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Queen

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Queen is a British rock band, formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury on vocals and piano, Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums, joined in 1971 by the bass player John Deacon. May and Taylor had first played together in the band Smile. Mercury was a fan and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and studio techniques. He also suggested the name Queen. The debut album Queen appeared in 1973, and Queen II followed in 1974. Sheer Heart Attack in 1974 and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought international success. The latter contains Bohemian Rhapsody, which spent nine weeks at the top of the British chart and helped popularise the music video as a form.

Music and breakthrough

News of the World, from 1977, contained We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions, which became sports stadium anthems. In the early 1980s Queen was one of the biggest stadium bands in the world. Another One Bites the Dust, from The Game in 1980, became the band's best-selling single. According to many magazines, the performance at Live Aid in 1985 ranks among the best in rock history. Mercury gave his last performance with the band in August 1986 at Knebworth. He announced in 1991 that he had AIDS and died a day later. Made in Heaven was released in 1995.

Influence

The music grew out of progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal and later became more accessible, with arena rock and pop. The group had a distinctive sound of its own, with multi-part vocal harmonies, May's guitar and theatrical compositions. That made Queen a fixture in pop history.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Bohemian Rhapsody and notice the alternation between ballad, opera and hard rock within a single song. Try to hear how often the style and the singing change.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsArt rock