Queen As The Most Legendary Band In History

The 1900s gave birth to some of the most legendary bands in history. Groups like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones rocked the world with their talent and fame. Yet, even among the greats, one band stands out in particular. Starting off as an underground, english band, which was formed through an unlikely late-night coincidence, Queen shared the unassuming, common platforms that several other legends were born from; and, just like these legends, Queen possessed a unique characteristic that elevated them to the public eye. This special trait was Freddie Mercury himself and the unique talent and personality that he commanded with flamboyance ever since the band’s earliest performances. As such, despite Queen’s humble beginnings, the band was able to attain widespread fame and influence as musical legend, thanks to Freddie Mercury’s contributions.

First, Mercury’s profound influence on Queen was present even in the band’s early days. Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, spent his early years admiring the work of Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles; and, as a young adult, his love of music caused him to grow attached to a small band named SMILE, who would later be his bandmates. Yet, regardless of the fact that Bulsara wasn’t even a part of the band at the time, he managed to influence SMILE by providing constructive criticism and new ideas for music. He did this until one late night in 1970, when the lead singer of Smile, Tim Staffel, left the band and let Mercury take his place for the night. As fate would have it, Mercury would use his natural talent and flamboyant personality to greatly exceed whatever expectations SMILE or the audience had for his performance. ‘He was wild and untutored, but massively charismatic. Soon, he began his evolution into a world-class vocal talent, right in front of our eyes’ (Gaylord, 2011, page 1). It was because of this fateful event that Mercury was permanently brought into the band, whose name was changed at Freddie’s request; thus marking the start of the soon-to-be legend, Queen. From then on, Bulsara would use his musical talent and flamboyant charisma to create powerful and diverse songs, as well as create stellar performances whenever he was on stage. At first, Mercury’s tendencies were far too radical and pompous for critics, the media, and government officials alike, this would all change once Queen entered Wembley Stadium.

Freddie Mercury’s style of performance and openly flamboyant ways of expressing his charisma had given Queen adoration and ire in equal parts. Over the course of the 70s, the band had been attracting the distaste of the media, critics, and even national governments. To critics and the media, Freddie’s performances were overly pompous, aloof, and arrogant. When it came to national governments, Queen had earned the distaste of both the U.K. and U.N. when Freddie insisted on touring several countries around the world, including South Africa, which was the target of restricted travel sanctions by the U.N. Thankfully, the band had managed to earn itself a large, dedicated group of fans that spanned from Isles all the way down to the distant cape of South Africa. Their trips had gifted them the confidence and recognition they needed to perform at Live Aid in Wembley Station. This confidence stayed with Queen until the moment Bulsara sat down on the stage’s piano and played the opening chords to Bohemian Rhapsody. Freddie started off slowly and calmly, but he soon let his talent take over his performance to make an unforgettable experience. “All 72,000 people there, plus the 1.9 billion across the globe watching on TV at home, went crazy” (Wall, 2018, 1). With the world’s attention on them, Queen transitioned into Radio Ga Ga and We Are The Champions, with Mercury riling up the crowd from atop his perfect stage. Freddie left Wembley Stadium as a reformed, global superstar, who had single handedly replaced Queen’s reputation as a pop oddity with that of a near-perfect, worldwide sensation. Regardless of this monumental accomplishment, Bulsara wasn’t content with his band’s music, and never was. He always believed that Queen could reach and impact more people with their songs if they simply tried to make the most out of their music in any way possible, regardless of whatever genre they would have to delve into. Likewise, Queen’s lead singer would push the band to continue innovating until their final performance on August 9, 1986. As it turned out, Freddie Mercury’s eager push for variation and diversity was what solidified Queen as a widespread, global influence for the common man and other artists alike for years after their final moments.

Even though Queen hasn’t performed in decades, the influence that they had on the world of music is still felt today. Some say that a good measure of a musician’s overall impact is the frequency by which they are referenced by other musicians and artists. Over the years, David Bowie, Metallica, Panic At The Disco, Shawn Mendes, and even Lady GaGa have openly stated the effect that Queen has had on themselves and their music. For instance, Metallica Turns out, their secret lay in how they made their music. In an interview with Queen drummer, Roger Taylor, he mentioned that, to him, a key part of their success came from their active attempts to bring variety and versatility to their records and albums. From hard rock songs like Sheer Heart Attack to moody ballads like Play The Game, Queen truly reached far and wide with their talent. With such a large fanbase, coupled with their musical genius, it’s no wonder why Queen became the legend its remembered as today.