10 Hard Rock Bands That Went Pop
9. Queen
Queen's music is one of the few in rock that seems to transcend date. Whether it's the first time you've heard it or the 100th time, these songs have a certain presence to them that makes them feel as second nature as the air you breathe. However, the Queen we know was a much heavier animal back in the '70s.
Across the band's first few records, they had a much more aggressive bent to their sound, with songs that touched on progressive territory. In fact, vocalist Freddie Mercury was once seriously considering making a rock opera of sorts off of the band's early hit "Seven Seas of Rhye," but ultimately decided against it once "Bohemian Rhapsody" became his grand vision. Even some of the band's one-off songs like "Stone Cold Crazy" helped set the template for modern punk and metal.
On the other hand, many people see Queen as a pop band, with songs like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust" still getting airplay on the radio. The band may have tidied up their sound to adapt with the times, but when it comes to any Queen song, any genre is going to be up to the highest standard.