Queen

I'm making this post to pay tribute to perhaps the most legendary band of all time, Queen.

The Beginning

Roger Taylor and Brian May, founder members of a band called 'Smile', parted ways with their lead singer after a gig at a pub and met Farrokh Bulsara, popularly known as Freddie Mercury. This lead to the formation of one of the best bands of all time. Queen came into existence after Freddie and bassist John Deacon joined Roger and Brian on 1st March, 1971. The band was to stay together for the next 20 years.

Reaching the Top

The rest is rock history. EMI Records and Elektra Records signed the band. In 1973, their debut album ‘Queen’ was released and hailed as one of the most exciting developments ever in rock music. Queen didn't take long to reach the top. In 1974, they performed one of their greatest hits, 'Killer Queen', for BBC's 'Top Of The Pops'.

Queen - Killer Queen (Top Of The Pops, 1974)

The Bohemian Rhapsody

The immortal operatically styled single, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, was released in 1975 and proceeded to the top of the UK charts for 9 weeks. A song that was nearly never released due to its six-minute long run-time and unusual style became an instantly recognisable hit. By this time, the band member's unique talents were becoming clear. Bohemian Rhapsody is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time. Queen's biography was also named 'Bohemian Rhapsody' due to the song's popularity.

"Is this the real life, is this just fantasy?"

Queen's Growing Popularity & the Live Aid Performance

Very soon, Queen’s popularity extended beyond the shores of the UK as they charted and triumphed around Europe, Japan and the USA where in 1979 they topped the charts with Freddie’s song ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.

Queen was always indisputably run as a democratic organisation. All four members are each responsible for having penned number one singles for the band. On the fly corrections and additions were made to songs like 'Another One Bites the Dust' and 'Radio Ga Ga'. This massive writing strength combined with spectacular lights, the faultless sound and Freddie’s energy-filled movements made Queen concerts an unforgettable pleasure to attend.

Their phenomenal success continued around the globe throughout the 80’s. It was highlighted in 1985 by their show-stealing and unforgettable performance on stage at Live Aid, which is often regarded as Queen's greatest single live performance.

The Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium

Queen's set lasted twenty minutes and consisted of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (the ballad section and the guitar solo), 'Radio Ga Ga', a crowd singalong, 'Hammer to Fall', 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', 'We Will Rock You' (the first verse), and "We Are the Champions". Mercury and May returned later on to perform a version of "Is This the World We Created?". Queen's Live Aid performance, in my opinion, is a textbook example of what arena rock is all about. Unfortunately, the Live Aid performance, followed by the Magic Tour, were Queen's last live concerts with the original band members.

Goodbye, Freddie

In 1987, Mercury was diagnosed as having AIDS and the band together made the decision to stop touring, making the concert at Knebworth on 9th August, 1986 the last time that the four original members of Queen performed on stage together. Over a million people attended the Queen tour, making it one of the largest ever.

On 24th November, 1991, Freddie’s struggle against AIDS ended when he passed away just over 24 hours after he had publicly announced he had the disease. Musicians and fans from all over the world paid their highest respects as the passing of rock’s most innovative and energetic ambassador signified the end of an era at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992 which gave birth to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie’s memory by the remaining members of Queen and their manager, Jim Beach.

End of an era.

Queen as we knew it ended that day, but the three remaining members continued to keep the legend alive, releasing recordings such as a completion of Freddie's final recordings, Made in Heaven and other new songs. 'No One But You' featured only the remaining three members of Queen, the final recording to be released under the Queen name alone. This was also the last recording to feature bass guitarist John Deacon, who subsequently retired from public life. This was the last original Queen release until the 2014 release Queen Forever. This song is considered to be one of Queen's most emotionally stirring songs due to its significance and the music video released by Queen Official on YouTube. The door closing, the lights being switched off and Roger telling Brian to relax at the end of the music video is quite heart wrenching as it signifies the end of Queen. Through this song, John has perfectly expressed his feelings regarding the death of his best friend, Freddie. This song is not solely for Freddie Mercury, the front man of Queen, it is for Farrokh Bulsara, their best friend. Therefore, this song, in my opinion, is a perfect tribute to Freddie Mercury and an apt end to Queen's legacy.

Although Freddie Mercury has left us, it will be a very long time before his legacy and the music of Queen will be forgotten.

Thank you for reading and have a great day ahead!

-Ritin Malhotra