K. Gitter

Today, it’s difficult to believe that a rock band known for its flamboyant lead singer, wild hairdos and ambiguous name made its way through the 70s without attracting much unwanted attention. But it was the days of glam rock, when wearing black nail polish wasn’t effeminate it was punk. For Queen, the transition from small art-school rock band to international megastardom was largely founded on the operatic voice of their lead singer, Farrokh Bulsara (a.k.a. Freddy Mercury). Born in Zanzibar, the Zoroastrian Mercury found fellow bandmates Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor while attending Ealing Art College in West London. Apart from choosing the groups name, Mercury also designed the iconic Queen logo a fusion of their four zodiac signs, framed by a regal crest. Their early hits in the mid 70s made them staples on the disco-dominated music scene, with a new style of rock that fused hard guitar licks with the booming voice of a seemingly classically trained tenor. Though their discography has been enshrined in the rock canon for generations, is Queen nevertheless a little overrated? Don’t get me wrong: They have plenty of great hits, but we shouldn’t overlook the stinkers. Avoiding the trap of absolute Queen worship, we break down their best and not-so-great tracks. The Good 5. Under Pressure (1981) https://youtu.be/YoDh_gHDvkk When Queen collaborated with David Bowie, the result was a masterpiece of rock n’ roll androgyny. The fact that everyone loves a song usually sullies my affection for it, but not here. This track marked the band’s first pairing with another artist, a serendipity that almost didn’t happen. Bowie stopped by one day to say hi to the band as they recorded a new album in their studio, and a spontaneous writing session ensued. "Under Pressure" Pressure pushing down on me Pressing down on you, no man ask for Under pressure that burns a building down Splits a family in two Puts people on streetsIt's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming, "Let me out!" Tomorrow gets me higher Pressure on people - people on streetsChippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor These are the days - it never rains but it pours People on streets - people on streetsIt's the terror of knowing What this world is about Watching some good friends Screaming, "Let me out!" Tomorrow gets me higher, higher, higher... Pressure on people - people on streetsTurned away from it all like a blind man Sat on a fence but it don't work Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn Why, why, why? Love Insanity laughs under pressure we're cracking Can't we give ourselves one more chance? Why can't we give love that one more chance? Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?.. 'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word And love dares you to care for The people on the edge of the night And love dares you to change our way of Caring about ourselves This is our last dance This is our last dance This is ourselves Under pressure Under pressure Pressure 4. Play the Game (1980) Queen marched into the 80s with a dramatic sonic about-face. Written by Mercury, the song marked the band’s first use of electronic synthesizers, as they had previously sworn them off. Musically, it was an acceptance of the new wave in English and American rock that would soon dominate the airwaves. "Play The Game" Open up your mind and let me step inside Rest your weary head and let your heart decideIt's so easy When you know the rules It's so easy, All you have to do Is fall in love Play the game, Everybody play the game of love (yeah)When you're feeling down and your resistance is low Light another cigarette and let yourself goThis is your life Don't play hard to get It's a free world All you have to do is fall in love Play the game, Everybody play the game of loveMy game of love has just begun Love runs from my head down to my toes My love is pumping through my veins (play the game) Driving me insane Come, come, come play the game, play the game, play the game, play the game Everybody play the game of love This is your life Don't play hard to get It's a free, free world All you have to do is fall in love Play the game Play the game of love Your life Don't play hard to get It's a free, free world All you have to do is fall in love Play the game Play the game of love Click "NEXT" to see more... 3. Don’t Stop Me Now (1979) A single from the album Jazz, Don’t Stop Me Now features one of Queen’s most blatant uses of flamboyant vocal harmonies, a band signature. "Don't Stop Me Now" Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time I feel alive and the world it's turning inside out Yeah! I'm floating around in ecstasy So don't stop me now don't stop me 'Cause I'm having a good time having a good timeI'm a shooting star leaping through the skies Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva I'm gonna go go go There's no stopping meI'm burning through the sky yeah! Two hundred degrees That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit I'm trav'ling at the speed of light I wanna make a supersonic man out of youDon't stop me now I'm having such a good time I'm having a ball Don't stop me now If you wanna have a good time Just give me a callDon't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time) Don't stop me now (yes I'm having a good time) I don't want to stop at all... yeah! I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars On a collision course I am a satellite I'm out of control I am a sex machine ready to reload Like an atom bomb about to Oh oh oh oh oh explode I'm burning through the sky Yeah! Two hundred degrees That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit I'm trav'ling at the speed of light I wanna make a supersonic woman of you Don't stop me Don't stop me Don't stop me Hey hey hey! Don't stop me Don't stop me Ooh ooh ooh (I like it) Don't stop me Don't stop me Have a good time, good time Don't stop me Don't stop me Ooh ooh alright Ooh I'm burning through the sky yeah! Two hundred degrees That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit I'm trav'ling at the speed of light I wanna make a supersonic man out of you Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time I'm having a ball Don't stop me now If you wanna have a good time Just give me a call Don't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time) Don't stop me now (yes I'm having a good time) I don't wanna stop at all La la la la laaaa La la la la La la laa laa laa laaa La la laa la la la la la laaa hey!!.... 2. Killer Queen (1974) This was Queen’s first U.S. hit, reaching number 12 on the Billboard charts. It’s everything early Queen was supposed to be: girly, irreverent and melodically on point. Combining vaudeville and camp with May’s guitar virtuosity, the mix was both bold and novel for its time. "Killer Queen" She keeps Moët et Chandon In her pretty cabinet 'Let them eat cake,' she says Just like Marie Antoinette A built-in remedy For Kruschev and Kennedy At anytime an invitation You can't declineCaviar and cigarettes Well versed in etiquette Extraordinarily niceShe's a Killer Queen Gunpowder, gelatine Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind AnytimeRecommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try?To avoid complications She never kept the same address In conversation She spoke just like a baroness Met a man from China Went down to Geisha Minah Then again incidentally If you're that way inclined Perfume came naturally from Paris For cars she couldn't care less Fastidious and precise She's a Killer Queen Gunpowder, gelatine Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime Drop of a hat she's as willing as Playful as a pussy cat Then momentarily out of action Temporarily out of gas To absolutely drive you wild, wild.. She's all out to get you She's a Killer Queen Gunpowder, gelatine Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime Recommended at the price Insatiable an appetite Wanna try? You wanna try... And the number 1 GREAT song is "NEXT" 1. Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) As much as it pains me to nominate Queen’s most well-known song as number one, I have no choice. Bohemian Rhapsody is simply too good to snub. Due to its enormous success, the band hired a production company to shoot a film to accompany the song; the result is widely considered to be the first music video ever made. Not only does it show the band performing the track live, but it also cuts between close-ups and wide frames of the group in various minimalist backdrops. "Bohemian Rhapsody" Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality.Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see, I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me.Mama, just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger, now he's dead. Mama, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away.Mama, ooh, Didn't mean to make you cry, If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, Body's aching all the time. Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth. Mama, ooh (any way the wind blows), I don't wanna die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all. I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? Thunderbolt and lightning, Very, very frightening me. (Galileo) Galileo. (Galileo) Galileo, Galileo Figaro Magnifico-o-o-o-o. I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me. He's just a poor boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity. Easy come, easy go, will you let me go? Bismillah! No, we will not let you go. (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let him go!) Bismillah! We will not let you go. (Let me go!) Will not let you go. (Let me go!) Never let you go (Never, never, never, never let me go) Oh oh oh oh No, no, no, no, no, no, no Oh, mama mia, mama mia (Mama mia, let me go.) Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me. So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die? Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby, Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here. (Ooooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah) Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters, Nothing really matters to me. Any way the wind blows. Click "NEXT" to see the 5 Not-So-Good Songs AND THEN THERE'S: The Not-So-Good? 5. Fat Bottomed Girls (1978) Apart from being an ode to normal bodies everywhere, this song has very little going for it. It reminds me of that one track everyone goes crazy for when it’s played at the local Chili’s. "Fat Bottomed Girls" Oh you gonna take me home tonight Oh down beside that red fire light Oh you gonna let it all hang out Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go roundHey I was just a skinny lad Never knew no good from bad But I knew love before I left my nursery Left alone with big fat Fanny She was such a naughty nanny Heap big woman, you made a bad boy out of meHey hey!I've been singing with my band Across the water, across the land I've seen every blue eyed floozy on the way (hey) But their beauty and their style Went kind of smooth after a while Take me to them naughty ladies every timeC'mon! Oh, won't you take me home tonight? Oh, down beside your red fire light Oh, and you give it all you got Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round Hey, listen here Now I got mortgages and homes I got stiffness in the bones Ain't no beauty queens in this locality (I tell you) Oh, but I still get my pleasure Still get my greatest treasure Heap big woman you done made a big man of me (now get this) Oh (I know), you gonna take me home tonight (please) Oh, down beside that red fire light Oh, you gonna let it all hang out Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round (yeah) Fat-bottomed girls you make the rocking world go round Get on your bikes and ride Ooh, yeah, oh, yeah, them fat-bottomed girls Fat-bottomed girls, yeah, yeah, yeah, All right Ride 'em cowboy Fat-bottomed girls Yes, yes, right. 4. You’re My Best Friend (1975) I get it, we’re really good friends. Just stop repeating it! I detest this song because, despite its cool melodic sound, it seems to be the anxious rambling of a borderline psychotic. "You're My Best Friend" Ooh, you make me live Whatever this world can give to me It's you, you're all I see Ooh, you make me live now honey Ooh, you make me liveYou're the best friend That I ever had I've been with you such a long time You're my sunshine And I want you to know That my feelings are true I really love you You're my best friendOoh, you make me liveI've been wandering round But I still come back to you In rain or shine You've stood by me girl I'm happy at home (happy at home) You're my best friend.Ooh, you make me live Whenever this world is cruel to me I got you to help me forgive Ooh, you make me live now honey Ooh, you make me live You're the first one When things turn out bad You know I'll never be lonely You're my only one And I love the things I really love the things that you do You're my best friend Ooh, you make me live. I'm happy, happy at home You're my best friend You're my best friend Ooh, you make me live You, you're my best friend. Click "NEXT" to see our 3rd pick 3. Radio Ga Ga (1984) All bands fall prey to pressure to change their sound to engender the widest appeal. Written by drummer Roger Taylor, this song musically showcases 80s beats overlaid with lyrics describing the fall of radio and the rise of television. "Radio Ga Ga" Radio. Radio. I'd sit alone and watch your light My only friend through teenage nights And everything I had to know I heard it on my radio You gave them all those old time stars Through wars of worlds invaded by Mars You made 'em laugh, you made 'em cry You made us feel like we could fly. Radio. So don't become some background noise A backdrop for the girls and boys Who just don't know or just don't care And just complain when you're not there You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio, Radio. All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio, what's new? Radio, someone still loves you! We watch the shows, we watch the stars On videos for hours and hours We hardly need to use our ears How music changes through the years. Let's hope you never leave old friend Like all good things on you we depend So stick around 'cause we might miss you When we grow tired of all this visual You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio, Radio. All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio goo goo Radio ga ga All we hear is Radio ga ga Radio blah blah Radio, what's new? Someone still loves you! Radio ga ga You had your time, you had the power You've yet to have your finest hour Radio, Radio. 2. We Are the Champions (1977) I hate this song because it’s played at every major sporting event, high-school graduation and bar/bat mitzvah. Okay, you guys are great just stop proclaiming it before I blow out my eardrums. "We Are The Champions" I've paid my dues Time after time. I've done my sentence But committed no crime. And bad mistakes ‒ I've made a few. I've had my share of sand kicked in my face But I've come through.(And I need just go on and on, and on, and on)We are the champions, my friends, And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end. We are the champions. We are the champions. No time for losers 'Cause we are the champions of the world.I've taken my bows And my curtain calls. You brought me fame and fortune, and everything that goes with it. I thank you all. But it's been no bed of roses, No pleasure cruise. I consider it a challenge before the whole human race, And I ain't gonna lose.(And I need just go on and on, and on, and on) We are the champions, my friends, And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end. We are the champions. We are the champions. No time for losers 'Cause we are the champions of the world. We are the champions, my friends, And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end. We are the champions. We are the champions. No time for losers 'Cause we are the champions. Of the world And the #1 Not-So-Good song is "NEXT" 1. Who Wants To Live Forever (1986) Queen made some missteps in the 80s, and this was a big one. The track itself was written for the movie Highlander and possibly reads cheesier than its sci-fi progenitor. The music video looks tense and awkward as Mercury stands in front of Britain’s National Philharmonic Orchestra, 40 choirboys and hundreds of candles. With a tune fresh out of a Barbra Streisand cable special, it’s no wonder hardcore Queen fans would rather let this blunder go. "Who Wants To Live Forever" There's no time for us, There's no place for us, What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us.Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever.....? There's no chance for us, It's all decided for us, This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.Who wants to live forever, Who dares to love forever, When love must die.But touch my tears with your lips, Touch my world with your fingertips, And we can have forever, And we can love forever, Forever is our today, Who wants to live forever, Who wants to live forever, Forever is our today, Who waits forever anyway? ALSO READ: 1972: Ike and Turner Live on Soul Train, “Proud Mary” DoYouRemember’s Picks Of The Greatest Rock Documentaries 20 Movies Turning 20 in 2017 (Actually 21… But Who Is Counting?) Do you agree with our picks? Let us know what order you would put them into! We welcome your comments below. And please feel free to SHARE this with your friends. Thank you!