10 Greatest Queen Songs
Queen: Four talented musicians, one heck of a monarch.
Queen are a divisive band. For every music fan who loves their brand of flamboyant rock there’s another who finds them gratingly melodramatic or indulgent.
Whatever your personal take on their music, you can’t deny Queen’s success. Their hit albums and singles span more than two decades and the first of their three Greatest Hits collections is the UK’s best selling album of all time.
Plus, no one can suggest that their songs haven’t stood the test of time. In 1992, Mike Myers' hit film about rock fan Wayne Campbell introduced Queen’s music to a whole new generation.
Over two decades later, Queen were able to return the favour. Myers’ cameo in their biopic Bohemian Rhapsody had younger cinema goers asking, “It’s a reference to what? What’s a Wayne’s World?”
That same film became the highest grossing biographical movie of all time. More proof of the band’s enduring appeal.
The songs on this list offer ten compelling explanations for the band’s popularity. Of course, for a band with such an extensive and varied back catalogue, any list of their “best” songs will provoke as many snorts of derision as nods of approval. Which is probably how the band would want it.
10. Don’t Stop Me Now
Don’t Stop Me Now is unavoidable. It’s the soundtrack to school discos, wedding receptions, staff Christmas parties and cheesy nightclubs everywhere.
It’s so inescapable that it’s possible to suffer from a kind of Don’t Stop Me Now fatigue. You might never hear this one again and be quite happy. It’s certainly hard to approach the song with fresh ears. Still, before you head off to protest outside your local Walkabout, brandishing a “Stop Don’t Stop Me Now” placard, remember there’s good reason for the song’s incredible ubiquity.
Everything, from the adrenalised rhythm section to the catchy, easy-to-join-in melody and the squealing guitar solo, feels custom built to get the blood pumping and the heart pounding.
Queen combine all that with a soaring vocal and self affirming lyrics that will have you feeling like an actual God as you sing along after a couple of pints.
That’s why this song is still a part of any good night out. You’d miss it if it was gone.