Top 100 Queen songs

I am loathe to play the game of ratings and rankings when it comes to the songs of Queen. As with all music, it is best to appreciate the qualities of each particular track without worrying about relative merits and demerits. All comparisons are invidious here. Ennio Morricone is not Bach, but who is either of these immense talents? That said, making a list of one's favourite things is harmless entertainment, costing nothing but your time. People enjoy expressing their tastes and preferences, and take an interest in those of others when it comes to a shared interest. It makes for amusing conversation with compatriots. It's the sharing of an interest that is important, not the conclusions drawn (as inconclusive as they inevitably are). So I shall offer my rankings as a personal view with attempts at objectivity. There are certain standards which transcend subjective preference. I have, over the years, enjoyed 'Seaside Rendezvous' and 'Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon' much more than I have 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' but recognize why the latter is by far the better song.

I haven't placed these tracks in precise numerical order. It took all my effort to select a Top 50, and whatever energy I had left to flesh it out to 100. Queen are actually a band of consistently high standards, with any controversies over rankings here tending to come down to taste - some people prefer the hard rockers, some the quirky numbers, some the ballads, some the dance. I love it all. In compiling a list like this it is easy to feel compelled to concentrate the most well-known songs around the top. Some songs are so big as to simply demand entry to the top positions. It is, in that respect, interesting to learn how band members regarded these songs before they were put before the public vote. 'Another One Bites the Dust' is an enormously sized Queen hit, much bigger than 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the US. And yet there was some discussion in the band whether the track would even make 'The Game' album, let alone be released as a single. In the public imagination it is a Queen staple. Looked at in the cold light of day, it is Queen drawing on sounds extraneous to the band to try dance/disco/funk on for size. They do a fine job, and the song is justifiably popular. But there are other songs in the Queen catalogue which are more representative of the Queen sound we know and love. I'll put it this way, making 'Another One Bites the Dust' one of the top ten Queen songs is tantamount to expressing a preference for dance/disco/funk over the traditional Queen sound. And so the track which may well be Queen's biggest ever hit record doesn't make my Top 25. (The same with regard to 'Under Pressure.') It's still a great track, though. Beware the optical illusion of all lists and countdowns, which invariably involve their makers in explanations as to why each song or album is less good than the ones that follow. Instead of revealing the qualities of an artist, such explanations read like a long diatribe as to how bad said artist is. But these are the kinds of petty quibbles that arise as soon as one starts to break great music up into a list. The fact that some songs have to be placed higher than others means that a catalogue shot-through with quality like Queen's will be needlessly fragmented in order to fit a hierarchy that makes a mockery of Queen's trademark variety and vitality. There is something to appreciate and enjoy in every part of the Queen discography. And, to be perfectly honest, I know of no criteria that is able to separate 'Innuendo,' 'These are the Days of Our Lives,' 'Bijou,' and 'These are the Days of Our Lives,' four tracks from the one album, (and final album before the death of Freddie Mercury), tracks so good as to be worthy of topping any list. 

All that said, during my school days I would keep myself awake in class by drawing up lists of the best 20 or 25 Queen tracks. I never lost the urge. It's entertaining and, here and there, possibly enlightening (certainly for those who tend only to know the famous songs).

It took me a long while to compose this final selection. (In fact, I made a good start in my school days and kept it up over the years). My intention was to break the Top 100 down into 10 categories of 10, from 1-10 down to 91-100. I had a hard enough job selecting a top 50, and an even harder job splitting that into a top and bottom half. Try as I might, I couldn't reduce to a Top 20, let alone a Top 10. I simply couldn't split songs as good as these. I would invite others to try but with this crucial rider: all resultant selections, no matter how cogent the reasoning that went into their production, cannot but appear arbitrary. At this level, it is personal taste and preference that decides, and on that there is no basis for solidaristic exchange with others, only argument. Some people like the kind of thing that 'Body Language' is, others can't bear it let alone hear it. As an exercise which exemplifies what I mean here, identify what you consider to be the best 25 or so Queen tracks and write them down on paper; then cut each song out on a strip, put them in a hat and draw them out in ascending or descending order (it matters little). I will guarantee that it will look like a list that has been invested with careful thought and attention. It will have the usual contentious claims - some songs have to be placed over other great songs - and provoke the usual thoughts about relative merits. 'Is this really so good?' / 'Is this really so bad?' Then reverse the order and see that nothing changes - the same impression, the same reaction, the same thoughts. You can play this game endlessly, but with the same results. By gathering songs together in broad categories of 10, I recognise that some songs had even greater qualities than other songs, but without making the finer distinctions that, inevitably, resolve themselves on subjective preferences rather than objective merits. In truth, that's more of a rationale for an approach that simply couldn't separate tracks except in broad terms. I have arranged in descending order from a Top 50 split into two 25's, counting blocks of 10 from there. It is more than likely that songs will move between blocks according to mood, and that many songs which have been excluded could find entry at some later stage. That's why tables are never anything more than a rough and ready guide, an entry point rather than an end point.

Top 100

1-25

My Fairy King (1973 Queen 1)

Father to Son (1974 Queen II)

White Queen (1974 Queen II)

Seven Seas of Rhye (1974 Queen II)

Brighton Rock (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Killer Queen (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

You're My Best Friend (1975 A Night at the Opera)

Bohemian Rhapsody (1975 A Night at the Opera)

Somebody to Love (1976 A Day at the Races)

We Are the Champions (1977 News of the World)

Spread Your Wings (1977 News of the World)

Bicycle Race (1978 Jazz)

Don't Stop Me Now (1978 Jazz)

Play the Game (1980 The Game)

Save Me (1980 The Game)

Radio Ga Ga (1984 The Works)

Hammer to Fall (1984 The Works)

A Kind of Magic (1987 A Kind of Magic)

Who Wants to Live Forever (1987 A Kind of Magic)

I Want It All (1989 The Miracle)

Innuendo (1991 Innuendo)

These Are the Days of Our Lives (1991 Innuendo)

The Show Must Go On (1991 Innuendo)

Mother Love (1995 Made in Heaven)

26-50

Liar (1973 Queen 1)

The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke (1974 Queen II)

The March of the Black Queen. (1974 Queen II)

Tenement Funster (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Flick of the Wrist (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Lily of the Valley (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Now I'm Here (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Love of My Life (1975 A Night at the Opera)

The Prophet's Song (1975 A Night at the Opera)

Good Company (1975 A Night at the Opera)

You Take My Breath Away (1976 A Day at the Races)

Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (1976 A Day at the Races)

All Dead, All Dead (1977 News of the World)

It's Late (1977 News of the World)

Dead on Time (1978 Jazz)

Dragon Attack (1980 The Game)

Another One Bites the Dust (1980 The Game)

Staying Power (Live at Milton Keynes Bowl, June 1982)

Back Chat (1982 Hot Space)

Under Pressure (1982 Hot Space)

Breakthru (1989 The Miracle)

Bijou (1991 Innuendo)

Let Me Live (1995 Made in Heaven)

You Don't Fool Me (1995 Made in Heaven)

Heaven for Everyone (1995 Made in Heaven)

51-60

Keep Yourself Alive (Queen I 1973)

Great King Rat (1973 Queen I)

The Millionaire Waltz (1976 A Day at the Races)

Long Away (1976 A Day at the Races)

We Will Rock You (1977 News of the World)

Dreamer's Ball (1978 Jazz)

Leaving Home Ain't Easy (1978 Jazz)

Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1980 The Game)

The Miracle (1989 The Miracle)

The Invisible Man (1989 The Miracle)

61-70

Stone Cold Crazy (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

In the Lap of the Gods (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Tie Your Mother Down (1976 A Day at the Races)

Fight from the Inside. (1977 News of the World)

My Melancholy Blues (1977 News of the World)

Sail Away Sweet Sister (1980 The Game)

It's a Hard Life (1984 The Works)

Don't Try so Hard (1991 Innuendo)

A Winter's Tale (1995 Made in Heaven)

Let Me in Your Heart Again. (2014 Queen Forever)

71-80

Seaside Rendezvous (1975 A Night at the Opera)

You and I (1976 A Day at the Races)

Let Me Entertain You (1978 Jazz)

Dancer (1982 Hot Space)

Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love) (1982 Hot Space)

Machines (1984 The Works)

Keep Passing the Open Windows (1984 The Game)

One Vision (1986 A Kind of Magic)

Scandal (1989 The Miracle)

Too Much Love Will Kill You (1995 Made in Heaven)

81-90

Ogre Battle (1974 Queen II)

Misfire (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

She Makes Me (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon (1975 A Night at the Opera)

White Man (1976 A Day at the Races)

Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (1976 A Day at the Races)

Jealousy (1978 Jazz)

Fat Bottomed Girls (1978 Jazz)

The Hero (1980 Flash)

Ride the Wild Wind (1991 Innuendo)

91-100

Doing All Right (1973 Queen I)

Some Day, One Day (1974 Queen II)

Death on Two Legs (1975 A Night at the Opera)

Get Down, Make Love (1977 News of the World)

If You Can't Beat Them (1978 Jazz)

Cool Cat (1982 Hot Space)

Gimme the Prize (1987 A Kind of Magic)

All God's People (1991 Innuendo)

I Was Born to Love You (1995 Made in Heaven)

Love Kills (2014 Queen Forever)

I have to admit that, in all honesty, the margins are so fine between these songs as to be none existent. Into the 80s there may be a slight tailing off from the very highest quality. But I am sure that I shall carry, on as the years go by, playing with my list of Top 50 selections. Further, there are an awful lot of good songs missing from that Top 100, so I can't resist the temptation to publish my next fifty selections, adding a brief commentary at the bottom.

101-110

Son and Daughter (1973 Queen I)

See What a Fool I've Been (1973 B-side to the Seven Seas of Rhye single)

Nevermore (1974 Queen II)

Dear Friends (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Mustapha (1978 Jazz)

Calling All Girls (1982 Hot Space)

Princes of the Universe (1986 A Kind of Magic)

I'm Going Slightly Mad (1991 Innuendo)

Headlong (1991 Innuendo)

It's a Beautiful Day (1995 Made in Heaven)

111-120

The Night Comes Down (1973 Queen I)

Hangman (1974)

Funny How Love Is (1974 Queen II)

Bring Back That Leroy Brown (1974 Sheer Heart Attack)

Drowse (1976 A Day at the Races)

Need Your loving tonight (1980 The Game)

Flash (1980 Flash)

Don't Lose Your Head (1986 A Kind of Magic) 

Dog with a Bone (1989, Miracle sessions)

Hang on in there (1989 B-side to the "I Want it All" single).

121-130

Mad the Swine (1973)

I'm in Love with My Car (1975 A Night at the Opera).

Fun It (1978 Jazz)

More of That Jazz (1978 Jazz) 

Body Language (1982 Hot Space)

Man on the Prowl (1984 The Works)

I Want to Break Free (1984 The Works)

I Can't Live with You (1991 Innuendo)

My Life Has Been Saved (1989 B-side & 1995 Made in Heaven) 

Face it Alone (1991 demo)

131-140

Sweet Lady (1975 A Night at the Opera)

Sheer Heart Attack (1977 News of the World)

Who Needs You? (1977 News of the World)

Coming Soon. (1980 The Game) 

Tear it Up (1984 The Works)

Is This the World We Created...? (1984 The Works)

Friends will be Friends (1986 A Kind of Magic)

One Year of Love (1986 A Kind of Magic) 

Stealin' (1989 B-side to the "Breakthru" single)

Hitman. (1991 Innuendo)

141-150

Sleeping on the Sidewalk (1977 News of the World)

In Only Seven Days (1978 Jazz)

Rock It (1980 The Game)

Soul Brother (1981 B-side to the single Under Pressure)

I Go Crazy (1984)

Thank God it's Christmas. (1984 single and Greatest Hits III)

Hijack My Heart (1989 B-side to the single The Invisible Man)

Was It All Worth It (1989 The Miracle)

Rain Must Fall (1989 The Miracle)

No One But You.

Queen produced some of the most iconic songs in pop and rock history. Love them or hate them, everyone knows who they are and know a great number of their songs. I got used to people - music critics in particular, but all the cool kids obsessed with image and reputation - dismissing Queen as a joke band. Queen were never cool. The critics took Queen at the surface level - the band was never afraid to go out on a limb and risk looking ridiculous - and missed the depths. In time, I came to see that critics and cool kids of impeccably good taste as a mass of insecurities, each pandering to and fawning upon the other. Queen and their fans seemed remarkably unperturbed by all the controversy and abuse that surrounded them. When you see the members of Queen dressing up the way they did in the video to "I Want to Break Free," you just knew that they knew that they were so good as to be untouchable. And that's what really drove the critics mad, the clear proof that they were redundant, their views of no importance whatsoever. 

There was always something very 'different' about Queen from the moment the band made its debut in 1973. Even in an age of Glam Rock, when the boys were wearing spangley clothes and putting on make-up, Queen stood apart from the crowd. I noticed this from the first, but since it was all secondary to the music for me, I didn't worry about the nature of that difference. I think it also possible that the casual sexism with which the band were associated in the seventies into the eighties - the parties which had topless girls, strippers, and call-girls, the 'Jazz' poster and 'Bicycle Race' video which had naked ladies - was at least in part motivated to cloud any questions of sexuality that may arise around the band's name

I can't say I was with Queen from the very first with their 1973 debut, but I wasn't far off being with them from the start. My first exposure to Queen was "Killer Queen" in 1974. I found it just such a catchy song that I nagged my mother to buy it. How big a deal that was can be gleaned by the fact that I only ever wanted Elvis records during my younger days. It was Elvis and no-one else. Elvis set an impossibly high bar, and Queen jumped it. The girls at school would buy all the music mags with all the posters of the latest pop stars, and they'd let me take a look. Queen, as I recall, got quite good coverage in 1974, however much the situation turned round later on. The band looked ... odd. But not too odd. Remember, this was the era of Elvis in elaborate jumpsuits. I'd already made my mother make an Elvis jumpsuit for my action man, complete with spangles and cape. So who was I to judge? I simply loved the song "Killer Queen," and sang along with it as best I could, unable to grasp the incredibly complicated lyrics, let alone their meaning. I was completely oblivious to the fact that the song was about a high-class call girl. And even when I found out I still didn't know what that meant. I did, however, have ears. I flipped the single over and took a listen to the B-side, "Flick of the Wrist." This was something else entirely. This made "Hound Dog" sound like "Love Me Tender." Behind the cuteness and catchiness, this band had a cutting edge. I liked it, and I acquired an early taste for it. But it was only in time that I came to appreciate the musical and lyrical mastery behind these songs. I'm a cautious person by nature, risk averse. Queen are the opposite. I think the boldness of the band and its music may have been a large part of the appeal to me. They would do and say things I would only dream about. I loved their flair and imagination, the overt artistic expression, the unabashed assertion of freedom, the ... 'difference' that could so often unnerve as well as inspire. The band flaunted an overtly sexual side, too, as part of the entertainment. That added to the amusement. "The whole point (of Queen) was to be original." (Freddie Mercury). The whole point of life is to be uniquely your own self. Not many have a talent for it. Not many have the nerve for it. And not many have the opportunity for it. There are all manner of constraints, both internal and external, which stand in the way of such self-realisation. So it was good to have a favourite band who could blaze a trail for you. So I watched for a little while, cautious, sceptical, and nervous, only to see the band triumph in no time at all and in the most spectacular fashion with "Bohemian Rhapsody." For every week of the million weeks the song spent at #1 as 1975 passed over into 1976 I kept reminding the world (whoever, myself most of all) that this was my band from long, long ago (just over a year ago, in truth, although it seemed like an age). I watched the band come good and then go from strength to strength with each new single, "Somebody to Love" (#2 1976) and "We are the Champions" (#2 1977). And with the death of Elvis in 1977 I went from the King to Queen. Then the "Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls" single came out, causing me to return to something of my characteristic hesitancy. I always seek proof, validation, and permission for the things I do, covering my back in anticipation of attack. I try to avoid vulnerability and being exposed. But there was no getting away from the fact that this band could strike some very unusual poses and go way out on a limb. This band were not safe, not predictable, and not boring. If you wanted to ride along, you had better be prepared to be seen as a bit unusual yourself. It was a good job, then, that I was naturally one of the odds. The band was utterly inspirational to someone like me in the way it transgressed the rules on taste, decency, and normality. I don't normally support such a thing; in fact, I am usually to be found arguing against transgression as a false freedom. But I took to the transgressive nature of Queen like a duck to water. There is no mystery to the appeal: I've always stood at a slight angle to normal society, always been a bit different, a bit on the edge, on the margin, a visitor to life's strange frontiers. The whole ethos of the band is about being true to your nature and staying true to it whilst pushing beyond the boundaries. I soon learned that there was no validation in a succession of hit singles: Queen made people feel uncomfortable and seemed to relish unnerving people - the band made you take a stand, to stand up as yourself and stand out from the crowd. You had to expose yourself and be vulnerable. I went through school as a self-conscious Queen fan, defending outlandish costumes and even more outlandish behaviour. I heard all the criticism and abuse. I'm bullet proof now. I really don't need the approval of others and don't give a damn about fitting in. There's a great line in the song "Don't Try So Hard," berating those who are proud to follow the rules and give orders:

But you never had to try

To stand out from the crowd.

Following Queen, you stood out from the crowd. There were much cooler bands and artists to follow, the ones sanctioned by the music press and critics. They were safe choices. Queen were not. Queen were never cool; they were always considered a bit of a joke, with all those operatic tendencies and pretensions of bringing 'ballet to the masses.' I suspect that people who were a bit different, a bit marginalised, those who already stood out a bit, found Queen appealing in their combination of quirkiness, oddity, boldness, and confidence. Nothing succeeds like success. Queen made it abundantly clear that the harsh words of critics mattered not a jot - critics know nothing, zero, they are merely parasitic on the talents, activities, and creations of others. Queen were a constant reminder to dream big and stay true to your authentic self. And they delivered that message without ever being boring. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"Boredom is the biggest disease in the world, darling." - Freddie Mercury

"You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be." - Freddie Mercury, 'Innuendo.'

Be right or wrong, but most of all be authentic:

"I'm not afraid to speak out and say the things that I want to, or do the things I want to do. So I think in the end being natural and being actually genuine is what wins, and I hope it comes out in my songs." (Freddie Mercury).

Be yourself;

"I'm just me." - Freddie Mercury

"Be yourself no matter what people say." - Freddie Mercury

And be life-affirming:

"I am an optimist and I always think the good will come out." - Roger Taylor