MUH 1351- Group 5- October2021

The Legacy of Queen CREATED BY: SANTINA DEDVUKAJ AND OBAY ALAKEL

Robust Narrative In the 1970s, the band Queen became the most popular group because of their transformation of rock music into a combination of heavy metal and glam rock. The group was embraced with four people named Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor. Freddie Mercury was the front man and primary songwriter of the group. Brian May was the lead guitarist of the band and was famous for his elaborate playing of his instrument. John Deacon is well known for being the bassist player in the band. Finally, Roger Taylor was the powerhouse drum player in the band.

Freddie Mercury was apart of many groups before Queen that never accomplished anything. May and Taylor were apart of a group called Smile which eventually disbanded before the seventies. After constantly being apart of groups that failed, Mercury, May and Taylor decided to start their band. Mercury created the name Queen which represented his androgynous essence and desires for glory.

Freddie Mercury also renamed himself from his original name Farrokh Bulsara. After trying to make themselves known by performing at small venues, they finally gathered enough notability to perform at a more formal event. Queens first performance was at a Cornwall Cross benefit in 1970 on June 27 th. During this time, they had a different bassist player named Mike Grose. After this performance, the group realized he was not the best fit for the position.

Robust Narrative Continued Many people tried to be the bassist player of Queen but none of them worked out. Shortly after, the band met John Deacon at a London disco. Deacon was a very quiet member of the group but was also a quick learner. After a few performances with Deacon, the band came to a consensus that he is the perfect bassist player for Queen.

Queen continued to actively write songs and performed more small gigs at Imperial College in hopes of being recognized by a label record. In 1972, the band signed a recording contract with Trident. In 1973, Trident and EMT signed to Queen with a recording contract. After this, the band was finally able to release their very first self titled album “Queen” in July of the same year. This was the start of the many things they would achieve in the future. In 1974, their second album, “Queen II” was released to the public. Queen toured Britain and shortly after was able to tour the United States as guests to another band. Finally, in 1975, they toured their first headlined tour in the United States. Queen was so popular that they constantly sold out shows and needed to add more tour dates. Queen continued to release songs and albums that are still popular today. In 1985, they made history by performing at Live Aid in London's Wembley Stadium. This band was one of the most influential bands to ever become known to the world. Freddie Mercury's flamboyant presence inspired people to be themselves. Their songs and stage looks defied so many stereotypes about rock and roll music. In their hit Bohemian Rhapsody, they included many genres such as pop, rock and roll, and an operatic section. Their unique sound is what brough so many fans to love and adore them. The world was in shock on November 24th, 1991, when it was announced that Freddie Mercury lost his battle with AIDS. The world mourned this death and created many tributes for the rock and roll legend. Even after this tragedy, Queens songs and achievements lived on. In the cold month of December in 1991, most of Queens albums were in the UK top 100. In 2001, Queen was inducted into the rock and roll Hall of Fame next to other amazing artists. Although over time, the members of Queen separated and songs stopped being released, the impact left by Queen on the world will never be forgotten.

Robust Narrative Continued Queen is famously known for the way they changed the stereotypes surrounding rock music. The Game Album is the most remarkable piece of musical work that Queen ever created. This album perfectly describes Queen’s various styles of music. Ever since Queen was established, they dressed in many ways, from bright glittery colors representing femininity to dark and grungy clothes associated with masculine looks. The varying looks perfectly describes Queens album, The Game. Although their album cover looks rock and roll, there are songs that defy the genre of rock and roll. This album represents the many styles of Queen.

Artist List of Hits

The song "Another One Bites the Dust" was released on August 22nd, 1980. Most people today still listen to this song because of the impact it had on the world. This hit is the perfect example of the masculine grungy sound that Queen could make. This track represents the theme for this album which was the traditional rock and roll sound and look. https://youtu.be/rY0WxgSXdEE

"Don't Stop Me Now" was a song released on the 13th of October 1978. This song is loved by many people and had a huge impact the world. This song was used in many TV shows and movies like Top Gear and Blackball. This song is a great fit to represent the album because it incorporates a quick rhythm and sound that one could mistake for jazz music. https://youtu.be/HgzGwKwLmgM

The song "We Are the Champions" was released on October 7th, 1977. This hit also left a great impact on the world when it was released. Even today, this is an amazing arena song and is played during victories at sporting events. This song represents the album because this song is a positive and unifying tune, and the album is about being proud. https://youtu.be/04854XqcfCY The song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was released on October 31st, 1975. This song especially left a different level of impact on the world. Bohemian Rhapsody is the oldest song in history to ever pass 1 billion streams on Spotify.

This hit single incorporates many different styles of music such as rock, pop, and an operatic section. Even today, artists continue to try to make a song as unique as "Bohemian Rhapsody". https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ

Crazy Little Thing Called Love Music Video

Music Video Summary ”Crazy Little Thing Called Love” is a song featured on The Game Album. I included this music video to show the characteristics of the music video.

Although they are dressed in what would be seen as stereotypical rock and roll clothing. Freddie Mercury does not shy away from being his true and honest self. He is dancing and singing very flamboyantly throughout the whole music video. This shows the variety that is present within the songs of this album.

Classic Rock Review Article of The Game Album by Queen https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/01/1980-queen-the-game/ This article highlights the achievements of The Game Album by Queen. To start, this was the only album of Queens to reach the top charts in the United States. It is also mentioned that this album includes songs that are very diverse. All songs on the album were written individually which gives the audience a different sound from every band mate. The album begins with the song “Play the Game.” This song includes a piano ballad along with strong rock elements. A contrasting song is “Another One Bites the Dust.” This song was written by bassist John Deacon and represents the rock and roll aspect of Queen. It also includes many funk elements by Brian May and his guitar skills.

This album was one of Queens most amazing creations. It struck the world and achieved many awards throughout time. Overall, this album consists of Queens most diverse music which had the ability to resonate with everyone.

Queen’s Twitter Feed Today, social media has become one of the biggest influences in the world. By including these tweets, it shows how relevant Queen still is and all the achievements they are still making.

Citations 

“Band History.” Queenpedia, http://www.queenpedia.com/index.php?title=Band_History.

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Davidchiu. “The History of Smile: The Band That Set the Stage for Queen.” Ultimate Classic Rock, 5 Nov. 2018, https://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-smile-band-history/.

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Ott, Tim. “Freddie Mercury Was Part of Brian May and Roger Taylor's Entourage before Forming Queen.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.biography.com/news/freddie-mercury-how-queen-formed.

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Pieter. “04-26-1975 – Winnipeg Free Press – Star Story.” Queen Archives :: Interviews, Articles, Reviews, 17 July 2014, https://queenarchives.com/qa/04-26-1975-winnipeg-free-press-starstory/.

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“Queen.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/Queen-British-rock-group.

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Review, Author Classic Rock. “The Game by Queen Album Review: Classic Rock Review.” Classic Rock Review | Rock n Roll from the Vinyl Era, 30 June 2020, https://www.classicrockreview.com/2015/01/1980-queen-the-game/.