Signature Songs 12/11 - Queen

[H2IZCOOL]

Well, the board is still in the doldrums, but I'm gonna try this one more time.

Queen had a long enough span of high popularity (20+ years) to spawn, perhaps more than one signature song. So --- what do we look at?

Bohemian Rhapsody It could certainly be called an opus in several parts. Very much like a mini-opera. If it wasn't a candidate as a signature song before Wayne's World, it certainly was after. -- But does that make it a signature song for Queen -- or for Wayne's World? It certainly is the type of song that one would think of when one thinks of Queen: Multi-faceted, soaring guitar riffs, clear, beautiful vocals, soft/loud/soft again ..... But if it took it's rebirth in Wayne's World to put it over the top, does that destroy it's validity as a signature song?

Or how about We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions The first part has become the ultimate stadium chant; the second part, the #1 choice as the background song for a montage following a Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, or World Series final victory. It's a signature song -- but again -- of what? Queen or competitive team sports?

So .. maybe look at other songs that might be candidates: Namely their other two huge hits (and their only two #1 songs:) Another One Bites The Dust and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Are one of these songs Queen's signature song? Maybe -- but they are so un-Queen-like. "Dust" is far too non-grandiose (is that a term?), much too simple a song for a Queen signature song. "Crazy Little Thing" is more of an Elvis tribute than anything else. They are both songs that everyone knows. But does the uninformed listener even know they're Queen songs?

So again --- discussion please. What is Queen's signature song? Which one of these four, or perhaps one I haven't mentioned ?

Your opinions .....

[55dodger]

Bohemian Rhapsody was such a huge hit and then had a resurgence after Wayne's World, I would have to say that is the signature song for Queen. It was #1 on the UK charts forever and is probably the first song I remember from Queen. I love We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions, but you here so much, it's kinda overplayed and worn out. My personal favorites from Queen are My Best Friend & It's a Kind of Magic, but not sure they qualify as "signature songs."

[Dawn]

A signature song for Queen is a little harder to pin down since their songs were so diverse in style, but for me We Are the Champions comes closest. As with Woody, You're My Best Friend is a big favorite of mine, but it's not as well known as some of their other tracks.

[H2IZCOOL]

55dodger said:

Bohemian Rhapsody was such a huge hit and then had a resurgence after Wayne's World, I would have to say that is the signature song for Queen. It was #1 on the UK charts forever and is probably the first song I remember from Queen. I love We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions, but you here so much, it's kinda overplayed and worn out. My personal favorites from Queen are My Best Friend & It's a Kind of Magic, but not sure they qualify as "signature songs."

admin said:

A signature song for Queen is a little harder to pin down since their songs were so diverse in style, but for me We Are the Champions comes closest. As with Woody, You're My Best Friend is a big favorite of mine, but it's not as well known as some of their other tracks.

Actually, Dawn and Woody, You're My Best Friend has become one of my fave Queen songs also. And it was the reason that I started digging deeper into Queen (now, Adam, no wisecracks over my use of words here ) over the past year or so. I used to really like the song back in the '70s, but hadn't heard it for quite a while, and then spotted it in the soundtrack of a movie I was watching on cable. (Anyone remember what that movie might be? - I don't remember)

Anyway, hearing You're My Best Friend again spurred me into checking out a fairly long list of their music, and got me in to other songs like Don't Stop Me Now, Play The Game, Barbados, The Show Must Go On, and Somebody To Love among many others.

[55dodger]

You know Ed, Don't Stop Me Now & Somebody to Love are other favorites of mine. As for Crazy Little Thing Called Love, I'm thinking because it was kinda of a disco favorite, it lives on. As for Another One Bites the Dust, when my now wife & I were planning our wedding, I suggested the song as our wedding march. I was out voted, but did get a beer stein engraved with the words Another One Bites the Dust with our wedding date engraved opposite it. My wife does have a sense of humor. Also, since Weird Al has provided alternate lyrics, I find myself singing Another One Rides the Bus whenever I hear the song.

[Pete70s]

In the 80's, I would have said "Another One Bites The Dust". When Waynes World became huge, I would have said "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Before it's re-emergance, though, it was somewhat forgotten).

Of course "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" has ALWAYS been huge at sporting events and on the radio. So I'll probably go with that. Everyone knows it, everyone knows it's by Queen, it's never really lost popularity, and is a monster hit all around.

Or maybe I'll just go against the grain and say "Keep Yourself Alive"

[KittyKat - RIP Luciano]

I agree with Pete that before the Wayne's World crap no one really remembered "Rhapsody" so my choice for signature song is "We Are The Champions". Closely followed by "Pressure".

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Now here, I DO agree there are several canidates. Rock You/Champs because it's such a popular arena song and Dust because it was such a huge hit, even being an R&B smash.

But while those are close, I gotta go with Rhapsody. That's considered an "epic" and I think it's THE Queen song.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

pete70s said:

In the 80's, I would have said "Another One Bites The Dust". When Waynes World became huge, I would have said "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Before it's re-emergance, though, it was somewhat forgotten).

This goes back to what I said to Ed about the Eagles and what I've said many times before-I guess songs are different in different areas, but Bohemian Rhapsody was never forgotten around here. It was always big, and I remember it well from my youth.