This month marks a historic landmark for fans of classic rock. On July 13, 1973, Queen released their first album – the self titled Queen – the first of 15 studio albums that would change music forever. Rock bands no longer needed to be edgy to be cool; all you needed was a little theater, glamour, some fabulous outfits and, of course, an amazing team of songwriters and musicians to be kings of rock. Even 22 years after the legendary Freddie Mercury’s death, this band is still a major influence on music today. For example, the music of the band Muse is quite different from Queen, yet the theatrics and epic feel of their performances are almost identical. I dare you to listen to Muse’s song “United States of Eurasia (+ Collateral Damage)” and tell me one of frontman Matthew Bellamy’s biggest influences wasn’t Queen. As we celebrate Queen’s 40th anniversary this month, I want to share my six favorite Queen songs, starting from the earliest recordings, leading to the last album the band produced before Mercury’s tragic end to his battle with HIV/AIDS . 

Off the album: A Night at the Opera (1975)

You bet your bum we’re starting here. One of the most epic songs recorded in the history of time on one of the best albums recorded by man, “Bohemian Rhapsody” has a very unique characterization that’s pretty apparent, but not very obvious unless you think about it. The song doesn’t have a chorus. It is made up of several different sections, all with different musical styles and tempos; something incredibly rare in rock music. The song became a huge hit, even though executives thought the 5:55 length was too long to be a popular radio single. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is currently ranked as the third best selling single of all time in the United Kingdom.

 

Off the album: A Day at the Races (1976)

Long before Justin Bieber was looking for some loving, Freddie Mercury wrote this soulful gospel-like ballad that was strongly influenced by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the song is very complex and consists of several layers of vocal tracks. Unlike the band’s previous hit, however, Mercury went full force with the layering on this one to create the effect of a full choir singing. Although it sounds like dozens of people are singing during the gospel choir parts, it’s actually only the three voices of Mercury, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor that are heard. 

 

Off the album: News of the World (1977)

It’s been only a week since I’ve talked about one of my favorite pair of songs of all time, but because of the subject matter of this week’s article, there was no way I could ignore these two hits. As the first two tracks of News of the World, it’s borderline illegal to play one song without the other (make sure the songs are played in the correct order, as well!). Both songs were written as a response to a phenomenal event that happened at the end of a show in England during the band’s latest tour at the time. Instead of an ovation of applause and cheering that the band usually heard at the end of a show, the crowd of this one show began singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel.” The moment had such an emotional impact on the band, prompting them to write these songs specifically for fans to be part of the show and sing along. The idea seemed to work, as in 2011, a group of scientists performed a study that named “We Are the Champions” the catchiest song of all time, calling it “the perfect sing-along song.” I’m not even joking; it’s now a scientific fact. 

 

Off the album: Hot Space (1982)

While legendary musician David Bowie was in studio with Queen to record vocals to the song “Cool Cat” (which were eventually not even used in the final recording), the band was having difficulty completing a song under the title “Feel Like.” Bowie collaborated with the band to rewrite the song that would become “Under Pressure.” When recalling writing the song, none of the band members actually remember who created one of the most recognizable bass riffs of all time. While some band members gave credit to bassist John Deacon, Deacon himself gave credit to Bowie… and Bowie said the bass line was already written before he was involved with the song. While we may never know who originally wrote the infamous riff, I think we can all agree that Vanilla Ice is a tool for stealing a sample from the song.

 

Off the album: Innuendo (1991)

I’ll be honest here; purely on a musical perspective, this song is not even close to one of my favorite Queen songs. However, the story behind this song is one of my favorites in all of music history. While the information had not yet reached the public at the time of the album’s recording, Freddie Mercury was dying from AIDS. Primarily written by Brian May, the song is about Mercury’s dedication to perform despite his serious illness. Barely being able to walk, May was worried Mercury wouldn’t be able to record his part due to the demanding vocals. As the story goes, Freddie Mercury simply downed a shot of vodka, exclaimed, “I’ll #*$%ing do it, darling!” and absolutely nailed his part in one take. Hearing Mercury sing these lyrics about his determination “to carry on with the show” is heartbreaking knowing of his eventual fate, but the song – combined with its back story – is a beautiful composition. Long live Freddie. R.I.P.