Top 20 Classic Queen Tracks

4. Hammer To Fall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oSz8Xip_ho As part of 'The Works' in 1984 this song was one of the most politically charged pieces Queen ever wrote, describing the political tensions prevalent at the time during the Cold War, with the threat of both nuclear devastation and terrorist groups around the globe. The song was written as a sort of nostalgic experiment by the band to create, musically at least, a song which related to their older music. With a heavy guitar-driven riff and a hard and angular riff this song proved to be a live favourite, infamously beginning after the band finish performing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at their Wembley 1986 performance. Queen and Paul Rodgers toured together successfully for some years in the early 21st century and provided at least two full length tours across Europe. The band changed the composition and tempo of this song on those tours into something of a ballad, with the first two verses being played at a much slower speed and the vocals reflecting this, before the song would kick in at the beginning of the third verse and revert to its more classic setting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkFDyTZJPqA The song is also the only song the band performed in full as part of their 1985 Live Aid medley, which somewhat led to its success as a favourite in the latter part of Queen's career, but also which inspired the band to write other similar tracks such as 'One Vision' and 'I Want It All' that musically incorporated a more aggressive sound and a hard rock genre. Years later Brian May wrote on his website that essentially the song is about life and death and that the sickle €“ which many believed was a reference to the Soviet Union €“ was actually just about the Grim Reaper doing his job.