Kneel for Queen, one of the greatest bands of all time.
Formed in London in 1970, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon came to international fame in 1974. Pioneers of the music video and ultimate charity concert performances, Queen created some of the most memorable, universal, and best-selling songs the world has ever known. Though we could show favor for this music royalty for a month of Sundays, we'll do our best to pay homage with 14 must-have Queen hits. |
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Flash was written by Brian May and recorded by Queen for the 1980 film, Flash Gordon. There are two versions of the song. Flash's Theme is from the album and includes dialogue from the beginning of the movie. The single version features excerpts from the entire film and can be found on Queen's 1981 Greatest Hits album.
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Written by John Deacon, Another One Bites the Dust is from The Game (1980). Inspired by Chic's Good Times, the song is Queen's best-selling single. When released, evangelical critics claimed it promoted smoking marijuana when played backwards. Today, since the bassline has nearly 110 beats per minute, it's been used to teach proper CPR in the UK.
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From Sheer Heart Attack (1974), Killer Queen was written by Freddie Mercury and was Queen's first international hit. It landed at No. 2 in the UK and No. 12 in the US. The song's about a high-class call girl and falsely attributes the phrase "Let them eat cake" to Marie Antoinette. Mercury used a grand and upright piano to create a Vaudeville sound.
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Written by Brian May, Fat Bottomed Girls is from Queen's 1978 album, Jazz. It was released as a double A-side with Bicycle Race, and the music video was filmed at the Dallas Convention Center. Each song references the other, with Fat Bottomed Girls reaching No. 11 on the UK charts and No. 24 on Billboard Hot 100.
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Freddie Mercury wrote Crazy Little Thing Called Love in 1979. Released as a single from Queen's 1980 album, The Game, it became their first No. 1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. In interviews, Mercury said he had written the tune for Elvis Presley in about five minutes, and it marked the first song he played the guitar for during live performances.
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I Want to Break Free was written by John Deacon and released in 1984 from Queen's album, The Works. The music video was a spoof of the British soap opera, Coronation Street, where the members of the band dressed as female characters. In the UK, viewers understood the joke, but in the US, it was not well received.
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Somebody to Love was written by Freddie Mercury and included on Queen's 1976 album, A Day at the Races. It uses similar techniques to their hit Bohemian Rhapsody, only with an infused gospel sound instead of opera. The song questions God's role in a life without love, and Mercury was influenced by Aretha Franklin when he wrote it.
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Written by Freddie Mercury, Play the Game is the lead track on Queen's 1980 alum, The Game. It opens with overlapping sounds from an Oberheim synthesizer, marking the band's acceptance of electronic instruments in an otherwise "no synth" stance on their sound. The album cover and music video are the first time Mercury appeared with a mustache.
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We Will Rock You was written by Brian May and included on Queen's 1977 album, News of the World. Meant to be played before We Are the Champions, together, they have become a staple at sporting events and one of the greatest songs of all-time. We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Also from the 1977 album, News of the World, We Are the Champions was written by Freddie Mercury and is considered one of Queen's most popular songs. It's meant to be played after We Will Rock You. Together, they were the last songs the band played at the charity concert Live Aid in 1985, one of Mercury's greatest live performances.
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Written by drummer Roger Taylor, Radio Ga Ga is from the 1984 Queen album, The Works. The song hit No. 1 in 19 countries and landed at No. 2 in the UK and No. 16 in the US on Billboard Hot 100. It discusses the issue of video killing radio and was performed at every concert from 1984 until Freddie Mercury’s death.
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You're My Best Friend was written by bassist, John Deacon and released from Queen's 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. Deacon had written the song for his wife, and it was originally recorded with a Wurlitzer electric piano. Freddie Mercury hated playing the Wurlitzer, opting to use a grand piano instead during live performances of the song.
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Inspired by the 1978 Tour de France, Bicycle Race is from Queen's album, Jazz. Written by Freddie Mercury, it released with Fat Bottomed Girls. The music video was banned in several countries because it showed nude models racing bikes around Wimbledon Stadium. Despite the lyrics, Mercury didn't like bike riding, but he was a Star Wars fan.
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Freddie Mercury wrote Bohemian Rhapsody for Queen's 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. They made a promotional video for the song, which is considered revolutionary today. The video was created because the lyrics were too awkward to lip-sync during live performances on TV shows like the BBC's Top of the Pops.
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