5 Best Queen Songs
Few classic rock bands have as many ubiquitous songs as Queen. It’s hard to go a day of listening to the radio and flipping channels without hearing “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” or one of their other tracks. With that in mind, it’s hard to whittle down their catalog to the best of the best. Here goes.
5. ‘Under Pressure’
Queen and David Bowie were both part of the glam rock trend of the 1970s. One might assume that a collaboration between the two would bring back that sound. Instead, they devised an intriguing minimalist guitar riff that’ll stick in your head until the end of time.
While most of the love for “Under Pressure” stems from that riff, the lyrics of “Under Pressure” are fantastic as well. “Under Pressure” is one of the few pop songs that deals with the subject of anxiety while still being fun. It’s enough to make you forget the Vanilla Ice rip-off.
4. ‘Killer Queen’
When I was a child, I was obsessed with Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. I loved “Killer Queen” because I thought it sounded like something the Mad Hatter would sing. In a way, I was right. Freddie Mercury sang “Killer Queen” with an otherworldly wit befitting a Lewis Carroll character.
Beyond that, the tune has one of the most unique melodies in the history of popular music. Nothing really sounds like it, even Queen’s other singles. The mix of glam rock, musical theater, and baroque pop is delicious.
3. ‘The Show Must Go On’
Many Queen songs will put a smile on your face. With “The Show Must Go On,” the band proved they could get a bit heavy while still being triumphant. Anyone who has ever had to find the strength to get through a bad situation, such as a breakup, a health condition, or the loss of a loved one might want to listen to this song again to help them fight through the pain.
“The show must go on” is a backstage cliche. Queen managed to give the phrase some real punch. If people are saying “the show must go on” in 2100, it’ll be the result of this song.
2. ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’
“Don’t Stop Me Now” was a forgotten gem in Queen’s catalog for decades. It only reached No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then it appeared in Shaun of the Dead, and now it’s about as overexposed as Coca-Cola and Taylor Swift. It might be challenging to listen to this song anew at this point.
However, if you can, you’ll hear one of the most original songs from the power pop genre. It’s also one of the catchiest tunes ever written. It’s incredible that anyone was able to ignore this song in the 1970s.
1. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
What else could top this list? If you know five songs, one is “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The pinnacle of progressive rock, this is one of the most ambitious songs in the entire rock/pop canon. Over the course of six minutes, the track takes you through heaven and hell, as it’s a pop ballad, a murder ballad, a mini-opera, and a pumping rock song number all rolled into one.
If you plopped “Bohemian Rhapsody” into anyone else’s catalog, it would make the rest of their music look like trash. Meanwhile, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is Queen’s best song, but it doesn’t detract from their other accomplishments.
