4 Amazing Queen Singles That Deserved Better Success in the US

You won’t find too many people to argue against the notion that Queen is firmly entrenched as classic rock legends. And yet their chart success on singles didn’t always match up with that lofty reputation, especially in the US.

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Without these four songs, Queen’s recorded legacy wouldn’t quite be the same. And yet none of them even hit the American Top 40.

“Keep Yourself Alive”

Like many amazing bands, Queen took a while to find their way into the commercial mainstream. Their self-titled first album was largely overlooked both in the United Kingdom and the United States. But there are some undeniable gems on there, including “Keep Yourself Alive”, which they released as their very first single. The Queen album doesn’t stray much from a hard-rocking approach. The band would soon show off their versatility on albums to come. But at least “Keep Yourself Alive”, written by Brian May, displays some of their melodic skills. And it also gives plenty of space to May so he can shred.

“Don’t Stop Me Now”

Over the years, “Don’t Stop Me Now” has earned its place as one of the band’s most beloved songs. But it was met with crickets in the US when released as a single in early 1979. (It did just fine in the UK.) Maybe American audiences weren’t ready for a rock band to deliver a song that sounds at times like a Broadway showstopper. But then again, they should have realized by then that Freddie Mercury, who wrote the song, wasn’t ever going to settle for the same old approach. His breathless lead performance gets ample support from the band’s trademark high-drama supporting vocals. By the time this one is over, it’s clear that nobody could have stopped Freddie if they tried.

“I Want To Break Free”

Interestingly enough, for a band that provided such striking visuals on stage, Queen didn’t consistently thrive with the videos that they made. “I Want To Break Free” epitomized this strange phenomenon. American audiences just weren’t that into drag when the song was released in 1984, so the clip that the band made left them a bit puzzled. The mid-80s was also an era when many US fans had turned their backs on the band in favor of other British acts of more recent vintage. It’s too bad, because “I Want To Break Free”, written by John Deacon, is a rock-solid pop effort honored by some of Freddie Mercury’s most charismatic vocals.

“Who Wants To Live Forever”

Queen never met a sci-fi movie it could turn down in the 80s. Who can forget them belting out “Flash…aah aah” for the Flash Gordon soundtrack in 1980? Highlander, about immortal warriors, didn’t slay audiences when it was originally released in 1986. (It was later cleaned up on home video.) Queen did several songs for the movie, songs that then ended up on their 1976 album A Kind Of Magic. “Who Wants To Live Forever”, written by Brian May, eloquently portrays the heartbreak that someone who can’t die might feel when someone they love passes. But the sweeping ballad couldn’t summon many American listeners when released as a single.

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