The Greatest Queen Songs: 20 Essential Tracks That Weave a Kind of Magic (2023)

How to choose the best songsqueen, a group whose soulful music made them one of the most successful groups in popular music history? Your exceptional vocalist,Freddie Mercury, was one of the most charismatic performers of the 20th century and the band is fondly remembered for their outstanding Live Aid show. Alongside Mercury, Queen consisted of Brian May (guitar and vocals), John Deacon (bass) and Roger Taylor (drums and vocals). In 2018, the group's history was immortalized in the biopicBohemian Rhapsody. Here we pick the 20 best Queens songs of all time. Inevitably, you'll have other favorites, so let us know what they are in the comments.

Hear the best of Queenapple music ESpotify,and scroll down to read our picks of the top 20 Queen songs.

20: Father to Son (1974)

Had some cool songsQueen II, including "Seven Seas Of Rhye" and "Ogre Battle", but the standout track on the band's second album is "Father To Son", which was written by Brian May and features his trademark sizzling guitar work as well like the skillful piano. Freddie's contains mercury. Featuring some offbeat lyrics about the responsibilities of parents to their children, this power ballad is one of theBest Songs for Father's Day.

19: Clue (1991)

"Innuendo" was the first single fromalbum of the same name(and the last album Freddie Mercury worked on before his death in 1991). The song, which went straight to number one in the UK, began as a jam session in Switzerland with Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon jamming to a beat. Mercury and Taylor added lyrics and worked on an ambitious orchestral arrangement for a song that included a flamenco interlude played by Steve Howe, guitarist forE. "Innuendo" is one of Queen's most ambitious end-of-season songs, and Mercury's vocals are immense. Incidentally, the album ended with "The Show Must Go On," a testament to Mercury's bravery in the face of a debilitating illness. He also made a gritty appearance in the video for the track These Are the Days Of Our Lives.

18: Big Ass Girl (1978)

Queen pushed the boundaries with some of the songs from the 1978sJazz. A blues-rock talent, "Fat Bottomed Girls" is sung enthusiastically by Mercury and proved to be a natural crowd pleaser. The song was released as a single from "Bicycle Race", which featured a controversial video of nude models walking around Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium. "Bicycle Race" was written by Mercury after seeing the Tour de France competition.

17: I Want to Break Free (1984)

John Deacon's catchy pop song "I Want To Break Free" has been embroiled in controversy surrounding its promotional video. All band members dressed in drag for the video, a concept Taylor suggested to parody the long-running British television series.Coronation Street. May said he was hit with an unexpected backlash in the US, which included MTV banning the video.

16: Some Kind of Magic (1986)

"A Kind of Magic" was pre-released as a singlealbum of the same nameand showed that after "Radio Ga Ga" a year earlier and "Don't Lose Your Head" (also fora kind of magicAlbum). The catchy tune was written for the film's soundtrack.montanheses(The line "It's a kind of magic" is voiced by Christopher Lambert's character in the film), while its memorable lyrics are backed by Mercury's clever pop arrangements. The music video for the song was directedmontanhesesDiretor Russel Mulcahy.

15: Tie Up Your Mother (1977)

Brian May wrote several interesting songs for Queen - John Deacon said his favorite was the playful "Dragon Attack" - and one of the most popular was "Tie Your Mother Down". Queen were on their way to becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world when they recorded their fifth album.A day at the races(How muchA night at the opera, was named after the Marx Brothers) and the breezy "Tie Your Mother Down" became a staple of Queen live performances. Mercury joked that May must have been "in one of her naughty moods" when she came up with the song's main lyrics.

14: A Vision (1986)

Among the strong offers ina kind of magicwere the title track and the songs "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "Friends Will Be Friends". What marked the album as a true return to form, however, was the song "One Vision", which exudes confidence and shows the renewed unity the band had after their July 1985 Live Aid triumph. "One Vision" reached No. 7 in the UK charts.

13: I Want It All (1989)

Brian May's marriage was falling apart and he was in a relationship with actress Anita Dobson when he wrote I Want It All in 1989.EastEndersStar Dobson used to say, "I want it all and I want it now," and May wrote a powerful anthem around those words. The song seemed to capture the greed and ambition of some parts of the country in the '80s. May sings and duets with Mercury, and lyrics like "I'm a man with a one-track mind/So much to do in a lifetime" resonated with the public. The song peaked at number 3 in the UK charts.

12: You're My Best Friend (1976)

The sublime love song You're My Best Friend, written by Deacon for his wife Veronica Tetzlaff, was a chart hit in 1976. Deacon played a Wurlitzer electric piano on the recording, although Mercury said it was "a terrible instrument". After Mercury's death, Deacon withdrew from the public spotlight and lived a quiet life in a London suburb with his wife and children.

11: Hammer to Fall (1984)

"Hammer To Fall" was the third song Queen performed at their impressive Live Aid show. Written by guitarist Brian May at a time of renewed Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and Ronald Reagan-led America, the rock powerhouse hints at nuclear tensions with a line about growing "in the shadow of the mushroom cloud."

10: Don't Stop Me Now (1979)

The delightful "Don't Stop Me Now" showcased Mercury's versatility and skill as a singer. The song written for the albumJazz, was a Top 10 hit in 1979. The album was recorded in France, where Mercury enjoyed the social life. This track features a confident vocalist who delights in belting out his own upbeat lyrics: “They call me Mr. Fahrenheit/I travel at the speed of light.” The song was Mercury's unreserved celebration of pleasure-seeking.

9: Was it worth it? (1989)

Queen's 1989 album,the wonder, featured the moving song "Was It All Worth It?", an introspective reflection on the life of a rock 'n' roll star. After recording was completed, Mercury informed the band that he had been diagnosed with AIDS. Reminiscing about Mercury, Taylor said: "I don't want to talk about it. I just want to keep going and work until I drop. I want you to support me on this.

8: Somebody to Love (1976)

Somebody To Love demonstrates Queen's ability to deliver bright, soulful, gospel-flavored pop. Mercury's lyrics about seeking salvation and spiritual salvation were the ideal opening single for theA day at the racesalbum and shot to number 2 on the charts. Mercury's respect for soul music legend Aretha Franklin was a key inspiration for the song.

7: We Are the Champions (1977)

Mercury's "We Are The Champions" do álbum de 1977News from around the world, is one of the most famous rock anthems in the world. A poll in 2005 even named it the most popular song in the world. It is regularly sung by sports fans and was also the official theme song for the 1994 World Cup. "The song is a celebration," said drummer Taylor. "We Are The Champions" is meant to be 'we', as in 'all of us', collectively, not us, the band." The music video was filmed at a theater in Drury Lane, London, with a crowd of over out of 1,000 people in the Queen fan club, Taylor said they did 50 grueling takes.

6: Another bite in the dust (1980)

After seeing a Queen concert in Los Angeles,Michael Jacksonwent backstage and suggested that the Deacon song "Another One Bites The Dust", which was from the band's eighth album,The game, was ideal for the pop charts. The single was released in October 1980 and stayed at No. 1 for three weeks. “I've always thought there's a moment when we're the greatest thing in the world. "Another One Bites The Dust" kind of hit because it suddenly spread to the R&B black market," May said.

5: Under Pressure (1981)

This powerful duet with Freddie Mercury andDavid Bowiewas created during an improvised jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland. Mercury and Bowie joked with each other about which vocals should be the loudest. Deacon provided a pulsing bassline and the spontaneity, including Mercury's scat vocals, is infectious. Insisting that he and Mercury not overhear what the other had sung, Bowie blindly swapped verses to reinforce the improvisation. "We were all groping our way through a backing track together as an ensemble," recalls Brian May. "Once the backing track was finished, David said, 'Okay, let's all go into the voice booth and sing like we think they sing. The melody should come out - just your head - and we'll put it into a song that .'” This stunning pop song reached No. 1 in the UK and became the basis for another all-time hit, “Ice Baby Ice.” Bowie performed it at a Mercury tribute concert in 1992.

4: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1980)

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a song written while Mercury was taking a bubble bath at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, proved to be a monster hit. "I'm a loving person. Love was the inspiration for the song," said Mercury. It's fun and has proven to be a popular song for other musicians to cover.Robert Plant, Dwight Yoakam,Diana Ross, Michael Bublé and Showaddywaddy recorded versions of it.

3: Killerkönig (1974)

A flamboyant song about a high-class prostitute, "Killer Queen", appeared on the albumpure heart attackand showcases Queen's incredible ability to create well-harmonized music. The single reached No. 2 in October 1974 and gave Queen their first US hit. The track had all the energy that Queen were celebrated for. "You almost expect Noël Coward to sing," quipped Mercury. May thought the album marked a "watershed moment" in discovering the sound the band wanted. The song has a layered guitar part that features 12 overdubs and includes one of May's great guitar solos.

2: We'll Rock You (1977)

"We Are The Champions" and "We Will Rock You" have become anthem-like cultural monuments. taken fromNews from around the worldalbum, they were released together as a double single and reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 4 in the US. In 2000, the song was covered by the boy band 5ive, featuring guest appearances by Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums, and reached #1. "We Will Rock You" established us as an anthem rock band", said May "We should have made an album calledhymns, really."

1: Bohemian Rhapsody (1977)

The six-minute epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" written by Mercury for the albumA night at the opera, is a masterpiece of modern music. Mercury sings his imaginative song with genuine panache, lip-synching his voice until it sounds like a chorus, with the words "mamma mia", "Galileo" and "Figaro" moving up and down the octaves. Bjorn Ulvaeus, byABBAHe said: "I was green with envy when I heard Bohemian Rhapsody. It was a piece of pure originality that took rock and pop out of the ordinary path.” The brilliant music video, with its stunning multi-angle footage, was directed by Bruce Gowers.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is the only song to have reached number one for Christmas twice. It first topped the Christmas charts in 1975 and topped again 16 years later after Mercury's death. Since 1977, Bohemian Rhapsody has sold over 2.6 million copies and, as of December 2018,officially recognized as the most played song of the 20th century.

Do you think we missed a song? I wish we had recorded something fromFlash Gordonormade in heavenlike "Too much love will kill you"?Let us know in the comments below.