10 Greatest Hard Rock Album Openers

In the grand scheme of rock music, Queen had a reputation of being one of the most consistent bands in the game. Whether it was them delivering hard rock or venturing into pop, gospel, or opera, chances are we would be in for something musically stellar. Everything about Queen's sound seemed massive, but "We Will Rock You" showed what this band could do at an elemental level.

Written by Brian May, "We Will Rock You" was an experiment to create a song that the band's massive audiences could participate in. Rather than stuff as many instrumental layers on as possible, the track is made up almost entirely of stomps and claps, with Freddie Mercury's lead vocal dripping with attitude. The percussion attack is so overpowering that it seems to hit you like a ton of bricks when May's guitar does finally turn up at the end of the track.

Aside from being a great opener, it also serves as a nice sonic intro for "We Are the Champions," which brings back the instrumental gravitas in full force. It might seem a bit rudimentary for a band of Queen's caliber to write a song centered around clapping, but these musical masters were able to take these sounds and turn them into a hard rock monster.