Queen is considered to be one of the most successful rock bands of all time and also one of the bestselling bands in the United Kingdom. A key point to their success is the wide range of music they can play professionally. Their songs range from hard rock to piano-based pop and everything in between. Queen has much more hits than 10 but we at the DopeLists have chosen the top 10 songs from our point of view.
10. “Somebody to Love”
This song is one of the different Queen songs because of the gospel elements the band used to create it. The song became successful not only in the UK (their home country) but also in the USA where it reached the second and thirteenth place on the charts. The most impressive part of the song is the ability of the band to create the sound of a 100-person choir by using only three voices with voice layering. The song is written by the frontman and vocalist of the band – Freddie Mercury and represents a soul-searching piece that asks what role God has in life without love. The vocalist has often cited his love for Aretha Franklin as a big influence in the creation of “Somebody to Love”.
9. “ I Want to Break Free”
This is maybe their most controversial song. Because it is mostly known not because of the composition or the performance but for the video. In the clip, the band is all dressed up as women, which was a parody of the British soap opera, Coronation Street. The parody was well-received in Great Britain but was very controversial in the US and it was also banned from MTV. This ban reflected on the charts the song was in 45th place on the American charts at its best. The song is also recognized as an anthem of fight and strength against oppression.
8. “Radio Gaga”
The single was released just before the song “I want to Break Free”. It became a massive hit internationally. Actually “Radio Gaga” reached first place on the charts in 19 countries. The single was recorded in 1983 and released in January 1984. It was a comment on television and its rising power against radio popularity. The song lyrics are also about the music video and MTV, which was emerging as a strong competitor of the radio as a medium for promoting albums. The video of “Radio Gaga” was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 1984.
7. “Under Pressure”
This single was originally recorded in 1981 by Queen and David Bowie and became successful worldwide. “Under Pressure” was rated 31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs in the 1980s. The song was played at every Queen’s concert from 1981 until 1986 when they stopped touring. What made the song different from the others is the bass line which is defined to be one of the best in the history of modern music. The rapper Vanilla Ice used the bass line in his hit song “Ice Ice Baby”.
6. “Another One Bites the Dust”
This is one of the most well-received and favored songs of all. The single appeared in almost every important music chart internationally. It is defined as Queen’s best-selling single of all time with sales of only 7 million copies. The Billboard’s All-Time Top Songs list rewarded this song with 34th place. “Another One Bites the Dust” was also nominated for an AMA and Grammy. It was covered but also parodied by a huge number of artists.
5. “We Will Rock You”
This song is one of the most popular Queen songs. It is considered one of the best songs of the band and ranked as one of the best songs of all time for a long period. It is often used in sports events, covered, parodied, and sampled. The song itself has a simple beat, there is a brief guitar solo and it is mostly acapella.
4. “Fat Bottemed Girls”
The song was highly ranked even though it was not so well received in comparison with other “Queen’s” hits. It had uniqueness because of the consideration for greatness to sing along. The tuning of the guitar was bluesy and the only song of this band that was played in an alternative guitar tuning.
3. “Don’t Stop Me Now”
The longevity and airplay of the song made it one of the best and most popular songs of the band even though it was not a huge hit originally. Mercury played the piano in this song, Roger Taylor was the guitarist and John Deacon played the drums. The multitrack harmony vocals in the chorus were the main feature of “Don’t Stop Me Now”. Its success was prolonged because it was played in commercials and shows for years. It was also ranked as one of the most “feel good” songs of all time.
2. “We Are the Champions”
This song is defined as a power ballad. It was written by Freddie Mercury and is still one of the most recognizable rock anthems of all time. It became successful worldwide. In 2011 a team of researchers discovered that the song was the catchiest song in all of modern history. It became an anthem for victories in sports events and was covered by other famous musicians in other musical genres, for instance, Green Day and Katy Perry
1. “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Few people can argue that this song is the best in Queen’s history. It reached the top of many charts. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is still played on a regular basis nowadays and continues its appearance on lists of the best songs of all time. The song is considered to become a masterpiece years earlier of its time. The song length is 6 minutes with a complex composition: there were numerous different sections including an intro, a ballad, an opera-style part, and a hard rock part. People unfamiliar with the song would have a hard time understating the whole song because all the sections are so different but still blend well when listened together.