There’s no doubt that Queen’s guitarist and background vocalist, Brian May, has crafted a legacy in the musical world.
With evergreen smash-hits like Under Pressure, Don’t Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You, and the damn-near unforgettable Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen has left an indelible mark on music and all the following generations of artists.
Queen’s legacy remains untouched, with Bohemian Rhapsody topping the charts as the most streamed song of the 20th century. With the track coming up on its 50th anniversary this year, here’s hoping Queen has some big celebrations planned.
Brian May recently took to social media and shared what can be considered a befitting tribute to the song. Winding up a Queen music box that’s playing Bohemian Rhapsody, Sir Brian can be heard exclaiming: “This is a gem! Perfect!”
He also captioned the video: “What a difference a semitone makes !!! This makes me giggle every time. Maybe Freddie should have written his melody line this way in the first place ! ha ha ! Fabulous ! Bri.”
When it comes to their own music, Brian has admitted in the past that there’s no song he prefers performing live more than We Will Rock You. In a conversation on The One Show, May shared: “I still love playing them all, I have to be honest. I would have to say We Will Rock You. Especially as this is the moment when we’re relaunching the musical that is named after that song. It always gives me a good feeling.”
However, that doesn’t mean it’s the music icon’s favourite song. The Englishman much prefers the band’s lesser-known tune The Miracle, which was written by Freddie Mercury – the band’s enigmatic frontman – shortly before his death. The rock-band has never performed the song live, presumably because it didn’t feel right to do so without their legendary bandmate.
During a Question & Answer session on the iconic band’s official YouTube channel, Brian previously shared: “I’m going to pick a song that not everybody knows out there, which is called The Miracle, which Freddie wrote that I always thought has a strange, unique magic to it. Especially because Freddie wrote it at a time when it was very hard for him to be optimistic, and it’s just very beautiful. I’ll go for that.”
But it’s not just Queen’s music that makes him groove. In 2019, Brian shared a list of his all-time favourite songs via Queen’s official Spotify profile. The playlist features some absolute bangers, while also giving certain lesser-recognised songs their due.
From Doris Day’s soulful Secret Love to John Lennon’s Jealous Guy all the way across to Led Zeppelin’s certified-genius track Kashmir and Foreigner’s evergreen I Want To Know What Love Is – the guitarist hasn’t been shy in showcasing his musical palate to the world.
See below the list of Brian May’s favourite songs:
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
- Love Kills (The Ballad) – Queen
- Bold as Love – Jimi Hendrix
- My Generation (Mono Version) – The Who
- Jealous Guy – John Lennon
- Secret Love – Doris Day
- Maybe Baby – The Crickets
- Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
- Back On My Feet Again – The Babys
- The Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King
- When a Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge
- I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
- Where Were You – Jeff Beck, Alice Cooper
- Shapes Of Things – The Yardbirds
- Key To Love (Mono) – John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton
Content Source: www.express.co.uk