10 Perfect Rock Singles Of The 80s
1. Queen: I Want It All (1989)
Even 20 years after their start in the business, Queen were still rolling out the classics. Right up until the sad passing of Freddie Mercury they demonstrated their prowess as one of the greatest groups of all time.
In the '80s, everyone wanted everything. It was a decade driven by greed and consumerism. Altruism was a notion long forgotten with the '60s hippy movement. Brian May's lyrics might have been motivated by this universal drive for rampant success, but they came to represent something very different when Freddie Mercury sung them. They speak of the opportunity that comes when the status quo is shaken up, finding success in failure and striving for a goal no matter the hardship.
Mercury had been living with the knowledge he had AIDS for several years at this point. His defiant vocal delivery made lines like "So much to do in one lifetime - So I'm living it all, yes I'm living it all - Here's to the future" all that more poignant, when coming from a man who was starring death in the face.