Killer Queen

A Timeless Kind of Magic

I finally got around to watching Bohemian Rhapsody.  I didn't hate it.  But I would go so far as to say it's the best film I've watched in recent years.  I am still deciding how I feel about the way Freddie was portrayed and while Rami Malek's performance was excellent, I'm still not sure it was Oscar worthy.  But one thing the film did was renew my love of Queen's music.  And, since I will be seeing Adam Lambert and Queen in just a few days, I decided I would create a list of my seven favourite Queen tracks (in no particular order).  As a side note, Bohemian Rhapsody does not make my personal cut although it is one of the greatest rock songs of all time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.

Fat Bottomed Girls
Long before Baby Got Back (I Like Big Butts),  Mika's Big Girls and JLo's Booty, Queen recorded this unlikely hit about ample derrières, which is frivolous and fun to sing along to.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
This catchy upbeat track, which Freddie wrote as a tribute to Elvis, appeared on the band's 1980 album, The Game.  It never fails to get my feet tapping and fingers snapping.

Under Pressure
Who can resist one of the most famous riffs in music history?  Not to mention the fact that it's a great anthem when you're having one of those days.  The song was recorded with David Bowie and became the band's second UK number one.

It's A Kind A Of Magic
It's A Kind Of Magic was the title track from the band's 1986 album, released after their iconic performance at Live Aid the year before.  The song has also featured on my annual Halloween playlists.

I'm Going Slightly Mad
This quirky song is from the 1991 Innuendo album and includes wonderfully bizarre lyrics such as "You're missing that one final screw" and "This kettle is boiling over / I think I'm a banana tree" .  The black and white video is equally bizarre, with Brian May dressed as a penguin, Freddie wearing a banana wig and Roger Taylor with a tea kettle on his head.

I Want To Break Free
While I love this song's message of "breaking free from oppression", I love the accompanying music video featuring the band members in drag and Freddie as a vacuum cleaner wielding housewife just as much.