Favorite Queen Songs

Queen is a band that I had always seemed on the verge of liking, but never quite dove in head first (or possibly 'headlong'.) I learned of "Bohemian Rhapsody" from the famous Wayne's World scene; and later The Highlander soundtrack was comprised of Queen's music. Other songs were brought to my attention because of listening to classic rock radio, but perhaps the timing wasn't right. There's just so much music to listen to, but sadly, not enough time.

Finally, after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody, I consumed every Queen studio album, and nearly every live album, too. It seems like they really check all of the boxes for what I like most in music and their songs cross multiple genres. It was too hard to narrow it to 10, so I cheated and expanded to 20.

20. "Dragon Attack" (The Game)
Such a funky song! Freddie is firing out the lyrics like an early rap song, while John Deacon was laying down a slick bassline.

19. "Great King Rat" (Queen)
This song seemed so damn silly the first time I heard it with it's lyrics about a dirty old man, but as the song went on, it sucked me in! It's like early heavy metal, with fiery riffing and mystical lyrics. I guess I assumed it was just Dio who was talking about this kind of stuff in the 70's!

18. "Tenement Funster/Flick Of The Wrist/Lily Of The Valley" (Sheer Heart Attack)
I cheated and went with 20 songs, yet this is cheating even more, with combining 3 songs into 1 entry. However, they flow together seamlessly...and Dream Theater covered all 3 as a medley on a covers album, so what the hell. This is a prime example of their breadth of style, as it goes from straight rock with Roger Taylor's vocals on "Tenement Funster", to classic Freddie operatic style on "Flick Of The Wrist", into a cooling down moment as Freddie sings on "Lily Of The Valley."

17. "I'm Going Slightly Mad" (Innuendo)
I like how this is a dark song musically, but yet the lyrics are very silly. I especially like how a lyric by Freddie goes, "I'm one wave short of a shipwreck." As if that wasn't enough to sell me on the song, then Brian May added a sinister sounding slide guitar solo. Its a very unique song in the Queen catalog.

16. "Who Needs You" (News Of The World)
I really love the News of the World album, with this song from John Deacon being a highlight. That guy was their secret weapon... he wasn't the flashiest guy in the band nor did he sing any lead vocals, yet he could write a damn good song. He almost seems similar to John Paul Jones, because people seem to point out Page, Plant, and Bonham, but rarely do you hear John Paul Jones get mentioned as much as his bandmates.

15. "Bicycle Race" (Jazz)
Another song that could almost be dismissed as too silly, yet its amazing how they did an entire solo section just with bicycle bells. It kind of plays off their earlier songs that were composed of odd noises and instruments, like they were thinking, "what can we do now to top 'Seaside Rendezvous'?"

14. "We Will Rock You" (News Of The World)
I hesitate to almost even have this as a 'favorite' of mine because it's one that's been played to death on radio stations and at sporting events. Yet, I shouldn't dismiss it, because as stated in the movie, its a great crowd participation song. Also, while listening to some of their live performances, I heard a pretty cool "fast" version that ignores the stomp-clap rhythm.

13. "Somebody To Love" (A Day At The Races)
If I didn't know any better, I'd believe the band hired a huge choir to back up their vocals. Instead it's just the voices of the 3 singers layered about 100 times.

12. "Seven Seas Of Rhye" (Queen II)
One song I dismissed early on for sounding too much like early Billy Joel, but then I'd find myself at work going over that fast piano intro in my head. I guess that's the mark of a great song; when you can't escape it!

11. "I Was Born To Love You" (Made In Heaven)
I guess this technically shouldn't count, since it's a solo Freddie song that the band added their own parts onto later for the Made in Heaven album. Freddie's was more synth heavy, while this one is just balls out, fiery guitar. I love it!!

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10. "Ogre Battle" (Queen II)
I liken my love of this one to the same way I dig "Great King Rat"... just a really cool, early heavy metal song. It's almost like the prototype for Iron Maiden, after Bruce Dickinson joined the band- operatic vocals, mystical lyrics, and some wicked guitar!

9. "Spread Your Wings" (News Of The World)
Another Deacon creation, also from News Of The World. This one ranks higher cause there are many times I've found myself wishing I could fly away, just like Sammy in the song's lyrics.

8. "The Show Must Go On" (Innuendo)
Every song in the Top 10 is almost one huge entry- 1A, 1B, etc. There's only a fraction of a percentage separating these songs from each other. This one really gets me not only because it's one I heard and enjoyed very early on, but also because it seems like a fitting tribute for Freddie. He was ill but still wanted to make as much music as he could, and didn't want to draw a lot of attention on himself. It's also in the bombastic style of the band, with big vocals that make you want to sing aong, and a cool solo.

7. "I Want It All" (The Miracle)
Its a little similar to "The Show Must Go On"... except I like this one more.

6. "Another One Bites The Dust" (The Game)
One of their signature songs, and for good reason. The bass has bite, Freddie's lyrics are fast, and it's impossible to resist busting a move. I just bust those moves in private.

5. "Hammer To Fall" (The Works)
This is another song I heard pretty early on, as I came across a compilation in the radio studio called Classic Queen. It wasn't technically a greatest hits, as it seemed to be mostly late era songs with a few hits sprinkled in. I only recently found out it was released to coincide with their wave of popularity from Wayne's World- "strike while the iron is hot." This song WAS a single and IS on their greatest hits album, so I'm left scratching my head about why it is NOT on the radio along with their other hits. It's every bit as good as their radio staples!

4. "Bohemian Rhapsody" (A Night At The Opera)
It's impossible to not enjoy this song and really doesn't need a reason given.

3. "Radio Ga Ga" (The Works)
This is a case where I enjoy the song, but love the live version just a little bit more. It's like when they did it live, especially for Live Aid, there's a greater sense of energy in the song, and I love it. The lyrics are great too, as it's like a tribute to the radio, and the line about "teenage life" hits me a little too close. There were countless hours where I'd be at home, playing video games with the tv on mute, and had the local station Rock 106 as my soundtrack. Now I'm an adult and work in radio; so as the song goes, "Radio, someone still loves you."

2. "Don't Stop Me Now" (Jazz)
This song is featured as the credits roll in the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic. That was the first I'd heard it and was instantly hooked. Its like a fireball of energy, similar to "I Was Born To Love You", because it's already fast-paced, but seems to launch into orbit once the solo hits. I instantly searched for this song, finding it on their Jazz album, and also the soundtrack to the movie. The next day, I must've had it on a loop for almost a half hour straight on my drive to work... and later used it to pump me up in preparation for a 5k.

1. "Under Pressure" w/David Bowie
I feel like this is another cheat, since it's a collaboration with Queen and David Bowie...usually these lists of mine are songs from the band only, no covers, etc; but its such a great song! It's like a "feel good" song that you can't help but sing along with, especially Freddie's nonsense scat-vocals. Day day oh!!