Why is the band Queen so popular



    Photo Nuno Alexandre Silva CC BY

    Last week, in the comments to the publication, we tried to find answers to an ambiguous question about the work of The Beatles. Today we decided to look at the phenomenon of the Queen group.

    Many of those who live today would like to attend the Queen concert, because very few groups managed to sell albums in huge editions, bring crowds of people to distraction and achieve recognition by critics of their songs with equally great music and lyrics.

    Why is Queen so popular? Queen is one of the most extraordinary groups in the world. All four of its members - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon - remained together from the beginning to the end of the collective’s existence.

    Surprisingly, each of them has a degree or a master’s or a bachelor of science (by the way, herewe talked about other musicians with a high level of education). “Brian May has a master’s degree and a doctorate degree in astrophysical sciences, Freddie Mercury’s master’s degree in arts, John Deacon’s master’s degree in electronics, Roger Taylor’s bachelor’s degree in biology,” says journalist Vignesh Ananthraj. Moreover, unlike other musicians, no scandals flared up around them - this is a very rare phenomenon in the music industry.

    All four contributed to the development of the group: the song of each of them at least once fell into the top ten best hits. All of them are versatile musicians and skillfully mastered several musical instruments, sang and experimented with new musical solutions.

    The group Queen managed to find that perfect balance between good and salable music. The songs "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" are a great example of high-quality stadium rock. With regard to the diversity of genres and styles, the Queen's repertoire can be compared only with The Beatles repertoire.

    The melodies and lyrics of their songs “catch” the listeners and are always understandable for ordinary people. Crazy Little Thing Called Love can be attributed to early rock and roll, Stone Cold Crazy to speed metal, Innuendo and Bohemian Rhapsody to progressive / art rock, and Another One Bites The Dust - to funk. In the song “Love Of My Life” you can hear the features characteristic of soft rock, and in “Killer Queen” - for glam rock.

    The work "Somebody To Love" refers to the gospel genre, and the list does not end there. It is particularly striking that in any of these genres, team members have succeeded, thereby showing that they truly understand music.

    Were a group and lyrics. They wrote both "light" works, and "deep", filled with meaning. “Most of all I love the line from the song“ The Show Must Go On ”. - says Abhishek Padmanabhan. “Here it is:“ It will never die. I can fly my friends . ”

    “Do you need another reason, the popularity of Queen? I will answer - Brian May, - continues Abhishek. “How can you not love a guitarist who is an astrophysicist by training?” He left his mark on the band’s work and, in addition to the guitar, knows how to play another piano and a couple of other instruments. In addition, he is an excellent vocalist, and his voice can be heard in the songs of each album of the group.

    However, the main reason for the success of Queen is considered to be one of the greatest performers of all time.

    This is, of course, about Freddie Mercury - undoubtedly the best frontman in history. He possessed expressive vocal abilities - from deep baritone to high tenor, which always amazed the audience at live performances. “I think Freddie has a wonderful voice,” notes Gem Scott. “Not many people are able to adequately perform“ Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon ”and not look silly at the same time.”

    Mercury has always managed to get a multi-thousand audience to sing with him in unison. Everything in him radiated confidence and passion for what he was doing - his style of dress (he usually performed in tights), his walk, his behavior.

    Even those who do not like the band’s songs or treat them neutrally recognize that Freddie Mercury is one of the best performers of modern times. Freddie was good at everything: he was a great performer and musician and knew how to communicate with the public.

    However, one in the field, yet not a warrior. Each member of the Queen has a fantastic musical talent. Guitarist Brian May follows an innovative approach to playing technique and courageously experiments with sound, and his guitar solos always have a special melody.

    Roger Taylor, who beats off various rhythms with ease, in turn, was recognized as one of the best drummers in hard rock. John Deacon is the man who created the bass parts of the popular songs “Another One Bites The Dust” and “Under Pressure”.

    These four are also excellent performers: the contribution of Brian May and Roger Taylor to the musical style of the group is invaluable - together with Freddie they created an incredible clear sound.

    We must pay tribute to Queen and for the fact that this is one of the groups, which managed to bring an element of theatricality into rock music. However, despite this, the team cannot be blamed for being too vulgar or pretentious. During live performances Queen was always on top, which is not the case with other famous rock artists, like Led Zeppelin or Guns N 'Roses. The performance of the band at the Live Aid concert in 1985 was recognized as one of the best live performances in the history of rock music ( video ).

    “I was 11 when Freddie passed away, so I cannot say that I grew up“ together ”with the group, -says David Hood. - I did not go to their concerts, but I am old enough to remember the popular film “The World of Wayne”, thanks to which in the 90s Queen songs were constantly heard on the radio. I warmly recall those times when I sang songs of the band while driving my first car. I also constantly quoted that film and watched it on videotape.

    Their music is timeless - it is not outdated. Now I listen to Queen songs with the same pleasure as when I first discovered this band. Their songs are still in my iTunes, despite the fact that with age my musical preferences have changed. ”

    Given the above, Queen can rightly be considered one of the greatest groups in history, and their long and resounding success is another confirmation of this. You can even say that in some parts of the world they are more popular now than during their active creative work.

    PS Most recently, we began to publish digests with collections of materials about sound, music and audio technology.

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