A to Z 2017: QUEEN

I thought about going a different route for this entry, assuming everyone and their mother's mother would be expecting Queen, but really, that'd be a lame excuse not to feature them. They are definitely a lot more influential and prominent than my considered alternative, Queens of the Stone Age (still worth checking out if you're unfamiliar with them).

My main concern was that while I really like Queen, I never bought any of their albums. Friends and family always had them in their collections and I just gleaned what I could from them, along with soundtracks and radio singles. I can't say which song I heard first, as I generally heard full albums/CDs, but I feel like A Night at the Opera's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of their most popular songs:

That just makes you want to belt out and sing along every time! Actually, almost all of their songs do. At least the ones I know. That was the other issue. Many hardcore fans who have collected Queen's music for decades know the more lesser played gems from their discography. I only know, and am mostly sticking to, the mainstream classics.

Kind of like "We Will Rock You", from Queen's sixth album, News of the World, which you can hear at almost any and every sporting event:

These are also regularly featured in movies, commercial ads, etc. I still recall being confused hearing "We Will Rock You" in A Knight's Tale, because it wasn't just music applied for the scene, but actually being enacted within the movie. BUT, even though I'm sticking to their more popular work, at least I can say I didn't first hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" from Wayne's World! Or the other from A Knight's Tale, just to be clear...

"We Are the Champions" is another favorite of mine, from the Flash Gordon soundtrack, which Queen did the entirety of. I'd feature it, but it's going to be a part of my Mandela Mondays, being it is a trigger for many experiencing the phenomenon [Mandela Effect]. That's really out of left field for those of you stumbling upon this via the A to Z Challenge, but if curious, check it out.

Flash Gordon wasn't the the only soundtrack they contributed to. Highlander was another, though I don't know if it was the entire soundtrack. It definitely featured many songs from the band, most of which appeared on their 1986 release, A Kind of Magic. "Princes of the Universe" is the one I've heard the most, as it was also used for the Highlander TV series:

Mentioning "Bohemian Rhapsody" as being one of their most popular songs, got me to wondering what exact was Queen's most popular single.

That lead me to "Another One Bites the Dust" off their studio album, The Game. I'm pretty sure, like the others, you've heard this song a thousand times. It's supposedly their best-selling single. I'm not sure that translates into the song being their most popular, but it's close enough for me:

Hmm... It's either that or "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Either way, Queen has cemented themselves and their legacy as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The members and many of their songs have also received prestigious accolades. Their work has inspired many artists and will for generations to come.

Unfortunately, front-man Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991 from bronchial pneumonia, which resulted from complications with AIDS (a factor he kept secret and denied having, though questioned about countless times in his later years). During this period, Mercury recorded as much as he could, when he could, so the band had material even after his passing. Queen's final studio album, Made in Heaven, was released in 1995.

The band continues touring today, currently doing so with Adam Lambert of American Idol fame.

Are you familiar with Queen? Did you enjoy the songs/videos? Do you have a favorite song and/or album? Have you ever seen them live? If so, how was the performance? Have you seen them on tour with Adam Lambert? Do you think they will ever (or have and I missed it) record new material? Do you feel that would be disrespectful to Freddie Mercury?