Queen – Greatest Hits

Queen. One of the grandest and most dominant rock bands to emerge from the UK. Their theatrical edge combined with hard rock licks, solid grooves and bags of charisma resulted in Queen becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet. 

Forming in London in 1970, it’s well known that Queen went on to have a form of global success that few manage to attain. Their live performances were epic. Their productions were exquisitely well-formed. During their most celebrated years, Queen was made up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor.

We take a look at some of Queen’s greatest hits.

1. Killer Queen
2. Radio Ga Ga
3. Bohemian Rhapsody
4. I Want To Break Free
5. We Will Rock You
6. Don’t Stop Me Now

Killer Queen

Featured on Queen’s third studio album Sheer Heart Attack, ‘Killer Queen’ is a glam-rock gem. Its playful, carnivalesque composition is paired with May’s electrifying guitar melodies and the stunning vocal arrangements that the band became so well known for. One of the band’s greatest hits, the track landed at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1974. During an interview with NME, Mercury stated that the song is about a “high class call girl” although he emphasised that he’d like for “people to put their interpretation upon it.”

Radio Ga Ga

‘Radio Ga Ga’ was released in 1984 on Queen’s 11th studio album The Works. Written by drummer Roger Taylor, the track comments on the rise of television at the start of the 80s during the MTV era as it started gaining momentum in terms of its influence on popular culture. The hit landed at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in Ireland, meaning that when it charted, all four members of the band had written at least one Top 10 hit either in the UK or the US. The track features some stellar electronic synths, drum machines and epic keys, solidifying Queen’s sound in the 1980s. Their performance of ‘Radio Ga Ga’ at Live Aid is nothing short of spectacular and the track remains one of Queen’s definite greatest hits.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Songs don’t come much greater than this. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was released on A Night at the Opera in 1975. There is a striking complexity to its arrangement and composition, yet it is undeniably one of the Queen’s most adored songs. The band have always kept the lyrical meaning of the song close to their chests and have encouraged fans to interpret it for themselves. The track landed at number 1 in the UK and number 9 in the US Billboard Top 100. In 1977 the song was awarded two Grammy Awards and the British Phonographic Industry named it the best British single of the period between 1952 and 1977. The track currently sits within the top 50 songs streamed on Spotify with over 1.5 million streams. The video on YouTube has been viewed more than 1 billion times. This truly is the greatest hit.

I Want To Break Free

The synth sounds of the 1980s made their way in to some of Queen’s greatest hits, including the hit single ‘I Want To Break Free’. The track landed at number 3 in the UK and number 2 in Ireland and was featured on their 1984 album The Works. The video featured the band cross-dressing on a set inspired by much-loved British soap dramas. Fantastically playful, fun and poignant, MTV didn’t see it that way unfortunately as they banned the video, limiting the band’s exposure in the US.  

We Will Rock You

Today, you’ll likely hear ‘We Will Rock You’ being chanted at a major sporting event and the band’s pounding hit is surely one of their greatest. Stomps and claps provide the percussive backing track which allows Mercury’s bold vocal to take charge and May’s guitar outro is as cool as it gets. Speaking in the ‘Days Of Our Lives’ documentary, May explains that the idea for the track came about after the band were treated to a rendition of Liverpool Football Clubs anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by the crowd as they were leaving the stage. May wanted to create a hit that the crowd could participate in. Needless to say, they did a pretty good job!

Don’t Stop Me Now

‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ remains one of the band’s greatest hits with its classic combination of Mercury’s powerful vocal and theatrical piano section, then descending into a joyous high energy rock anthem. The track was featured on the 1977 album Jazz and it reached number 9 in the UK Singles Charts and number 10 in Ireland. Written by Mercury, the track appears to reference his hedonistic experiences. The track was also featured in Edgar Wright’s zombie comedy horror movie ‘Shaun of the Dead’ during one of the epic bar fights.