My Favorite Queen Songs

In the grand tradition of making lists of songs (which is something I seem to be doing a lot of lately), today I'm going to talk about my favorite Queen songs in honor of the new Bohemian Rhapsody movie. 

Now, I did see Bohemian Rhapsody, and I thought it was great. If you haven't seen it, you should run -- not walk -- to the movie theatre right now because this is a movie that you need to see on the big screen. 

I really enjoy Queen's music, but, to be completely honest, I've never really delved that deeply into their catalog. I am a Queen fan, but I don't know their music as well as I could, which is why I haven't written about Queen in any of my music posts before. 

However, I am pumped about the Bohemian Rhapsody movie, and I want you to be excited about the movie too, so I'm going to share my favorite Queen songs today. Now, I'm not going to include the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" on this list because I feel like it's a given that everyone likes that song, everybody knows all the words, and no one needs to be told why it's a good song. So, here are my favorite Queen songs (sans "Bohemian Rhapsody").

1. '39 from A Night at the Opera - If you ask me what my favorite Queen song is, my answer will, without a doubt, always be '39. It's just such a beautiful song, and the lyrics are so sad and sentimental at the same time. I also really enjoy the simplicity of the guitar part. I have to say that a lot of my favorite Queen songs were written by Brian May, and this is no exception. I'm guessing Brian May's background as an astrophysicist inspired the lyrics because, according to Wikipedia, "The song relates the tale of a group of space explorers who embark on what is, from their perspective, a year-long voyage. Upon their return, however, they realize that a hundred years have passed, because of the time dilation effect in Einstein's special theory of relativity, and the loved ones they left behind are now all dead or aged."

2. Somebody to Love from A Day at the Races - I challenge you to find one person on planet Earth who does not love this song. It's just such a profoundly good song. Brian May's solo is fantastic, and the vocals are just out of this world. I mean, seriously, THE VOCALS. Obviously, Freddie Mercury's performance is jaw dropping, but I think people lose track of the fact that Rodger Taylor and Brian May are also awesome singers, and they do a fantastic job on this song. It's such a tour de force. I honestly think it's their magnum opus. If you haven't heard the live recording of this song from their concert in Montreal in 1981, you must go and watch it immediately. It might actually be better than the studio version (especially Rodger Taylor's drums and backing vocals). It will knock you off your feet. 

3. Killer Queen from Sheer Heart Attack - Who doesn't love Killer Queen? It's one of those songs that really shows what a progressive, experimental band Queen was. It's just such a genuinely cool song. I love the drumming in this song (I mean, we all know that Rodger Taylor has a really unique sound, but his fills in this song are amazing), the intro is legendary, and the outro is to die for. And, of course, Brian May kills the guitar solo. 

4. Crazy Little Thing Called Love from The Game - Man, do I ever love this song. First of all, the bass line is kickin' (and I love songs with good bass lines). Second of all, the rockabilly, Elvis inspired-ness of the whole song is just fantastic. It's just such a fun, really enjoyable song. 

5. My Baby Does Me from The Miracle - In my opinion, this is one of Queen's most underrated songs (right up there with '39). This song is just so smooth. In fact, Brian May's guitar part in this song really does remind me of Santana. But, of course, the bass is the star of the show here. I think John Deacon had a big hand in writing this song, and it shows. The bass line is great. It's a little-known Queen song, so, if you haven't heard it, go give it a listen. 

6. Hammer to Fall from The Works - This is such a pump up song; I dare you to listen to this song and not feel like you have to get up and move. This is another Brian May song, which explains why I like it so much. First of all, the guitar riff is to die for, and the drums are so powerful. Not to mention that May and Taylor's backing vocals are perfection.  

7. Don't Stop Me Now from Jazz - This is such a fun, energetic song. Per usual, the guitar solo is fantastic, and the drums are on point. The backing vocals are great, and the outro is super cool. I'm not sure what else to say about this song; it brings so much amazing energy. 

8. I Want to Break Free from The Works - For a long time, I didn't love I Want to Break Free. For some reason, I totally overlooked it. Anyway, I've come to my senses, and I love this song. Freddie Mercury's vocals are really on point in this song (I mean, they're always on point, but especially here). The guitar part is fantastic (naturally), and I love how powerful the drums are in this song. Plus, the music video is really funny. 

9. Keep Yourself Alive from Queen - I'm pretty sure that Heart ripped off this song when they recorded Barracuda. But seriously, I love the guitar part in this song (Brian May wrote it, so of course the guitar is kickin'), and the drum solo is on point. This is one of Queen's early songs, but I can't understand why it wasn't more popular; it never even charted. If you haven't heard it, go listen immediately. 

10. The Prophet's Song from A Night at the Opera - This is another little-known Queen song. It's a fantastically epic song (also written by Brian May; I told you I love songs written by Brian May). And, if you ask me, it's on the same scale as Bohemian Rhapsody. It has a lot of the same elements that made Bohemian Rhapsody so succesful. According to Wikipedia, Brian May wrote the song "after a dream he had about a great flood while he was recovering from being ill." Anyway, if you haven't heard this song, go listen to it immediately. It's fantastic. 

Just sayin'