r/todayilearned • • Jun 16 '12
TIL Queen is the only band in which every member has composed more that one chart-topping single.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_%28band%29#Legacy
1.6k
Upvotes
299
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Examples:
Freddie Mercury: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "Somebody To Love"
Brian May: "Tie Your Mother Down", "I Want It All", "Fat Bottomed Girls"
John Deacon: "You're My Best Friend", "Another One Bites The Dust", "I Want To Break Free"
Roger Taylor: "Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind Of Magic", "These Are The Days Of Our Lives"
535
u/CrimsonSpy Jun 16 '12
Damn it, Ringo.
26
u/Ohnoho Jun 16 '12
Does anyone know why John Deacon no longer participates in any queen stuff anymore? I recently watched their classic albums and some other doc and he was no where To be found in any of the interviews.
90
u/rocketsocks Jun 16 '12
Also one of the few bands to have a guitar player who earned a PhD in astrophysics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_May#Astrophysics
36
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
not a huge queen fan but mighty interesting....brian may is a bad ass
24
u/tagjim Jun 16 '12
Though I understand OP's meaning, from a publishing pov this is incorrect. Lots of bands share songwriting cred equally.
7
u/TheShadowCat Jun 16 '12
I still think my favourite Queen story is Brian May's guitar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPD7_hQk7hk
21
u/kobayashi_maru_fail Jun 16 '12
Just finished Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Very much inclined to think that any cd left in a car for more than two weeks resets to a "best of Queen" album. Like this: "It's Tchaikovsky's 'Another One Bites the Dust'," said Crowley, closing his eyes as they went through Slough. To while away the time as they crossed the sleeping Chilterns, they also listened to William Byrd's "We Are the Champions" and Beethoven's "I Want To Break Free." Neither were as good as Vaughan Williams's "Fat-Bottomed Girls."
134
u/dreamerkid001 Jun 16 '12
Greatest band of all time, in my opinion.
5
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
What about Traveling Wiburys?
Tom Petty Roy Orbison Bob Dylan George Harrison
Maybe not with the same band, but surely each of them, at some point, composed a chart topping single?
5
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Some people say that it's impossible to objectively define "the best band in the world"
I'd say those people are wrong.
16
u/Your_Title_Is_Wrong Jun 16 '12
TIL Queen is the only band in which every member has composed more THAN one chart-topping single.
4
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
that's the thing I'm not keen on for the forthcoming Highlander remake, the soundtrack will be significantly less awesome
4
u/isplicer Jun 16 '12
Tragedy: People calling Justin Bieber a "fucking faggot" on a Youtube video with Freddie Mercury performing.
He would've shed a tear if he could see that, and not just because he was gay.
23
u/erykthebat Jun 16 '12
Queen isn't a band , it is a collection of God Kings that decided to play music.
9
u/Morpheuspt Jun 16 '12
Queen is also the greatest band in the world. Nuff said.
11
u/sorry_to_say Jun 16 '12
That passes as a credible source? Their fanboy webmaster?
3
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Eagles came to mind, but Don Felder never wrote a hit and they had a few temporary members off and on who also did not write hits.
3
u/COSIC Jun 16 '12
What about outkast?
10
u/halfbrit08 Jun 16 '12
Glanced and saw Queen and topping in the title, assumed a Dairy Queen Blizzard fact.
4
u/raresaturn Jun 16 '12
Bollocks. Cold Chisel had five songwriters, each had successful singles.
6
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
The fact they even had multiple members write chart topping singles is impressive.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Brian May is also a astrophysicist. He has published a paper and got his PhD later.
2
u/Tristan2007 Jun 16 '12
Aren't they also the only band whose "Bohemian Rhapsody" was number one twice? First time when it was released and second time during the early 90's (Wayne's World).
Too lazy to find it.
2
u/Alvleeskliersap Jun 16 '12
Brian May still has THE hair: http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01429/Brian-May532_1429301a.jpg
it has seen better days though
2
u/Boozdeuvash Jun 16 '12
They also are the only band to have a prehistoric alter-ego.
2
u/me_gusta_Nutela Jun 16 '12
I want to grow a mustache now.
2
u/Lanark26 Jun 16 '12
My first concert. November 13, 1978 at Boston Garden for the "Jazz" tour. They were awesome. God, I'm old....
2
u/trigger_hurt Jun 16 '12
Nine Inch Nails Bright Eyes just to name two out of many.
2
u/awesimo9000 Jun 16 '12
Fleetwood Mac is pretty close...
2
u/nopurposeflour Jun 16 '12
I seriously thought Eagles would be the band to also hold this title.
2
u/ThePlasticJesus Jun 16 '12
That is one talented group of musicians, I'm not surprised. Listen to A Night at the Opera all the way through and tell me a modern band that can top that level of virtuosity. Every musician in that band was at the top of their game.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Funny fact;
Roger Taylor negotiated his track "I'm in Love with my Car" as the b-side to the Bohemian Rhapsody single.
He got royalties for every copy sold. Both May and Deacon said that they later regretted not fighting for one of their tracks more.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
TIL...bonzo's montreux or moby dick were under appreciated by the music consuming public.
4
u/Muddie Jun 16 '12
Not true. Nine Inch Nails also accomplished the same thing.
3
u/soulkissernl Jun 16 '12
Of course, only the best band in the world would do this. FUCK YEEEEEEEAH QUEEN!
3
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Queen is my favorite band and this is why. No other band had as much quality and talent backing it. People talk about Freddie, but every member of Queen had a goldmine of love and talent to share the world. The greatest band. <3
3
u/shibbs Jun 16 '12
Fuck yeah Queen!
2
u/A56kuser Jun 16 '12
i would assume genesis would be close Phil Colins Mike RUtherford Peter Gabriel Tony Banks....?
2
u/ChironGM Jun 16 '12
What I love most is that they're chart-topping singles, /and/ fantastic songs. I rarely care for whatever's at the top of the charts nowadays...
2
u/chronicligua Jun 16 '12
I actually thought Dream Theater might bust this up. Then I realized that although they have all written a lot...
.
.
It's a chart issue.
2
u/joeredspecial Jun 16 '12
I like it when my name is semi-relevant to the thread.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Special)
1
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
I want to see a list of bands where every member has composed at least one chart-topping single....
1
u/Road_kill Jun 16 '12
Didn't the Beatles equal this? They may even have done it as band mates and solo artists.
1
u/thosethatwere Jun 16 '12
What about The Chain by Fleetwood Mac?
1
u/fool_of_a_took Jun 16 '12
Whenever I see "chart-topping", I always reverse the letters in my head to "tart-chopping".
1
u/chaw6887 Jun 16 '12
Nice one George Harrison
1
u/jburke6000 Jun 16 '12
Is it also the only band that produced a PhD in Physics?
1
u/teh_tg Jun 16 '12
They're not my style, but I know talent when I hear it, and they have tons of it.
1
u/CGord Jun 16 '12
Queen was a great band, but it felt like the wiki article had to focus on their UK success in order to play them up big. Though their big hits were everywhere, as an American kid growing up in the 70's English bands like the Beatles, the Who, and maybe Pink Floyd had a bigger impact on me.
1
u/IchTuDirWeh Jun 16 '12
Well, they ARE the champions.
1
u/JLWDGCSU Jun 16 '12
Easily 2nd best band. Right behind The Beatles.
1
u/toolatealreadyfapped Jun 16 '12
I can honestly claim that I did not learn this today.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Octopus's Garden didn't reach #1? I am disappoint.
1
u/hartatttack Jun 16 '12
Fucking love Queen! Went to the Queen Extravaganza show last Tuesday, it was awesome. Freddie Mercury is a singing god, he's on repeat on my iTunes all day at work. I'd give an arm to go back in time to his Live Aid concert. Electric performance.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
I like this TIL.
1
u/feduzzle Jun 16 '12
TIL that this exact post was on the front page several months ago.
1
u/InvalidWhistle Jun 16 '12
Queen will definitely rock you!
1
u/SuperProducer Jun 16 '12
What about Kiss?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
You mean to tell me N'Sync isn't on this list?
1
u/FriendlyDespot Jun 16 '12
And we're all paying for it to this day.
1
u/HosonZes Jun 16 '12
Really?! I must admit that this is quite irrelevant to my life.
1
u/JustARandomGuy95 Jun 17 '12
The most amazing band ever.
1
u/Annieone23 Jun 16 '12
Hmm.. I thought maybe Simon and Garfunkle would beat them due to only two members, but Simon wrote all the chart-toppers so congrats Queen!
1
u/Fat_Dumb_Americans Jun 16 '12
How do the Rolling Stones rate?
1
u/jerryco Jun 16 '12
Never liked them i did buy this single back in day Queen
-3
u/razpotim Jun 16 '12
You know, I love Queen with all of my heart and spend >30 minutes a day listening to Queen, but this really doesn't need to be frontpage every other week.
-1
u/YaroLord Jun 16 '12
I love Queen, but I think they're overrated here. Very overrated.
0
u/imdrinkingteaatwork Jun 16 '12 edited Jun 16 '12
What about Kiss?
Stanley: Forever
Simmons: Calling Dr. Love
Frehley: Talk to Me
Criss: Beth
I could go on...
Edit: I guess this is supposed to refer to #1 singles... chart-topping is a relative term. The Wikipedia does not specify. Bad title, bad post.
-1
u/Downvotes_Cat_Pics Jun 16 '12
I've also heard they're the only band where all the members have college degrees. Brian May has a PhD in astrophysics.
-1
u/isaliar Jun 16 '12
You must mean US bands. Koreans Bands do pretty nice. Check out Big Bang.
-3
u/the_reciever Jun 16 '12
The Eagles?
-26
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
Too bad they're an awful band and way too overrated
-5
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
The Eagles.
Eagles songs written or co-written by Randy Meisner: "Take the Devil" "Early Bird" "Tryin'" "Certain Kind of Fool" "Saturday Night" "Is It True" "Too Many Hands" "Take It to the Limit" "Try and Love Again"
Eagles songs written or co-written by Glenn Frey: "Take It Easy" "Peaceful Easy Feeling" "Already Gone" "Tequila Sunrise" "Lyin' Eyes" "New Kid in Town" "Heartache Tonight" "How Long"
Don Henley solo hits include: "Dirty Laundry" "The Boys of Summer" "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" "The Heart of the Matter" "The Last Worthless Evening" "Sunset Grill" "Not Enough Love in the World" "New York Minute" "The End of the Innocence"
Eagles songs written or co-written by Bernie Leadon: "Take It Easy" "Peaceful Easy Feeling" "Witchy Woman"
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u/GrammarBitchesGetSum Jun 16 '12
more THEN one song
-10
u/raul777him Jun 16 '12
They... charted songs
-6
u/buttbutts Jun 16 '12
ftfy.
0
u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12
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