Kenzy's Top 10 Songs by Queen

My first memory of hearing Queen was in 1977. I was in the third grade, and it was one of those rare moments that my mom had turned her radio over to a rock-n-roll station. The song? "We Are the Champions". I've been a fan of theirs ever since, and my daughter is one, too. In fact she idolizes Brian May for his unique guitar skills that only he can pull off. As for me, I think about Freddie at 62 years old, still as flamboyant as he ever was. When Freddie Mercury died, we truly lost an extremely gifted musician.

Top 10 Queen songs from the '70's and '80's:

10. I Want to Break Free: Written by bassist John Deacon and released in 1984 on their "The Works" album. I was an MTV zombie in my youth and I would keep my fingers crossed that they would show this video. It cracked me up every time I saw it! Freddie in a skin-tight leather mini-skirt; Brian in curlers and bathrobe; Roger Taylor dressed as a teenaged girl; and John Deacon dressed in furs. This song ushered me into my teenaged years, and what a great time that was!

9. Who Wants To Live Forever: Written by guitarist Brian May, this song was released in 1986 on the bands "A Kind of Magic" album for the Highlander movie. The song begins with Brian May singing the first verse with Freddie Mercury taking over. This is one of the bands more subdued songs - it's beautiful, if that word gives it the justice it deserves. The accompanying video gives me chills. All of those lit white candles surrounding Freddie gives him a sort of angelic look.

8. Fat Bottomed Girls: Fun song! It was written by Brian May and released on their "Jazz" album in 1978 and is paired with "Bicycle Race". When the album was released, it contained a poster featuring nude women in a bicycle race, as did the video. I get a kick out of this song every time I hear it!

7. Crazy Little Thing Called Love: Written by Freddie Mercury and released on the bands "The Game" album in 1980 and became No.1 that same year. Dwight Yokum reprised the song in 1999; however, no one does it like Queen.

6. One Vision: Written by drummer Roger Taylor, this song was first released as a single in 1985. It was included on their "A Kind of Magic" album in 1986. Ever listen to a song and wonder if you heard right? Well, Freddie really did add "fried chicken" instead of "one vision", so your ears aren't playing tricks on you.

5. Killer Queen: Written by Freddie Mercury, it was released in 1974 on their "Sheer Heart Attack"
album. The band "Panic At the Disco" most recently reprised the song. Sorry guys. You're great, but no one does it like Queen! This song screams flamboyancy and is one of my favorites. This top 10 list wouldn't be complete without this song on it.

4. Somebody To Love: Written by Freddie Mercury and released on their "A Day at the Races" album. The song has a sort of operatic thing going on. True to form, "Somebody To Love" is a lot like "Bohemian Rhapsody" in its complexity. Voices were layered (or multi-tracked). Anne Hathaway did an excellent rendition of this song in "Ella Enchanted"

3. Innuendo: Written by Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor as a tribute to the band "Led Zepplin". It was released on the bands final album, "Innuendo", in 1991 prior to Mercury's death. This is one of my favorites, who can resist that Spanish guitar? I remember the first time I heard this song. I was awestruck, for a lack of a better word.

2. Bohemian Rhapsody: Written by Freddie Mercury and released on their "A Night at the Opera" album in 1975. A very complex song, highly operatic, and totally Freddie. According to songfacts.com, approximately 120 vocal tracks were layered together using a 24-track tape machine. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is an impressive 5:55 in length. Mama mia, Mama mia!

1. Barcelona: Written by Freddie Mercury and released in 1988 on the album "Barcelona". Freddie teamed up with the operatic soprano Montserrat Caballe and the result is a breathtaking, opera-like song. I was so impressed when this song was released. It's relaxing, calming; I listen to it when I've had a stressful day and just need to chill out. Before hearing this song, I had never heard of Montserrat Caballe, but I'm so glad that she did this duet with Freddie. Absolutely beautiful - amazing!