With the up and coming movie: Bohemian Rhapsody, which highlights the career of trailblazing rock group Queen and their eccentric lead singer Freddie Mercury, it seems only fitting to compile a list which celebrates Queen’s top 5 songs. The highly anticipated movie is set to be released on November 2, 2018.

No. 1: Bohemian Rhapsody- The name chosen as the title of the yet-to-be-released film, Bohemian Rhapsody is arguably one of the group’s most well known songs, made famous through its appearance in the movie “Wayne’s World”. Regardless of how the song reached its stardom, there’s no denying the rollercoaster of emotions one experiences from start to finish. Beginning with a soft ballad-like piano accompaniment, transitioning into a unique medley of opera and rock, followed by the angsty tone of an electric guitar, then circling back around and taking a soft melodic form once again. When paid close attention to, the lyrics speak of an epic journey, revolving around a fictional protagonist. Each change in musical style represents a stage on the protagonist’s journey of murder, internal conflict, forgiveness, and acceptance.

No. 2: Under Pressure (Ft. David Bowie)- Most Millenials and members of Generation Z will recognize this song, as its baseline is sampled in Vanilla Ice’s iconic song “Ice Ice Baby”. However, a shocking number of youngsters are unaware of the original track’s existence. In this song, vocals are a key focal point. The sheer power vocals of Freddie Mercury paired with the tone and depth of David Bowie is nothing short of breathtaking, and is no less so (if not more so) live. The talent of the vocalists as well as the catchy baseline bring this song to its spot at number two on the list.

No. 3: Don’t Stop Me Now- Written by Mr. Fahrenheit himself, Freddie Mercury, this song is what the kids today might call a “bop”. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to get up and dance, and possibly belt the tune into your hairbrush as if it were a microphone. The upbeat use of piano chords to accompany the melody gives almost the effect of what in today’s equivalent would be a “beat drop”. The song may have a relatively mellow beginning and end, but the rest of the song is certainly the opposite.

No. 4: We Will Rock You- You’ve likely heard this song in various movies such as “A Knight’s Tale”, “Pixels”, “The Pacifier”, “Mighty Ducks”, “Sucker Punch”, and so many more, most likely in a scene where the main character is about to face a large challenge. It’s likely that you’ve also heard it at various pep rallies or sporting events. This is because, not only is the song powerful and upbeat with lyrics sure to intimidate any opponent, but it is easy for a crowd to simulate with its interactive “stomp stomp clap” rhythm. A clever way to get the fans involved and make a song that challenged music as it was known at the time.

No. 5: I Want to Break Free- Although its controversial music video of the band members crossdressed (mimicking the soap opera “Coronation Street”) caused them to lose much support in the U.S., this song is now one of the group’s most recognizable. It was boycotted by MTV during the time of its release, but is now found hilarious and cringey, and even became a symbol of the fight against oppression.

Taking into consideration Queen’s 15 released studio albums, five songs isn’t nearly enough to show all that this band has to offer, nor will it fully express my love for their music. However, it’s a good place to start. These five are some of their more well known tracks, and of those that are likely to come to mind when you hear the name Queen. All I’ll say is that they grew big for a reason.