Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 14:10, 18 January 2016

while praising the band's debut album, described Queen II as a "over-produced monstrosity". The album's first track "Death on Two Legs" is said to be written by Mercury about Norman Sheffield and the former management at The band's sixth studio album News of the World was released in 1977, which has gone four times platinum in the United States, and twice in the UK. The album contained many songs tailor-made for live performance, including two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "We Will Rock You" and the rock ballad "We Are the Champions", both of which became enduring international sports anthems, and the latter reached number four in the US. Queen commenced the News of the World Tour in October 1977, and Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times called this concert tour the band's "most spectacularly staged and finely honed show".

In 1978, the band released Jazz, which reached number two in the UK and number six on the Billboard 200 in the US. The album included the hit singles "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" on a double-sided record. Queen rented Wimbledon Stadium for a day to shoot the video, with 65 naked female models hired to stage a nude bicycle race. Reviews of the album in recent years have been more favourable. Another notable track from Jazz, "Don't Stop Me Now", provides another example of the band's exuberant vocal harmonies.

In 1978, Queen toured the US and Canada, and spent much of 1979 touring in Europe and Japan. They released their first live album, Live Killers, in 1979; it went platinum twice in the US. Queen also released the very successful single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a rockabilly inspired song done in the style of Elvis Presley. The song made the top 10 in many countries, topped the Australian ARIA Charts for seven consecutive weeks, and was the band's first number one single in the United States where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. Having written the song on guitar and played rhythm on the record, Mercury played rhythm guitar while performing the song live, which was the first time he ever played guitar in concert. In December 1979, Queen played the opening night at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea in London, having accepted a request by the event's organiser Paul McCartney.

The Game to The Works, 1980–84

Queen began their 1980s career with The Game. It featured the singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust", both of which reached number one in the US. After attending a Queen concert in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson suggested to Mercury backstage that "Another One Bites the Dust" be released as a single, and in October 1980 it spent three weeks at number one. The album topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks, and sold over four million copies in the US. It was also the first appearance of a synthesiser on a Queen album. Heretofore, their albums featured a distinctive "No Synthesisers!" sleeve note. The note is widely assumed to reflect an anti-synth, pro-"hard"-rock stance by the band, but was later revealed by producer Roy Thomas Baker to be an attempt to clarify that those albums' multi-layered solos were created with guitars, not synths, as record company executives kept assuming at the time. In September 1980, Queen performed three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. In 1980, Queen also released the soundtrack they had recorded for Flash Gordon. At the 1981 American Music Awards in January, "Another One Bites the Dust" won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, and Queen were nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group.

In February 1981, Queen travelled to South America as part of The Game Tour, and became the first major rock band to play in Latin American stadiums. The tour included five shows in Argentina, one of which drew the largest single concert crowd in Argentine history with an audience of 300,000 in Buenos Aires and two concerts at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, where they played to an audience of more than 131,000 people in the first night (then the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world) and more than 120,000 people the following night. In October of the same year, Queen performed for more than 150,000 fans on 9 October at Monterrey (Estadio Universitario) and 17 and 18 at Puebla (Estadio Zaragoza), Mexico. On 24 and 25 November, Queen played two sell out nights at the Montreal Forum, Quebec, Canada. One of Mercury's most notable performances of The Game's final track, "Save Me", took place in Montreal, and the concert is recorded in the live album, Queen Rock Montreal.

"It was very excessive . I think the excess leaked out from the music into life and became a need. Queen was a wonderful vehicle and a wonderful, magical combination, but I think it came close to destroying us all. were the biggest thing in the world for a moment in time and everything that goes with that really messes up your mind somehow. We've all suffered. Freddie, obviously, went completely AWOL, which is why he got that terrible disease. He was utterly out of control for a while. In a way, all of us were out of control and it screwed us up."

Queen worked with David Bowie on the single "Under Pressure". The first-time collaboration with another artist was spontaneous, as Bowie happened to drop by the studio while Queen were recording. Upon its release, the song was extremely successful, reaching number one in the UK and featuring at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s.

In October that year, Queen released their first compilation album, titled Greatest Hits, which showcased the group's highlights from 1974–1981. It is the best-selling album in UK Chart history, and has spent 450 weeks in the UK Album Chart. The album is certified eight times platinum in the United States, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Taylor became the first member of the band to release his own solo album in 1981, titled Fun in Space.

In 1982, the band released the album Hot Space, a departure from their trademark seventies sound, this time being a mixture of rock, pop rock, dance, funk, and R&B. Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history, and Taylor and May lamented the new sound, with both being very critical of the influence Mercury's personal manager Paul Prenter had on the singer. May was also scathing of Prenter, who was Mercury's manager from the early 1980s to 1984, for being dismissive of the importance of radio stations, such as the US networks, and their vital connection between the artist and the community, and for denying them access to Mercury. The band stopped touring North America after their Hot Space Tour, as their success there had waned, although they would perform on American television for the only time during the eighth season premiere of Saturday Night Live. Queen left Elektra Records, their label in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, and signed onto EMI/Capitol Records.

After working steadily for over ten years, Queen decided that they would not perform any live shows in 1983. During this time, they recorded a new album at the Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles and Musicland Studios, Munich, and several members of the band explored side projects and solo work. Taylor released his second solo album, Strange Frontier. May released the mini-album, Star Fleet Project, collaborating with Eddie Van Halen.

In February 1984, Queen released their eleventh studio album, The Works, which included the successful singles "Radio Ga Ga", "Hammer to Fall" and "I Want to Break Free". Despite these hit singles, the album failed to do well in the US, while in the UK it went triple platinum and remained in the albums chart for two years.

That year, Queen began The Works Tour, the first tour to feature keyboardist Spike Edney as an extra live musician. The tour featured nine sold-out dates in October in Bophuthatswana, South Africa, at the arena in Sun City. Upon returning to England, they were the subject of outrage, having played in South Africa during the height of apartheid and in violation of worldwide divestment efforts and a United Nations cultural boycott. The band responded to the critics by stating that they were playing music for fans in South Africa, and they also stressed that the concerts were played before integrated audiences. Queen donated to a school for the deaf and blind as a philanthropic gesture but were fined by the British Musicians' Union and placed on the United Nations' blacklisted artists.

Live Aid and later years, 1985–90

In January 1985, the band headlined two nights of the first Rock in Rio festival at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and played in front of over 300,000 people each night. The Boston Globe described it as a "mesmerising performance". A selection of highlights of both nights was released on VHS with the title Queen: Live in Rio, and was later broadcast on MTV in the US. In April and May 1985, Queen completed the Works Tour with sold-out shows in Australia and Japan.

"Queen were absolutely the best band of the day... they just went and smashed one hit after another... it was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world"

At Live Aid, held at Wembley on 13 July 1985, in front of the biggest-ever TV audience of 1.9 billion, Queen performed some of their greatest hits, during which the sold-out stadium audience of 72,000 people clapped, sang, and swayed in unison. The show's organisers, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, other musicians such as Elton John, Cliff Richard and Dave Grohl, and music journalists writing for the BBC, CNN, Rolling Stone, MTV, The Telegraph among others, stated that Queen stole the show. An industry poll in 2005 ranked it the greatest rock performance of all time.

When interviewed for Mojo magazine the band said the most amazing sight at Live Aid was to see the audience clapping to "Radio Ga Ga". Brian May stated: "I'd never seen anything like that in my life and it wasn't calculated either. We understood our audience and played to them but that was one of those weird accidents because of the (music) video. I remember thinking 'oh great, they've picked it up' and then I thought 'this is not a Queen audience'. This is a general audience who've bought tickets before they even knew we were on the bill. And they all did it. How did they know? Nobody told them to do it."

The band, now revitalised by the response to Live Aid – a "shot in the arm" Roger Taylor called it, — and the ensuing increase in record sales, ended 1985 by releasing the single "One Vision", which was the third time after "Stone Cold Crazy" and "Under Pressure" that all four bandmembers received a writing credit for the one song. Also, a limited-edition boxed set containing all Queen albums to date was released under the title of The Complete Works. The package included previously unreleased material, most notably Queen's non-album single of Christmas 1984, titled "Thank God It's Christmas".

In early 1986, Queen recorded the album A Kind of Magic, containing several reworkings of songs written for the fantasy action film Highlander. The album was very successful, producing a string of hits, including the title track, "A Kind of Magic". Also charting from the album were "Friends Will Be Friends", "Who Wants to Live Forever" (featuring an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen), and the de facto theme from Highlander, "Princes of the Universe".

In summer of 1986, Queen went on their final tour with Freddie Mercury. A sold-out tour in support of A Kind of Magic, once again they hired Spike Edney, leading to him being dubbed the unofficial fifth member. The Magic Tour's highlight was at Wembley Stadium in London and resulted in the live double album, Queen at Wembley, released on CD and as a live concert DVD, which has gone five times platinum in the US and four times platinum in the UK. Queen could not book Wembley for a third night, but they did play at Knebworth Park. The show sold out within two hours and over 120,000 fans packed the park for what was Queen's final live performance with Mercury. Queen began the tour at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, and during the tour the band performed a concert at Slane Castle, Ireland, in front of an audience of 95,000, which broke the venue's attendance record. The band also played behind the Iron Curtain when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 at the Népstadion in Budapest, in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe. More than one million people saw Queen on the tour—400,000 in the United Kingdom alone, a record at the time.

After working on various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury's collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, Barcelona), the band released The Miracle in 1989. The album continued the direction of A Kind of Magic, using a pop-rock sound mixed with a few heavy numbers. It spawned the European hits "I Want It All", "Breakthru", "The Invisible Man", "Scandal", and "The Miracle". The Miracle also began a change in direction of Queen's songwriting philosophy. Since the band's beginning, nearly all songs had been written by and credited to a single member, with other members adding minimally. With The Miracle, the band's songwriting became more collaborative, and they vowed to credit the final product only to Queen as a group.

Mercury: illness, death, and tribute, 1988–92

"There was all that time when we knew Freddie was on the way out, we kept our heads down"

After fans noticed Mercury's increasingly gaunt appearance in 1988, rumours began to spread that Mercury was suffering from AIDS. Mercury flatly denied this, insisting he was merely "exhausted" and too busy to provide interviews. The band decided to continue making albums, starting with The Miracle in 1989 and continuing with Innuendo in 1991. Despite his deteriorating health, the lead singer continued to contribute. For the last two albums made while Mercury was still alive, the band credited all songs to Queen, rather than specific members of the group, freeing them of internal conflict and differences. In 1990, Queen ended their contract with Capitol and signed with Disney's Hollywood Records, which has since remained the group's music catalogue owner in the United States and Canada. That same year, Mercury made his final public appearance when he joined the rest of Queen to collect the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

Innuendo was released in early 1991 with an eponymous number 1 UK hit and other charting singles including, "The Show Must Go On". Mercury was increasingly ill and could barely walk when the band recorded "The Show Must Go On" in 1990. Because of this, May had concerns about whether he was physically capable of singing it. Recalling Mercury's successful performance May states; "he went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal". The rest of the band were ready to record when Mercury felt able to come in to the studio, for an hour or two at a time. May says of Mercury: “He just kept saying. 'Write me more. Write me stuff. I want to just sing this and do it and when I am gone you can finish it off.’ He had no fear, really.” The band's second greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits II, followed in October 1991, which is the eighth best-selling album of all time in the UK and has sold 16 million copies worldwide.

On 23 November 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Mercury confirmed that he had AIDS. Within 24 hours of the statement, he died of bronchial pneumonia, which was brought on as a complication of AIDS. His funeral service on 27 November in Kensal Green, West London was private, and held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single shortly after Mercury's death, with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" as the double A-side. The music video for "These Are the Days of Our Lives" contain Mercury's final scenes in front of the camera. The single went to number one in the UK, remaining there for five weeks – the only recording to top the Christmas chart twice and the only one to be number one in four different years (1975, 1976, 1991, and 1992). Initial proceeds from the single – approximately £1,000,000 – were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Queen's popularity was stimulated in North America when "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World. Its inclusion helped the song reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 (it remained in the Hot 100 for over 40 weeks), and won the band an MTV Award at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. The compilation album Classic Queen also reached number four on the Billboard 200, and is certified three times platinum in the US. Wayne's World footage was used to make a new music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody", with which the band and management were delighted.

On 20 April 1992, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was held at London's Wembley Stadium to a 72,000-strong crowd. Performers, including Def Leppard, Robert Plant, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Seal, Extreme, and Metallica performed various Queen songs along with the three remaining Queen members (and Spike Edney.) The concert is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "The largest rock star benefit concert", as it was televised to over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide, and raised over £20,000,000 for AIDS charities.

Made in Heaven to 46664 Concert, 1995–2003

Queen's last album featuring Mercury, titled Made in Heaven, was finally released in 1995, four years after his death. Featuring tracks such as "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Heaven for Everyone", it was constructed from Mercury's final recordings in 1991, material left over from their previous studio albums and re-worked material from May, Taylor, and Mercury's solo albums. The album also featured the song "Mother Love", the last vocal recording Mercury made prior to his death, which he completed using a drum machine, over which May, Taylor and Deacon later added the instrumental track. After completing the penultimate verse, Mercury had told the band he "wasn't feeling that great" and stated, "I will finish it when I come back, next time", however he never made it back into the studio, so May later recorded the final verse of the song. Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland. The album reached No. 1 on the UK charts immediately following its release, and has sold 20 million copies worldwide. On 25 November 1996, a statue of Mercury was unveiled in Montreux overlooking Lake Geneva, almost five years to the day since his death.

"You guys should go out and play again. It must be like having a Ferrari in the garage waiting for a driver"

In 1997, Queen returned to the studio to record "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", a song dedicated to Mercury and all those that die too soon. It was released as a bonus track on the Queen Rocks compilation album later that year. In January 1997, Queen performed "The Show Must Go On" live with Elton John and the Béjart Ballet in Paris on a night Mercury was remembered, and it marked the last performance and public appearance of John Deacon, who chose to retire. The Paris concert was only the second time Queen had played live since Mercury's death, prompting Elton John to urge them to perform again.

Brian May and Roger Taylor performed together at several award ceremonies and charity concerts, sharing vocals with various guest singers. During this time, they were billed as Queen + followed by the guest singer's name. In 1998, the duo appeared at Luciano Pavarotti's benefit concert with May performing "Too Much Love Will Kill You" with Pavarotti, later playing "Radio Ga Ga", "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions" with Zucchero. They again attended and performed at Pavarotti's benefit concert in Modena, Italy in May 2003. Several of the guest singers recorded new versions of Queen's hits under the Queen + name, such as Robbie Williams providing vocals for "We Are the Champions" for the soundtrack of A Knight's Tale (2001).

In 1999, a Greatest Hits III album was released. This featured, among others, "Queen + Wyclef Jean" on a rap version of "Another One Bites the Dust". A live version of "Somebody to Love" by George Michael and a live version of "The Show Must Go On" with Elton John were also featured in the album. By this point, Queen's vast amount of record sales made them the second best selling artist in the UK of all time, behind the Beatles. In 2002, Queen were awarded the 2,207th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located at 6358 Hollywood Blvd. On 29 November 2003, May and Taylor performed at the 46664 Concert hosted by Nelson Mandela at Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. May and Taylor spent time at Mandela's home, discussing how Africa's problems might be approached, and two years later the band was made ambassadors for the 46664 cause.

Queen + Paul Rodgers, 2004–09

At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005 with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be "featured with" Queen as "Queen + Paul Rodgers", not replacing Mercury. The retired John Deacon would not be participating. In November 2004, Queen were among the inaugural inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and the award ceremony was the first event at which Rodgers joined May and Taylor as vocalist.

Between 2005 and 2006, Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, which was the first time Queen toured since their last tour with Freddie Mercury in 1986. The band's drummer Roger Taylor commented; "We never thought we would tour again, Paul came along by chance and we seemed to have a chemistry. Paul is just such a great singer. He's not trying to be Freddie." The first leg was in Europe, the second in Japan, and the third in the US in 2006. Queen received the inaugural VH1 Rock Honors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 25 May 2006. The Foo Fighters paid homage to the band in performing "Tie Your Mother Down" to open the ceremony before being joined on stage by May, Taylor, and Paul Rodgers, who played a selection of Queen hits.

On 15 August 2006, Brian May confirmed through his website and fan club that Queen + Paul Rodgers would begin producing their first studio album beginning in October, to be recorded at a "secret location". Queen + Paul Rodgers performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute held in Hyde Park, London on 27 June 2008, to commemorate Mandela's ninetieth birthday, and again promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The first Queen + Paul Rodgers album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the United States on 28 October 2008. Following the release of the album, the band again went on a tour through Europe, opening on Kharkiv's Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans. 12 September concert in Ukraine was later released on DVD. The tour then moved to Russia, and the band performed two sold-out shows at the Moscow Arena. Having completed the first leg of its extensive European tour, which saw the band play 15 sold-out dates across nine countries, the UK leg of the tour sold out within 90 minutes of going on sale and included three London dates, the first of which was The O2 on 13 October. The last leg of the tour took place in South America, and included a sold-out concert at the Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires.

Queen and Paul Rodgers officially split up without animosity on 12 May 2009. Rodgers stated: "My arrangement with was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy in The Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement". Rodgers did not rule out the possibility of working with Queen again.

Departure from EMI, 40th anniversary, 2009–11

On 20 May 2009, May and Taylor performed "We Are the Champions" live on the season finale of American Idol with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert providing a vocal duet. In mid-2009, after the split of Queen + Paul Rodgers, the Queen online website announced a new greatest hits compilation named Absolute Greatest. The album was released on 16 November and peaked at number 3 in the official UK Chart. The album contains 20 of Queen's biggest hits spanning their entire career and was released in four different formats: single disc, double disc (with commentary), double disc with feature book, and a vinyl record. Prior to its release, a competition was run by Queen online to guess the track listing as a promotion for the album.

On 30 October 2009, May wrote a fanclub letter on his website stating that Queen had no intentions to tour in 2010 but that there was a possibility of a performance. He was quoted as saying, "The greatest debate, though, is always about when we will next play together as Queen. At the moment, in spite of the many rumours that are out there, we do not have plans to tour in 2010. The good news, though, is that Roger and I have a much closer mutual understanding these days—privately and professionally ... and all ideas are carefully considered. Music is never far away from us. As I write, there is an important one-off performance on offer, in the USA, and it remains to be decided whether we will take up this particular challenge. Every day, doors seem to open, and every day, we interact, perhaps more than ever before, with the world outside. It is a time of exciting transition in Rock music and in 'The Business'. It's good that the pulse still beats". On 15 November 2009, May and Taylor performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" live on the British TV show The X Factor alongside the finalists.

"Many of you will have read bits and pieces on the internet about Queen changing record companies and so I wanted to confirm to you that the band have signed a new contract with Universal Music...we would like to thank the EMI team for all their hard work over the years, the many successes and the fond memories, and of course we look forward to continuing to work with EMI Music Publishing who take care of our songwriting affairs. Next year we start working with our new record company to celebrate Queen's 40th anniversary and we will be announcing full details of the plans over the next 3 months. As Brian has already said Queen's next moves will involve 'studio work, computers and live work"

On 7 May 2010, May and Taylor announced that they were quitting their record label, EMI, after almost 40 years. On 20 August 2010, Queen's manager Jim Beach put out a Newsletter stating that the band had signed a new contract with Universal Music. During an interview for Hardtalk on the BBC on 22 September, May confirmed that the band's new deal was with Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. For the first time since the late 1980s, Queen's catalogue will have the same distributor worldwide, as their current North American label—Hollywood Records—is currently distributed by Universal (for a time in the late 1980s, Queen was on EMI-owned Capitol Records in the US).

On 14 March 2011, which marked the band's 40th anniversary, Queen's first five albums were re-released in the UK and some other territories as remastered deluxe editions (the US versions were released on 17 May). The second five albums of Queen's back catalogue were released worldwide on 27 June, with the exception of the US and Canada (27 September). The final five were released in the UK on 5 September.

In May 2011, Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell noted that Queen are currently scouting their once former and current live bassist Chris Chaney to join the band. Farrell stated: "I have to keep Chris away from Queen, who want him and they're not gonna get him unless we're not doing anything. Then they can have him." In the same month, Paul Rodgers stated he may tour with Queen again in the near future. At the 2011 Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI) Awards held in London on 4 October, Queen received the BMI Icon Award in recognition for their airplay success in the US. At the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards on 6 November, Queen received the Global Icon Award, which Katy Perry presented to Brian May. Queen closed the awards ceremony, with Adam Lambert on vocals, performing "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". The collaboration garnered a positive response from both fans and critics, resulting in speculation about future projects together.

Queen + Adam Lambert, Queen Forever, 2011–present

On 25 and 26 April, May and Taylor appeared on the eleventh series of American Idol at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, performing a Queen medley with the six finalists on the first show, and the following day performed "Somebody to Love" with the 'Queen Extravaganza' band. Queen were scheduled to headline Sonisphere at Knebworth on 7 July 2012 with Adam Lambert before the festival was cancelled. Queen's final concert with Freddie Mercury was in Knebworth in 1986. Brian May commented, "It's a worthy challenge for us, and I'm sure Adam would meet with Freddie's approval." Queen expressed disappointment at the cancellation and released a statement to the effect that they were looking to find another venue. It was later announced that Queen + Adam Lambert would play two shows at the Hammersmith Apollo, London on 11 and 12 July 2012. Both shows sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on open sale. A third London date was scheduled for 14 July. On 30 June, Queen + Lambert performed in Kiev, Ukraine at a joint concert with Elton John for the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. Queen also performed with Lambert on 3 July 2012 at Moscow's Olympic Stadium, and on 7 July 2012 at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland.

On 12 August 2012, Queen performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The performance at London's Olympic Stadium opened with a special remastered video clip of Mercury on stage performing his call and response routine during their 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium. Following this, May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo before being joined by Taylor and solo artist Jessie J for a performance of "We Will Rock You".

On 20 September 2013, Queen + Adam Lambert performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. On 6 March 2014, the band announced on Good Morning America that Queen + Adam Lambert will tour North America in Summer 2014. The band will also tour Australia and New Zealand in August/September 2014. In an interview with Rolling Stone, May and Taylor said that although the tour with Lambert is a limited thing, they are open to him becoming an official member, and cutting new material with him.

In October 2011, it was announced that Queen will be recording a new album featuring lost demos of Mercury on vocals. May confirmed that he and Taylor are working their way through the band's old material to compile a selection of unreleased songs for the forthcoming album. May also revealed that a series of duets that Mercury recorded with Michael Jackson was to be released in 2012. In 2014, May announced the title of the album to be Queen Forever, which was released in November 2014.

Artistry

Musical style

Queen drew artistic influence from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Genesis and Yes,Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). The genres they have been associated with include progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock, glam rock, hard rock, heavy metal, pop rock, and psychedelic rock. Queen also wrote songs that were inspired by diverse musical styles which are not typically associated with rock groups, such as opera, and heavy metal, amongst others. Hence, the band have been cited as an influence by many other musicians. Moreover, like their music, the bands and artists that have claimed to be influenced by Queen and have expressed admiration for them are diverserequired|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/BG/lib00065,0EADDF2B715CAE8E.html%7Caccessdate=3 January 2015}}</ref>

Thom Yorke of Radiohead received his first guitar at 7 years old, encouraged after seeing Brian May in a broadcast of a Queen concert. At 10 years old, Yorke made his own homemade guitar, trying to imitate what May had done with his Red Special, but he was not satisfied with the result. We Will Rock You has become the longest running musical ever to run at this prime London theatre, overtaking the previous record holder, the Grease musical. Brian May stated in 2008 that they were considering writing a sequel to the musical.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

Queen have been featured multiple times in the Guitar Hero franchise: a cover of "Killer Queen" in the original Guitar Hero, "We Are The Champions", "Fat Bottomed Girls", and the Paul Rodgers collaboration "C-lebrity" in a track pack for Guitar Hero World Tour, "Under Pressure" with David Bowie in Guitar Hero 5, "I Want It All" in Guitar Hero: Van Halen, "Stone Cold Crazy" in Guitar Hero: Metallica, and "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. On 13 October 2009, Brian May revealed there was "talk" going on "behind the scenes" about a dedicated Queen Rock Band game.

Queen have also been featured multiple times in the Rock Band franchise: a track pack of 10 songs which are compatible with Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Rock Band 3 (three of those are also compatible with Lego Rock Band). Their hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in Rock Band 3 with full harmony and keys support. The band also appeared in the video game Lego Rock Band as playable Lego avatars.

In March 2009, Sony Computer Entertainment released a Queen branded version of the company's karaoke franchise, SingStar. The game, which is available on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, is titled SingStar Queen and has 25 songs on the PS3 and 20 on the PS2. "We Will Rock You" and other songs by Queen also appear in DJ Hero.

"One Vision" was featured on the successful video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the fictional radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8, while "Radio Ga Ga" features on Grand Theft Auto V character trailer for Michael and the game's soundtrack.

Film and television

Queen contributed music directly to the films Flash Gordon (1980), with "Flash" as the theme song, and Highlander (the original 1986 film), with "A Kind of Magic", "One Year of Love", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Hammer to Fall", and the theme "Princes of the Universe", which was also used as the theme of the Highlander TV series (1992–1998). In the United States, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single in 1992 after appearing in the comedy film Wayne's World. The single subsequently reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (with "The Show Must Go On" as the first track on the single) and helped rekindle the band's popularity in North America.

Several films have featured their songs performed by other artists. A version of "Somebody to Love" by Anne Hathaway was in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted. In 2006, Brittany Murphy also recorded a cover of the same song for the 2006 film Happy Feet. In 2001, a version of "The Show Must Go On" was performed by Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman in the film musical Moulin Rouge!. The 2001 film A Knight's Tale has a version of "We Are the Champions" performed by Robbie Williams and Queen; the film also features "We Will Rock You" played by the medieval audience.

"I Was Born to Love You" was used as the theme song of the Japanese television drama Pride on Fuji Television in 2004, starring Takuya Kimura and Yūko Takeuchi. The show's soundtrack also contained other songs by Queen. "Don't Stop Me Now" has featured in the BBC television show Top Gear, and in 2005 the song was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by the shows viewers.

Keeping in a tradition of naming each season's episodes after songs by 1970s rock bands, the eighth and final season of That '70s Show had episodes named after Queen songs. "Bohemian Rhapsody" served as the season premiere. The Simpsons has made storylines which have featured Queen songs such as "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" (both sung by Homer), and "You're My Best Friend".

On 11 April 2006, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the American singing contest television show American Idol. Each contestant was required to sing a Queen song during that week of the competition. Songs which appeared on the show included "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants to Live Forever", and "Innuendo". Brian May later criticised the show for editing specific scenes, one of which made the group's time with contestant Ace Young look negative, despite it being the opposite. Taylor and May again appeared on the American Idol season 8 finale in May 2009, performing "We Are the Champions" with finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. On 15 November 2009, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the singing contest television show X Factor in the UK.

In the autumn of 2009, Glee featured the fictional high school's show choir singing "Somebody to Love" as their second act performance in the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken". The performance was included on the show's Volume 1 soundtrack CD. In June 2010, the choir performed "Another One Bites the Dust" in the episode "Funk". In May 2012, the choir performed "We Are the Champions" in the episode "Nationals", and the song features in The Graduation Album.

In September 2010, Brian May announced in a BBC interview that Sacha Baron Cohen was to play Mercury in a film of the same name. Time commented with approval on his singing ability and visual similarity to Mercury. However, in July 2013, Baron Cohen dropped out of the role due to "creative differences" between him and the surviving band members. In December 2013, it was announced that Ben Whishaw, best known for playing Q in the James Bond film Skyfall, had been chosen to replace Cohen in the role of Mercury. The motion picture is being written by Peter Morgan, who had been nominated for Oscars for his screenplays The Queen and Frost/Nixon. The film, which is being co-produced by Robert De Niro's TriBeCa Productions, will focus on Queen's formative years and the period leading up to the celebrated performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Band members

Current members

• Brian May – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals, piano, keyboards (1970–present)
• Roger Taylor – drums, backing and lead vocals, percussion, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1970–present)

Former members

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, keyboards (1970–91; his death)
• John Deacon – bass guitar, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, double bass (1971–97; to his retirement)
• Mike Grose – bass guitar (1970)
• Barry Mitchell – bass guitar (1970–71)
• Doug Bogie – bass guitar (1971)

Long-term Queen + vocalists

• Paul Rodgers (2004–2009)
• Adam Lambert (2011–present)

Other guest vocalists

• David Bowie (1981, 1992)
• Annie Lennox (1992)
• Lisa Stansfield (1992–1993)
• George Michael (1992–1993)
• Elton John (1997)
• Zucchero (1998)
• Robbie Williams (2001)
• Kris Allen (2009)
• Jessie J (2012)
• Lady Gaga (2014)

Touring members

• Morgan Fisher – keyboards, piano (1982)
• Fred Mandel – keyboards, piano (1982)
• Spike Edney – keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984–present)

1. {{Cite layered to create a full-choral sound. The Mercury penned ballad, "Love of My Life",34171232.html | title= Queen's landmark single Bohemian Rhapsody turns 40 this week | work=The Belfast Telegraph | first=Andy | last=Welch | date=5 November 2015 | accessdate=4 January 2016}}
2. ^ "RIAA – Gold and Platinum". riaa. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbtfh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
4. "We Are the Champions: Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
5. Hilburn, Robert (20 December 1977). "Pop Music Review: Queen's Royal Achievement". Los Angeles Times.
6. "Jazz – Queen: Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
7. "The great rock and roll tour". Daily Mail. London. 23 September 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
8. "Jazz – Queen: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
9. Donald A. Guarisco, "Don't Stop Me Now". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2011
10. ^ Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
11. "RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
12. Billboard 18 July 1980. Books.google.com. 12 July 1980. p. 33.
13. ^ queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "Lights! Action! Sound! It's That Crazy Little Thing Called Queen. Circus Magazine". Queenonline.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. Kent, David (1993) (doc). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W
15. Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. p.155. Voyageur Press, 2009. Books.google.com.
16. Whitburn, Joel (2006). "The Billboard Albums". Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
17. "Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". Vocalgroup.org. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
18. Cunningham, Mark (October 1995). "AN INVITATION TO THE OPERA: Roy Thomas Baker & Gary Langan: The Making Of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". Sound on Sound. There was no stipulation that we wouldn't have any synths, but the statement 'No synths' was printed on the album sleeves because of peoples' lack of intellect in the ears department. Many people couldn't hear the difference between a multitracked guitar and a synthesiser. We would spend four days multi-layering a guitar solo and then some imbecile from the record company would come in and say, 'I like that synth!'{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
19. Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. p.128, 129, 159. Voyageur Press, 2009
20. Billboard 12 July 1980. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
21. "8th American Music Awards". Rockonthenet.com.
22. "Queen's Flashy Rock". The Washington Post. 27 July 1982. Retrieved 15 January 2011
23. Max Lowry (13 July 2008). "The ones that got away". The Guardian. London.
24. Henke, James (11 June 1981) "Queen Holds Court in South America" Rolling Stone Retrieved 15 January 2011
25. Purvis, Georg (2007) Queen: Complete Works p.315. Reynolds & Hearn,
26. Archived 2014-05-10 at the Wayback Machine
27. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (30 October 2007). "Queen Rock Montreal". AllMusic.
28. "THEIR BRITANNIC MAJESTIES REQUEST". spazioinwind.libero.it. Retrieved 4 June 2015
29. "Queen biography 1981". Queen Zone. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
30. "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s". Rock on the Net.
31. Cite error: The named reference BCS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
32. "Queen head all-time sales chart". BBC. 16 November 2006. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
33. "Queen becomes longest reigning chart act". Daily Mail. London. 5 July 2005. Retrieved 19 March 2011.
34. "In Pictures: 50 years of pop". BBC. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
35. "Queen – Hot Space". Stylusmagazine.com.
36. O'Casey, Matt, dir. (2011) Queen – Days of Our Lives. Part 2. BBC. Queen Productions Ltd. Retrieved 31 May 2011
37. "Q Classic: Stone Cold Crazy: Brain May Interview". Brianmay.com.
38. "Queen – Biography". Ultimatequeen.co.uk.
39. Archived 2013-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
40. "Queen Biography 1984". Queenzone.com. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
41. Barry Lazell (1989) Rock movers & shakers p.404. Billboard Publications, Inc.,
42. Tobler, John Who's who in rock & roll p.1971. Crescent Books, 1991
43. Mr.Scully. "Queen live on tour: The Works 1984". Queenconcerts.com.
44. ^ "Freddie Mercury Biography". Hot Shot Digital. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
45. Phil Sutcliffe, Peter Hince, Reinhold Mack (2009) Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock Voyageur Press, 2009
46. "The sins of St Freddie". The Guardian. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
47. Billboard 27 May 2006. Books.google.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
48. ^ "Queen: Rock in Rio". Queenarchives.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
49. "Queen: Live in Rio (1985)". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
50. Grein, Paul. Billboard 4 May 1985. p.42. Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2 June 2011
51. Kokozej, Daria Mercury and Queen. Retrieved 21 May 2011
52. Minchin, Ryan, dir. (2005) "The World's Greatest Gigs". Initial Film & Television. Retrieved 21 May 2011
53. "Live Aid 1985: A day of magic". CNN.
54. ^ "Queen win greatest live gig poll". BBC. 9 November 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
55. "Flashback: Queen Steal the Show at Live Aid". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 April 2013
    "Queen: their finest moment at Live Aid". The Telegraph. 24 September 2011
    "Live Aid 1985: A day of magic". CNN. Retrieved 17 July 2013
    "Live Aid Memories: 'It was life-changing: my life was not all about just me anymore' ". The Independent. Retrieved 13 September 2013
    "Queen most loved band". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2009
    Miles, Barry (2008) "Massive Music Moments". p. 159. Anova Books. Retrieved 21 May 2011
56. "BBC Radio 4: "The Mysterious Mr Mercury"". BBC. 12 November 2011.
57. Jackson, Laura (2008). Brian May: The Definitive Biography. Piatkus. ISBN 978-0749909765.
58. Light, Alan (3 June 2011). "The Life and Times of Metallica and Queen". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
59. ^ Mojo Magazine, August 1999, issue number 69. "Their Britannic Majesties Request" by David Thomas, page 87.
60. Rock and Pop Features (9 February 2011). "Five other Live Aid stories". The Daily Telegraph. London.
61. queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "A Kind of Magic: Album Details". Queenonline.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
62. International who's who in popular music p.129. Routledge, 2002
63. ^ "Inside the studio where Freddie Mercury sang his last song". The Telegraph. 25 October 2015.
64. ^ ""Highlander: Immortal Edition DVD competition". Liverpool Echo". Icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk.
65. "The sound and the fury". Queenarchives.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
66. Mr.Scully. "Queen live on tour: Magic tour". Queenconcerts.com.
67. "We Will Rock You (Again)!". Queenarchives.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
68. "Spike Edney – Biography". Ultimatequeen.co.uk. 11 December 1951. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
69. "The Mods – A Tribute to an Era 1964–1970 – Spike Edney, Keyboards/Guitar – Special Guest". Themodsband.com. 11 April 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
70. "Queen Wins 3 DVD Platinum Awards". Queenzone.com. 13 June 2005.
71. "Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium". WLIW. Archived from the original on 28 April 2006. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
72. Musician, Issues 93–98. p.44. Amordian Press, 1986. Retrieved 5 June 2011
73. Billboard. Books.google.com. 16 August 1986.
74. "Queen; The Miracle". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
75. Purvis, Georg (2007). "Queen Complete Works". Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) p. 67
76. "Interview with Brian May". Total Guitar Magazine. December 1998. There was all that time when we knew Freddie was on the way out, we kept our heads down.
77. VH1 Legends: Queen-Viacom International, VH1, 1997.
78. "Queen Signs With Disney, Raising Hope For Cd Releases". Chicago Tribune. Los Angeles Daily News. 13 September 1990. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
79. Wilker, Deborah (7 May 1992). "Queen Must Decide On Replacing Freddie Mercury". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
80. "The Highs and Lows of the Brit Awards". BBC. 2 December 1999. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
81. "Queen, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, Brian May, BRITS 1990". Brit Awards. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
82. "Queen Online " History " Discography". Queenonline.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
83. Donald A. Guarisco. "Queen – The Show Must Go On". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2011
84. ^ Cite error: The named reference RollingStoneSingers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
85. "BPI – UK Best Selling Albums of All Time (14 June 2009)" (PDF).
86. "Queen Greatest Hits I and II Review". BBC.
87. "Queen; Greatest Hits, Vol. 2". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
88. Bret, David (1996). Living on the Edge: The Freddie Mercury Story. London: Robson Books. p. 179. ISBN 1-86105-256-1.
89. "1991: Giant of rock dies". BBC. 24 November 1991. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
90. "Freddie, I'll Love You Always". The Mirror. 28 November 1991.
91. "Elton's Sad Farewell". Mr-mercury.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
92. Sherwin, Adam (30 May 2011). "Final Freddie Mercury performance discovered". The Independent. London.
93. "Queen hit named Britain's best". Daily Mail. London. 20 April 2014.
94. ^ "History of HIV & AIDS in the UK (1981–1995)". Avert. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
95. ^ Billboard 25 July 1992. p.8. Books.google.com.
96. "1992 MTV Video Music Awards". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
97. Made in Heaven video documentary "Champions of the World".
98. Jackson, Laura (2002). Queen: The Definitive Biography. London: Piatkus. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-7499-2317-4.
99. Folkard, Claire; Vidal, Oriol (2004). "Guinness World Records 2005". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
100. queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "Made in Heaven". Queenonline.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
101. Lemieux, Patrick (2013). The Queen Chronology: The Recording & Release History of the Band. Lulu. p. 86. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
102. ^ "Mercury, heavy metal and a jazz explosion". The Sydney Morning Herald.
103. ^ Michaels, Sean (20 March 2008). "We will rock you – again". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
104. ^ Jackson, Laura (2002). Queen: The Definitive Biography. London: Piatkus. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-7499-2317-4.
105. Montreuxmusic – Freddie Mercury statue. EMI international. Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
106. ^ "Crowning Glory". Queenzone.com. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
107. "Queen Press Release – No One But You". Queenarchives.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
108. "Queen: No-one But You/Tie Your Mother Down". Chart Stats.
109. Archived 2014-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
110. Mr.Scully. "Brian May + Roger Taylor live in Parco Novi Sad, Modena, Italy (Pavarotti & Friends)". Queenconcerts.com.
111. "Soundtrack for "A Knight's Tale"". Internet Movie Database.
112. "Music – John Deacon". BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
113. "Queen honoured with Hollywood star". BBC News. 18 October 2002.
114. "Queen: The Hollywood Walk of Fame". Hwof.com. 18 October 2002.
115. ^ "Brian May – Ambassadors – 46664". 46664.com. 30 November 2003.
116. "Queen News March 2006". brianmay.com.
117. "Rodgers to be the Great Pretender for Queen". Daily Mail. London. 15 December 2004.
118. ^ Owen Gibson, media correspondent (5 July 2005). "Queen most loved band". The Guardian. London. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
119. ^ "Queen + Paul Rodgers Concertography". Ultimatequeen.co.uk.
120. 5/30/06 (3 December 2010). "Queen & Foo Fighters "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" Live at Rock Honors 2006". VH1. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
121. May, Brian (15 August 2006). "USA Convention Story and Queen and Paul Rodgers Heading Towards a Studio Assignation".
122. "Mandela concert line-up unveiled". BBC News. 6 May 2008.
123. ^ "Queen & Paul Rodgers – Live In Ukraine DVDs!". Daily Record. Scotland. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
124. ^ Mr.Scully. "Queen live on tour: Queen + Paul Rodgers 2008". Queenconcerts.com.
125. "QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS: UK Tour Press Release". Queenworld.com. 8 October 2008.
126. ^ "Queen end collaboration with Paul Rodgers". NME. 14 May 2009.
127. "Paul Rodgers, Queen Split: "It Was Never a Permanent Arrangement"". idiomag. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
128. "Queen and Paul Rodgers split". idiomag. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
129. ^ Kaufman, Gil (20 May 2009). "Kris Allen, Adam Lambert Tear Up Queen's 'We Are The Champions' – News Story | MTV News". MTV. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
130. "Chart Archive: Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 28th November 2009". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
131. Absolute Greatest Tracklist Revealed! Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
132. ^ Brian May. "WHAT'S NEW".
133. "X Factor twins John and Edward in final six". The Belfast Telegraph. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
134. ^ "Queen News August 2010". Brianmay.com. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
135. Paphides, Pete (2 June 2010). "Can EMI pick up the pieces?". The Times. London. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
136. "Hardtalk Interview Part 1". YouTube. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
137. "Hardtalk Interview Part 2". YouTube. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
138. Collett-White, Mike (8 November 2010). "Queen Signs To Universal, Preps Remastered Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
139. "First Five Albums Re–Released Today!". Queen. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
140. "Press Release: Second Five Albums Re-Issued on 27th June". Queen. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
141. queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "Second Set of Re-issues: Out This Week!". Queenonline.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
142. "Press Release: Final Five Albums Re-Issued On 5th September". Queen. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
143. "Perry Farrell Battles Queen for a Bassist, Plots Dream Lineup for Lollapalooza 2012". Spinner.
144. "Paul Rodgers to tour with Queen again?". Queenzone.com. 31 May 2011.
145. "Queen take the Icon prize at BMI Awards". NME. 5 October 2011.
146. "Queen, the Script, Andrew Frampton, Fraser T. Smith & more honored at 2011 BMI London Awards". Bmi.com. 4 October 2011.
147. ^ Source: Penny Newton (6 November 2011). "Katy and Adam Honour Queen". MTV.
148. ^ "Adam Lambert to perform with Queen at Sonisphere". BBC. 20 February 2012.
149. "The Queen Extravaganza: 'Somebody to Love' on American Idol". Rolling Stone. 27 April 2012.
150. "Queen + Adam Lambert = Saturday night partytime". Sonisphere.co.uk.
151. "Sonisphere festival cancelled". sonisphere. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
152. queen, official, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon. "Sonisphere – Statement from Queen". Queenonline.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
153. "Press Release: Queen To Play Hammersmith". 12 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
154. "Queen + Adam Lambert Playing Four Shows This Summer". Billboard.
155. "Queen + Adam Lambert Hammersmith Shows – SOLD OUT". 19 April 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
156. "After 'Instant' Sell-out, Queen and Adam Lambert Add Third London Date"
157. "Queen Rock Kiev With Adam Lambert". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 1 July 2012.
158. "Press Release: Queen + Adam Lambert Will Rock Moscow". 28 February 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
159. "Adam Lambert has second show with Queen". USA Today. 28 February 2012.
160. "Press Release: Queen + Adam Lambert Announce Poland Show". 27 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
161. "Olympics Closing Ceremony: Jessie J Joins Queen For 'We Will Rock You' Performance". Capital Radio. 12 August 2012.
162. ^ Rees, Jasper (13 August 2012). "Olympics closing ceremony: A long goodbye to the Games". BBC.
163. Silverman, Rosa (13 August 2012). "Record TV audience for Olympics Closing ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
164. "Lineup announced for the 2013 iHeartRadio festival". CBS News. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
165. "Queen and Adam Lambert reunite for Summer Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
166. "Queen + Adam Lambert Announce Summer Tour". Billboard. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
167. "Queen Australian tour announced with best Freddie Mercury replacement". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
168. "Q&A: Queen, Adam Lambert Talk New Tour, Pressure and John Deacon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
169. ^ "Queen announce plans for new album of lost demos featuring Freddie Mercury". NME. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
170. "Queen set to release Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson duets in 2012". NME. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
171. "Brian May – BBC Wales Interview". YouTube. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
172. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Queen". Allmusic. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
173. "Rock Chronicles. 1980s: Queen". ultimate-guitar.com. 3 July 2011.
174. Vinnicombe, Chris (24 November 2009). "VIDEO: Queen's Brian May picks his favourite riffs". MusicRadar. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
175. ^ de Haan, Jan-Jaap. "Queen: A Night At The Opera". Dutch Progressive Rock Page. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
176. DeRogatis, Jim (14 July 2002). "Queen, A Day at the Races, A Night at the Opera". jimdero.com. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
177. Cite error: The named reference Erlewine Queen II was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
178. Cite error: The named reference marsh 1977 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
179. Scoppa, Bud (6 December 1973). "Sheer Heart Attack". Rolling Stone. No. 186. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007.
180. "VH1–100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". Vh1. AllMusicweb. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
181. "Queen, first non-blues based heavy metal band". Rolling Stone, Dec 1973.
182. Cite error: The named reference radiohead was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
183. http://www. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
184. "Queen 'planning to abandon EMI'". Daily Express. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
185. {{cite news|url=/news/entertainment-arts-26530182 "Queen musical We Will Rock You to close after 12 years"]. BBC. Retrieved 28 October 2014
186. "We Will Rock You". London Theatre. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
187. "Rock Band's Queen 10-Pack in All Its Glory". Kotaku.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
188. "Exclusive: 'Guitar Hero: Van Halen' Song List". Multiplayerblog.mtv.com. 5 August 2009.
189. "Guitar Hero Metallica Track List: Queen – Stone Cold Crazy". Guitarherosongs.co.uk.
190. "'Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock' Track List". Multiplayerblog.mtv.com. 4 June 2010.
191. Masters, Tim (13 October 2009). "Queen star May hails Muse album". BBC News.
192. "Queen Playable in Lego Rock Band along with their songs "We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions"". 1up.com. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
193. Previous post Next post (3 February 2009). "Singstar Queen Track Listing Revealed | GameLife". Wired.com. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
194. "Music, Current Set List". DJ Hero. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
195. "Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack". GTAIV.net. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
196. "GTA V What You Need to Know About The New Trailers". IGN. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
197. Greg Prato (27 January 1981). "Flash Gordon (Original Soundtrack): Queen". Allmusic.com.
198. Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Film. p.19. Books.google.com.
199. Olson, James Stuart (1999). Historical dictionary of the 1970s p.292. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Retrieved 30 May 2011
200. Heather Phares (6 April 2004). "Ella Enchanted Original Soundtrack". Allmusic.com.
201. Other reviews by Mike Brennan (14 November 2006). "Happy Feet Soundtrack". Soundtrack.net.
202. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (26 February 2002). "Moulin Rouge, Music from the Motion Picture". Allmusic.com.
203. "A Knight's Tale OST". All music. Retrieved 13 July 2015
204. Yukari Shima (14 November 2005) Japan Report BrianMay.com. Retrieved 11 June 2011
205. "Queen win Top Gears Best Driving Song ever poll". Queenzone.com. 7 August 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
206. "Episode Guide". That '70s Show. December 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) –
207. "The Simpsons Archive: Music Featured on the Simpsons". Snpp.com. 14 November 2012.
208. Lyndsey, Parker (13 April 2006). "Queen's Brian May Addresses 'Idol Fallout'". Yahoo!. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
209. "X Factor twins John and Edward in final six". Belfast Telegraph. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
210. "'GLEE: The Music, Volume 1' Track Listing Revealed". Broadwayworld.com.
211. "Funk: Featured Music". Fox Retrieved 3 July 2011
212. "Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album". The Official Music for Glee Site. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
213. "Sacha Baron Cohen to play Freddie Mercury". BBC News. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
214. @megancarol (17 September 2010). "Sacha Baron Cohen to Play Freddie Mercury". Newsfeed.time.com.
215. Finke, Nikki (22 July 2013). "Sacha Baron Cohen Exits Freddie Mercury Biopic Over Creative Differences With Queen". Deadline.com. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
216. "Ben Whishaw joins Freddie Mercury biopic". BBC News. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
217. ""Is it because I has a mankini?" Ali G creator to take on Queen". The Independent llocation=UK. London. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
218. Angermiller, Michele Amabile (27 August 2014). "Watch Lady Gaga Join Adam Lambert Onstage in Homage to the Queen "Mothership"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

• Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees
• 1970 establishments in England