), on a cinema screen in the same manner as in the film Nineteen Eighty-Four, with Mercury drawn in the style of Leonardo da Vinci, May in the style of Victorian etchings, Taylor in the style of Jackson Pollock, and Deacon in the style of Pablo Picasso. It also featured a montage of historical stock...
Upon its release as a single, Ian Gittins, writing for Melody Maker, considered "Innuendo" to be "Bohemian Rhapsody" Vol II and described it as "seductively monstrous". He added, "All ill-starred vocal operatics, hairy-palmed guitar runs and portentous drivel, it even breaks into Spanish rhumba at one sublime point." David Quantick of NME called it a "spectacularly tossy rock anthem" and Music Week writer Alan Jones praised it as "utterly distinctive, typically over the top and undoubtedly a major hit". Caroline Sullivan of Smash Hits considered it to be a "well-odd combination of soft ballad, blustering heavy metal and sweeping, Moroccan-type music", with Mercury "wailing in his usual hysterical fashion". She concluded that the "whole...
The song is included in the competitive karaoke videogame SingStar Queen for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.
"It's a Hard Life" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was featured on their 1984 album The Works, and it was the third single from that album.
In 1991 it was included in the band’s second compilation album Greatest Hits II.
The opening lyric and melody of "It's a Hard Life" is based on the line "Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto!" (Laugh, clown, at your broken love!) from "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. The same melody is also quoted in the soundtrack of the movies The Great Caruso and the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera, after which Queen had named their 1975 album.
Upon its release as a single, Martin Townsend of Number One picked "It's a Hard Life" as the magazine's single of the week, describing it as a "lush and melodic song". Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits considered it to be a "return to the style of old with a lush ballad featuring a breathy, operatic Freddie Mercury and one of those sumptuous Brian May guitar solos". Howard Johnson, writing for Kerrang!, felt the song was a "revisit" of the band's 1980 hit "Play the Game". He continued that "isn't necessarily a bad thing considering some of the guff that Queen have been releasing recently, but it ain't no 'Seven Seas of Rhye'". Eleanor Levy of Record Mirror was critical, calling it a "cynical repetition of past glories with a beginning that could...
The accompanying music video, directed by Tim Pope and produced by Gordon Lewis, has been created in an operatic "style," with the band and extras appearing in period "operatic-style" costume. The video also featured an unusual "skull and bones"-themed guitar that cost more than £1,000, played by May, which can also be seen on the single's cover, and also relied heavily on the use of alchemist and pagan symbols and symbolism.
"Killer Queen" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury and recorded for their third album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974.
It reached number two in the UK singles chart and became their first US hit, reaching number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is about a high-class call girl and has been characterised as "Mercury's piano-led paean to a Moët-quaffing courtesan".
Mercury commented he wrote the lyrics before the melody and music, whereas normally he would do the opposite. He stated that the song was about a high-class call girl. The song's first verse quotes a phrase traditionally but falsely attributed to Marie Antoinette: "'Let them eat cake,' she says, Just like Marie Antoinette". "Killer Queen" retained the essence of Queen's trademark sound, particularly in its meticulous vocal harmonies.
When released as a single, "Killer Queen" was Queen's breakthrough hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom and number twelve in the United States. It was released as a double A-side in the UK, the US, and Canada (where it reached number 15 in the RPM 100 national singles chart), with the song "Flick of the Wrist". Several different versions of "Flick of the Wrist" were used on different releases. In 1986, "Killer Queen" featured as the B-side to "Who Wants to Live Forever".
On the single's release, Cash Box said that it had "fine lead vocals, solid harmonies and an inventive production" and that "this song is bound to make you smile with its lighthearted whimsy and confident approach." Record World described it as "a cross between Bowie and Wings".
Brooke Bajgrowicz from Billboard said "The four-piece pop rock band launch into the anthemic a cappella chorus from the get-go... By the time the full-force chorus arrives, the fluid harmonies and catchy phrasing are instantly recognizable. While somewhat modernised, the single fades out in a style similar to the original Queen banger, and other '70s hits of the time". Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone called the version "Faithful".
"Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)" is a rock ballad by the British rock band Queen. It was released as the third single from their 1982 album Hot Space.
It is sung mostly in English, but with several Spanish phrases. Written by guitarist Brian May, the song proved more popular in the United Kingdom than their previous single ("Body Language"), reaching No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart.
The song's lyrics were written by guitarist Brian May. Vocals were provided by lead singer Freddie Mercury with May on the high harmony vocal. The song was inspired by the band's close relationship with their Argentinian fans. It marked the band's final studio appearance on Top of the Pops (having previously appeared to promote "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen", "Now I'm Here" and "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" respectively). For this mimed performance May is seen playing a grand piano as well as his guitar and, on the recording, he plays both piano and synths in addition to acoustic and electric guitars. May also sang lead vocals for the harmonized line "this night and evermore" throughout the song.
"Let Me Live" is a song by British rock band Queen, from the 1995 album Made in Heaven. Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May share lead vocals, with Mercury singing the first verse, Taylor singing the second verse and bridge, and May singing the last verse.
During the choruses, all of the band members sing, as well as a background choir, giving it a gospel sound reminiscent of the band's 1976 single "Somebody to Love". The single reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's last top 10 hit in that country.
"Now I'm Here" is a song by British rock band Queen, released on their third studio album, Sheer Heart Attack (1974). Written by guitarist Brian May, it is noted for its gritty guitar riffs and vocal harmonies.
It reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart when released there as a single in 1975. The song was a live favourite, performed at virtually every Queen concert from late 1974 to the end of their touring career in 1986.
"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the British rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic. It was conceived by the group's drummer Roger Taylor.
"One Vision" was, for the most part, a group effort with no-one taking sole credit. This, however, made it more complicated to put the song together as nobody had the final say. A week was spent coming up with various ideas in the studio with four or five songs-worth of material to choose from, out of which came "One Vision".
Upon its release, Mike Gardner of Record Mirror remarked, "Queen do what they've always done best: crunch chords, mangle high opera and perform with an endearing flash and swagger – all executed in league with their bombastic energy. It's a magnificently gaudy catalogue of aural fireworks with a brotherhood of man message." Mark Booker of Number One described it as a "return to the Queen of old" and a "rock chant to rival" "We Will Rock You". He continued, "Couple this with the 'world harmony' sentiments and one of the premier voices in today's pop, and you can safely say that Queen will be sitting on the throne again in the near future." Charles Shaar Murray, writing for NME, stated that Queen "adopt the whompin' stompin' format" of...
The music video to "One Vision" which was recorded in September 1985 mainly showed the band recording the song at Musicland Studios in Munich and was the first to be directed and produced for Queen by Austrian directors Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher, also collectively known as DoRo. DoRo and Queen developed a fruitful working relationship which would result in numerous acclaimed and award-winning videos (for "Innuendo" and "The Show Must Go On", among others).
"Play the Game" is a song by British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury. It is the first track on the first side of their 1980 album The Game.
It also appears on their album Greatest Hits. The single was a hit in the UK, reaching No. 14 in the charts, and in the US, peaking at No. 42.
The song commences with a series of overlapping rushing noises on an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, heralding the band's acceptance of electronic instruments into their once explicitly "no synths" sonic repertoire. They played it in their live shows from 1980 to 1982.
The sleeve of the single, as well as its promotional video directed by Brian Grant, marked the first time Mercury appeared in either format with moustache. Brian May did not use his trademark Red Special guitar, instead using a Fender Stratocaster replica made by Satellite. This was likely due to the risk of damage involved in the shot in which Mercury snatches the guitar from May, then appears to throw it back to him which was played back in reverse so that it would be easier for May to play the solo after "catching" the guitar in the video. A shot of the band in the unedited blue screen set for the video was later used for the cover of the "Another One Bites the Dust" single release.
Recorded in the same session as their 2008 single, "Used to Be", Beach House thought it would be "fun and ridiculous" to try covering "Play the Game", as fans of Queen's music. They also recorded it as their contribution to the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Dark Was the Night (2009), which benefited AIDS research, though Queen's record label prevented this release as they do not "do charity stuff", according to guitarist Alex Scally. It was later released as the compilation album's bonus track, though exclusively on the iTunes Store release. The track was later included on their compilation album B-Sides and Rarities (2017), released on 30 June 2017. The duo additionally stated that they would continue donating all profits...
Upon its initial release, Gorilla vs. Bear called it a "hazy and haunting cover". Ian Shirley of Record Collector likened Legrand's vocal performance to "wonderful Beach Boys harmonies".
"Princes of the Universe" is a song written by Freddie Mercury and performed by the British rock band Queen, originally released as a single in the United States on 12 March 1986 via Capitol Records. The song was written for the film Highlander, and released on the album A Kind of Magic, which also featured other selections from the Highlander song score on 2 June 1986.
In 1999 it was included in Queen's compilation album Greatest Hits III.
"Princes of the Universe", written and composed for Highlander, is the only song on the album for which Mercury receives sole credit. The song's name comes from the original working title of the film. It is played over the film's opening credits, and was later used as the opening theme for Highlander: The Series. The song was never released as a single in the United Kingdom, and while it never truly charted, it is considered a cult favourite because of its relation to the film.
The music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy, and was shot on 14 February 1986 at Elstree Studios, near London, on the Silvercup rooftop stage used for the film. It consists mostly of Queen performing the song, intercut with scenes from Highlander. Christopher Lambert reprises his role as Connor MacLeod for a brief appearance in the video, where he sword fights Freddie Mercury, who uses his microphone stand as a sword. Brian May is seen playing a Washburn RR11V instead of his Red Special. The video was regularly played on MTV. It was released on Greatest Flix III (VHS, 1999) and Greatest Video Hits 2 (DVD, 2003).
The song is also featured in the 2026 film, Masters of the Universe, as a background rally song. Brian May served as a collaborator for the soundtrack, working together with Daniel Pemberton.
"Radio Ga Ga" is a 1984 song by the British rock band Queen, written by their drummer Roger Taylor. It was released as a single with "I Go Crazy" by Brian May as the B-side.
It was included as the opening track on the album The Works and is also featured on the band's compilation albums Greatest Hits II and Classic Queen.
The inspiration for the song came when Taylor heard his son utter the phrase "radio ca-ca" while they were driving in Los Angeles, reacting to a song playing on the radio that he disliked.
After hearing his son's phrase, Taylor began writing and developing the song when he locked himself in a studio for three days with a synthesizer and a LinnDrum drum machine. He initially thought the track would fit his solo album, but when the band heard it, John Deacon wrote a bassline and Freddie Mercury reconstructed the track, thinking it could be a big hit. Taylor then took a skiing holiday and let Mercury polish the song's lyrics, harmony, and arrangements. Recording sessions began at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles in August 1983, the band's first and only time recording in North America. The recording features prominent use of the Roland VP330+ vocoder. Canadian session keyboardist Fred Mandel, who had played with Queen during...
David Mallet's music video for the song features scenes from Fritz Lang's 1927 German expressionist science fiction film Metropolis and also includes footage of the band traveling through Metropolis and singing the song in a stylized re-creation of its underground machine rooms, which is interconnected with people donning gas masks and taking shelter in their homes during wartime and of one such family passing the time in various ways that include listening to the radio. The video also features footage from earlier Queen promo videos. At the end of the music video, the words "Thanks To Metropolis" appear.
Upon its release as a single, Phil McNeill of Number One believed that "Radio Ga Ga" would be a hit (and accurately predicted it reaching number two in the UK) as "no DJ can resist a record with 'radio' in the title" and the music video "pulls out enough expensive stops to push [it] to the top". However, in a later issue, dated 14 April, guest writer Thomas Dolby called the song "banal", and stated that "it's terrible when such a talented band spend so much time making awful records".
"Save Me" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1980 album The Game. Written by guitarist Brian May, it was recorded in 1979, and released in the UK on 25 January 1980, nearly six months prior to the release of the album.
"Save Me" spent six weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 11. It was the band's first single release of the 1980s.
The video for the song was filmed at Alexandra Palace on 22 December 1979 and directed by Keith "Keef" MacMillan and features animation of a woman and a dove. The video would be the last to feature Mercury without a moustache until 1984, as he would sport it starting with the next video for "Play the Game"
"Seven Seas of Rhye" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury along with Brian May who contributed the second middle-eight.
A rudimentary instrumental version appears as the final track on the group's self-titled debut album (1973), with the final version on the follow-up Queen II (1974).
Initially "Seven Seas of Rhye" was simply an "instrumental musical sketch closing their first album". An expanded rendition, planned to be included on the album Queen II, was publicly premiered when Queen was offered a sudden chance to appear on the BBC's Top of the Pops in February 1974, and was rushed to vinyl two days later on 22 February. It became their first chart entry after gaining airtime on BBC Radio 1, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, which in turn persuaded Freddie Mercury to take up Queen as his full-time career.
Cash Box called it a "high energy rocker with Led Zeppelin overtones," stating that "the group's extraordinary talents are perfectly displayed here in heavy metal fashion." Record World said that Queen's "'rock in the royal tradition' is looking for its own top 40 chart crown."
"Somebody to Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by lead singer and pianist Freddie Mercury. It debuted on the band's 1976 album A Day at the Races and also appears on their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits.
Like "Bohemian Rhapsody", the major hit from Queen's previous album A Night at the Opera (1975), "Somebody to Love" has a complex melody and deep layering of vocal tracks. But while "Bohemian Rhapsody" was based on English choir styles, "Somebody to Love" was based on a gospel choir arrangement, with Mercury, May and Taylor multitracking their voices to create the impression of a 100-voice choir. Written in the key of A♭ major, the glam rock and gospel song features dramatic intervallic contrasts, ranging from F2 to A♭5 in the harmonies and from E♭3 to C5 in full voice (and up to an A♭5 in falsetto) in Mercury's lead vocals.
"Somebody to Love" went to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A promotional video was made combining a staged recording session at Sarm Studios (where the A Day at the Races album was recorded) and film footage of the band's record-breaking performance at Hyde Park that September. Peter Hince, the head of Queen's road crew, recalled to Mojo magazine: "Aesthetically, you had to have all four around the microphone, but John (Deacon) didn't sing on the records. By his own admission, he didn't have the voice. He did sing on-stage but the crew always knew to keep the fader very low." The song was included on their first Greatest Hits, released in 1981.
Billboard stated that the song grabs attention with gimmicks such as changes in volume and tempo and the use of classical music elements. Cash Box said that "sounding like the Harvard Chorale on the opening and backing up Freddie Mercury might be their idea of a logical progression from A Night at the Opera", and that "there's a grand finale, with handclapping and thundering percussion." Record World said that "the group continues to stretch the limitations of the commercial single" by incorporating "operatic overtures" along the lines of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn said that "its gospel-tinged urgency maintain's the English band's knack for arrangements that are at once off-beat, yet well within the broad...
Queen's manager Jim Beach said Sivan's version "is both moving and totally original". Luke Schatz of Consequence of Sound said, "While Mercury's version soared with choir-like vocals and dramatic instrumentation, Sivan employs a more mellow, minimalist approach. Here, his calming voice is accompanied by little more than bass and keys."
"Thank God It's Christmas" is a Christmas single by the British rock band Queen. It was written by lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.
Released on 26 November 1984, the single spent six weeks in the UK charts over Christmas 1984 and new year of 1985, and peaked at number 21.
Upon its original release, no promotional video was filmed for the track, with shows often using footage of live performances in lieu of an official promotional music video. In a 2018 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Brian May attributed the single's underwhelming chart performance to the lack of a music video.
Upon its release, Howard Johnson of Kerrang! remarked that "even Freddie's excellent vox can't disguise that this is blandola naffola" and added, "The boys should quite honestly have employed themselves doing something a little more useful, like buying Fisher-Price toys for the kiddies."
"The Invisible Man" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by drummer Roger Taylor but credited to Queen. The song is sung mostly by Freddie Mercury, with vocal contributions from Taylor.
The song was released in August 1989 as the third single from the band's album The Miracle. Taylor said that he got the inspiration to create the song while reading a book, and the bassline instantly came to his imagination.
Upon its release as a single, David Giles of Music Week described "The Invisible Man" as a "somewhat watered-down effort to create a modern dancefloor frenzy [that] is enhanced by a Brian May guitar solo". Ian Broudie, as guest reviewer for Number One, rated the song two out of five stars and said that "aside from a good rhythm this doesn't have much going for it". Kerrang! wrote, "Yes, it has no substance, you can see straight through it. No, of course it won't flop, it's bound to be a hit."
In the music video, a video game called "The Invisible Man" plays a large part, as a young boy is playing a game while the band (all dressed in black) are the "bad guys" and Freddie Mercury (who wears a pair of virtual reality goggles, while the rest of the band wear black shades instead) enters the real world and performs the song in his room. As they perform, the boy tries to shoot them with the game controller.
"The Miracle" is the fifth and final single from Queen's 1989 studio album of the same name. It was composed by the entire band, though Freddie Mercury and John Deacon were the main writers.
It was released as a single on 27 November 1989 and it was the band's final single release of the 1980s.
The idea for the song came from Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, who wrote the basic chord structure for the song. All four contributed to the lyrics and musical ideas, and the song was still credited to the entire band because they had agreed to do so during the album recording, regardless of who had been the actual writer. While both Mercury and May regarded this as one of their favourites, Taylor said in the audio commentary of Greatest Video Hits II that although it was not a favourite of his, he respected it as "an incredibly complex track".
The sleeve artwork for the single uses the album's artwork inverted with a hologram-like fashion. The B-sides of the single are live versions of the songs "Stone Cold Crazy" and "My Melancholy Blues" originally from the albums Sheer Heart Attack and News Of The World respectively. Specifically, Stone Cold Crazy comes from one of the two Rainbow shows that took place in November 1974, and My Melancholy Blues comes from the Houston show that took place in December of 1977.
Upon its release as a single, pan-European magazine Music & Media described "The Miracle" as a "nicely textured, discreetly operatic, arty pop song, as only Queen can make". David Giles of Music Week felt that it "shows Mercury and co at their overblown best, with massed harmonies, guitar climaxes and effortlessly pompous lyrics". He added, "Dripping with melodrama, this is classic showbiz overdose."
The music video for the song features four young boys performing as Queen on stage: Paul Howard as Brian May, James Currie as John Deacon, Adam Gladdish as Roger Taylor, and a then-unknown Ross McCall as Freddie Mercury. Throughout the video, McCall appears as four different incarnations of Mercury: 1977 Freddie (long hair with a one-piece black and white Harlequin spandex leotard), 1978–1979 Freddie (leather pants and leather jacket), Live Aid 1985 Freddie (white tank top, Adidas shoes, jeans), and 1986 Freddie (yellow jacket with track pants).
"The Show Must Go On" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the final track on their fourteenth studio album, Innuendo (1991). It was the last single issued before the death of frontman Freddie Mercury.
Although credited to Queen, the song was written mainly by guitarist Brian May. The lyrics convey Mercury's resolve to continue working despite his deteriorating health, at a time when his HIV/AIDS diagnosis had not yet been publicly confirmed and media speculation was widespread.
After hearing John Deacon and Roger Taylor play the chord sequence that became the basis of the song, Brian May and Freddie Mercury agreed on the theme and drafted the initial lyrics. May completed the remaining words and melody, adding a bridge inspired by Pachelbel's Canon. He later noted that although he considered changing the title, Mercury insisted on keeping it.
During the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1992, the surviving members of Queen performed "The Show Must Go On" with Elton John and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. The concert was later issued on DVD in 2002 for its tenth anniversary.
Dion first performed "The Show Must Go On" in 2007, delivering a tribute to Freddie Mercury on a TF1 television special alongside French singers Christophe Maé and David Hallyday. The song later became part of her Taking Chances World Tour (2008), with performances included on Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert and Celine: Through the Eyes of the World (2010). Since 2015, it has also featured in her Las Vegas residency, Celine.
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Although credited to the whole band, it was largely written by their drummer Roger Taylor, and is the eighth track on the band's 1991 album Innuendo.
Reminiscing on the past, Roger Taylor penned the song as Freddie Mercury's health was deteriorating. As a teenager, Taylor had known Mercury since the late 1960s when they worked together at Kensington Market in London before the two (along with Brian May) founded Queen in 1970. The opening chorus in the song reminisces, with "Those were the days of our lives", while the second chorus refers to the present, "Cause these are the days of our lives".
The video was the last Queen video to feature Freddie Mercury in person before his death on 24 November 1991. Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher of DoRo Productions filmed the music video at studios in London on 30 May 1991.
The song was first played live on 20 April 1992 at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, sung by George Michael and Lisa Stansfield. The live version was included on the 1993 EP Five Live, credited to 'George Michael with Queen & Lisa Stansfield'.
Ron Hart of Rolling Stone wrote that "the conga-driven synth ballad 'These Are the Days of Our Lives' is Innuendo's most significant single [...] A ballad in the vein of 'Love of My Life,' it was a song that carried a significant amount of weight given the frailty of Mercury's appearance in the black-and-white video, later compounded when unreleased colour footage from the filming emerged in Days of Our Lives."
"Too Much Love Will Kill You" is a song written by British guitarist Brian May of Queen, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The song reflected the breakdown of May's first marriage and attraction to his future wife, Anita Dobson.
It was first recorded by Queen around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on the band's The Miracle album in 1989, but did not make the cut due to legal disputes following the band's decision that all songs on the album would be written by the group as opposed to individuals.
Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote, "One of the last remnants of the late, great Freddie Mercury, the first single from the band’s new Made in Heaven album is vintage Mercury. After the wimpy opening that could’ve come from Styx or Chicago, Mercury's grandiose vocals kick in, eclipsing the lame melody. Hearing Mercury again, especially in such fine form vocally, is a surprisingly touching experience."
The video for the Brian May version of the song was directed by David Mallet and features May singing the song to the camera, and is intercut with footage from various home movies. The video for the Queen version of the song was directed by DoRo and is a montage-style video of clips mainly from live performances and promo videos, and uses the Promo Edit version of the song.
"We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album News of the World (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains one of rock's most recognisable anthems.
The song was a worldwide success, reaching number 2 in the UK, number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number 3 in Canada, and the top 10 in many other countries. In 2009, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and was voted the world's favourite song in a 2005 Sony Ericsson world music poll.
Cash Box said that it contains "heroic lyrics and rapid changes in dynamics and emotional intensity" and praised guitarist Brian May's "dark backing lines and rippling fills." Record World called it a "stately rocker well-suited to its title" and suggested that "it could serve as a sort of new wave anthem."
The video for "We Are the Champions" was filmed at a special video shoot with fan club members at the New London Theatre on 6 October 1977 and was directed by Derek Burbridge. Mercury performs in a trademark Harlequin outfit – a half black, half white version – in front of an enthusiastic crowd who wave Queen scarves in a manner similar to English football fans. An alternate version which starts in monochrome before blasting into colour as the drums and guitars kick in was broadcast on the BBC's Top of the Pops 2 and comprises alternate footage shot on the same day.
The first sports team known to celebrate a world championship victory with Queen's "We Are the Champions" was Team Canada's 1978 World Field Lacrosse Championship team, which won the title in Stockport, England. The song has since become an enduring global anthem for sports victories.
"We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album News of the World, written by guitarist Brian May. Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it placed at number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001.
In 2009, "We Will Rock You" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The music video for "We Will Rock You" was filmed in 1978 at the back garden of Roger Taylor's mansion. It sees the band lip synching the song, hand clapping with gloves and foot stomping on a frozen ground. In an interview with Billboard, Taylor spoke on filming the video:
"You Don't Fool Me" is a song by British rock band Queen from their 15th and final studio album, Made in Heaven (1995). It was released as a single in February 1996, by Parlophone, in Europe and in November 1996 in the United Kingdom, containing various remixes of the song.
The song is one of the few which were actually written and recorded after the Innuendo sessions, and was written and composed by the band, under David Richards' supervision. The song was a top-20 sales chart hit or close to in several European nations, and an airplay chart topper in some of them.
"You Don't Fool Me" was one of the last tracks recorded for the album Made in Heaven and came about in a most unusual way. Brian May has explained on his website that all they had were unfinished musical fragments & ideas recorded with Freddie Mercury during his final sessions in Montreux in May 1991 prior to his death. There was no full song to speak of until the Made in Heaven sessions, when co-producer David Richards helped edit these musical ideas together to create the song, creating a basic framework. The remaining band members – May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor – contributed further ideas, and fleshed out the track with instrumentation & backing vocals. The style of the song is reminiscent of their 1982 album Hot Space, and a...
The video is set in a night club where a young man encounters his former girlfriend and recounts the memories of their brief relationship. The theme of the song could possibly be a continuation of the story set up by earlier Queen songs "Play the Game" and "It's a Hard Life".
"You're My Best Friend" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by the band's bass player, John Deacon, who wrote it for and about his wife. It was first included on the 1975 album A Night at the Opera, and later released as a single.
The ballad also appeared on the Live Killers (1979) live album, and on the compilation albums Greatest Hits (1981), Absolute Greatest (2009) and Queen Forever (2014).
The music video, directed by Bruce Gowers, shows the band in a huge ballroom surrounded by over one thousand candles, including a huge chandelier hung from the ceiling. The video was filmed in April 1976 at Elstree Studios, near London. Additionally, Deacon is seen playing a grand piano rather than the Wurlitzer he used on the recording.
The album A Night at the Opera features songs of numerous styles, including this three-minute rock, pop, and pop rock song. Very unusual for the genre, there is no section appearing more than twice; characteristic of many Queen songs, as affirmed by Brian May. On the other hand, in terms of phrases and measures, there are numerous repetitions or variants. The form is cyclic and very similar to that of "Spread Your Wings" (1977). Another similarity between the two songs is the lack of (real) modulation. The arrangement features 3 and 4-part vocal and guitar harmonies, bass (melodic approach), drums, and electric piano. This is Deacon's second recorded song and the first one released on single, some six months after the album-release....
Cash Box said that "the harmonies are smoothly designed to accentuate the hook of the chorus" and that "the beat is really good, on the edge of bubblegum, but still classy." Record World said it "stands to be every bit the enormous hit ['Bohemian Rhapsody'] was," even though it does not break new ground the way "Bohemian Rhapsody" did. Classic Rock History critic Millie Zeiler rated it John Deacon's best Queen song.
"Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album Hot Space (1982).
The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Queen's second number-one hit in their home country and Bowie's third; it also charted in the top 10 in more than 10 other countries.
"Under Pressure" was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in September 1981. Queen, working on their 1982 album Hot Space, had been working on a song called "Feel Like", but were not satisfied with the result. Although it was said that the collaboration started from Queen running into David Bowie at Mountain while recording "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", the story told in interviews was that Bowie happened to be around in Montreux and lived near the studio, so Queen invited Bowie down to the studio and it took off from there. The track was recorded during one marathon evening session at Mountain, with vocals and mixing completed at the Power Station in New York a couple of weeks later.
"Under Pressure" has received critical acclaim since its release, with multiple publications ranking it among Queen and Bowie's best songs and among the greatest songs of all time. On release, Sandy Robertson of Sounds called "Under Pressure" the "cornerstone" of its parent album. Record World said that "Bowie and Freddie Mercury combine for a spellbinding musical experience." Reviewing Hot Space decades later, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called "Under Pressure" as the album's "undeniable saving grace" and "the only reason most listeners remember this album". He described the song as "an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet ... that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting...
The music video for the song features neither Queen nor David Bowie due to touring commitments. Director David Mallet edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed, and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably Sergei Eisenstein's influential Soviet film Battleship Potemkin, The Eagle, My Lady of Whims, the silent Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John Barrymore, and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu. Top of the Pops refused to show the video in its original form due to it containing footage of explosions in Northern Ireland, so an edited version was instead shown. In 2003, Slant Magazine ranked "Under Pressure" number 27 among the 100...
Queen first recorded a live full version of the song at the Montreal Forum in Canada on 25 November 1981. This was included in the concert films We Will Rock You and Queen Rock Montreal. Incidentally, it is one of the few times in concert where Mercury used falsetto in the song on the line "these are the days it never rains but it pours".
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by British rock band Queen from their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera. The lead single from the album, it is a suite composed of five main elements: an introduction, a ballad, an opera, a hard rock segment, and a reflective coda.
Released in 1975, it is one of the few progressive rock songs of the 1970s to reach a mainstream audience and is now regarded as the band's signature song.
According to Mercury's friend Chris Smith (a keyboard player in Smile), Mercury first started developing "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the late 1960s; Mercury used to play parts of songs he was writing at the time on the piano, and one of his pieces, known simply as "The Cowboy Song", contained lyrics that ended up in the completed version produced years later, in 1975, specifically, "Mama ... just killed a man." Producer Roy Thomas Baker, who began working with Queen in 1972, related how Mercury once played the opening ballad section on the piano for him in Mercury's flat:
"Bohemian Rhapsody" has been affiliated to the genres of progressive rock (sometimes called symphonic rock), hard rock, art rock, progressive pop, and art pop. The song is highly unusual for a popular single in featuring no chorus, combining disparate musical styles, and containing lyrics which eschew conventional love-based narratives, and instead make allusions to murder and nihilism.
The New York Times commented that "the song's most distinct feature is the fatalistic lyrics". Mercury refused to explain his composition other than to say it was about relationships; the band is still protective of the song's secret. Brian May supports suggestions that the song contained veiled references to Mercury's personal traumas. He recalls "Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song." May, though, says the band had agreed that the core of a lyric was a private issue for the composer. In a BBC Three documentary about the making of "Bohemian...
When the band wanted to release the single in 1975, various executives suggested to them that due to its length of 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit. Mercury commenting on the length of the song:
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was featured on the group's eighth studio album, The Game (1980).
It was a worldwide hit, charting at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, from 4 October to 18 October. The song spent 15 weeks in the Billboard top 10, including 13 weeks in the top five, and 31 weeks total on the chart.
Billboard called it a "snarling track" with a "spare, lean sound." Record World said that "a brutal bass conspires with the sing-along hook on this thoroughly contagious [song]." Classic Rock History critic Millie Zeiler rated it John Deacon's 2nd best Queen song.
The song enjoyed its greatest success in Queen's native United Kingdom, where it entered and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, two places higher than the original, going on to spend six weeks on the chart. It also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Finland. It charted number 18, number 23, number 50 and number 62 in New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and France, respectively. The music video for this version was directed by Michel Gondry.