10 Most Underrated Queen Songs
4. 39 - A Night At The Opera
When you think of the music of Queen, subtle is probably the very last word that comes to mind. Across their discography, most of the music coming from these rock royals has always been about going as far over the top as possible, regardless of genre. Then again, when you have someone not named Freddie Mercury up front, you'd be amazed at what you can achieve.
Even though Freddie embodies every Queen song so well, this little bit of folky pop from a Night at the Opera shows Brian May at the helm, as he tells a wayward tale of a traveler journeying to find new lands. Folk music has certainly not been a stranger to stories like this, but May plays with the narrative by having the quest for travel take place on a spaceship rather than a boat or a wagon.
Though the acoustic guitar is dominant throughout the mix, there is also that subtle bit of Queen magic in between the verses, with May's electric almost in a sonic duel with Roger Taylor's falsetto as they try to simulate the feeling of being taken into space. Even for a standard pop song, this is also one of the more tragic tales in Queen's catalog, as our protagonist gets into a bit of an Interstellar situation when he arrives after a year only to find that it's been a century on Earth. While there is a lot more robust songs in the Queen catalog, you can never say that they didn't keep things interesting even in the quieter moments.