By Queen - or One of Its Members Quiz

Answer: John Deacon

"You're My Best Friend" was written by John Deacon for inclusion on Queen's 1975 album "A Night At The Opera". Deacon wrote the song for his wife, and played both his own bass guitar and a Wurlitzer electric piano on the track - although Freddie Mercury would usually play piano parts, he refused to use the electric piano that Deacon had chosen for the track.

When the song was played live on tour, Mercury would play a grand piano. "You're My Best Friend" was released as a single in the UK in June 1976, eventually reaching number seven in the charts.

It was subsequently one of the tracks included on Queen's 1981 album "Greatest Hits".

Answer: John Deacon

The inspiration for what eventually became "Another One Bites the Dust" started when John Deacon spent some time alongside the disco / funk group Chic. Inspired by the bass line from that group's song "Good Times", Deacon composed a track that was a departure from Queen's usual rock sound, towards something more funk-based.

In the recording, Deacon played the majority of the instruments, with Brian adding some guitar noises and Roger Taylor contributing the drum loop. "Another One Bites the Dust" was included on Queen's 1980 album "The Game", and was released as a single in August 1980, reaching number seven in the UK, and becoming their second and final US Billboard number one.

The song was also included on the 1981 album "Greatest Hits".

Answer: John Deacon

John Deacon wrote "I Want To Break Free" during the preparation for Queen's 1984 album "The Works". The song was released as the album's second single in April 1984, with an accompanying promo video featuring the group's four members in drag. While the video went down well in most parts of the world, especially the UK, the cross-dressing aspect led to its being banned by MTV in the United States - the song reached number three in the UK chart, but only reached number 45 in the US.

Many other parts of the world, such as South Africa and parts of Latin America, reacted badly to the video, but adopted the song itself as an anthem against oppression.

The song was included on Queen's second greatest hits collection, "Greatest Hits II", in 1992.

Answer: Brian May

"Fat Bottomed Girls" was written for Queen's 1978 album "Jazz", with Brian May, who write the song, giving it more of a blues feel than previous tracks the group had produced. The song was released in October 1978 as a Double-A side with Freddie Mercury's "Bicycle Race", with both songs referencing each other.

The single eventually reached number 11 in the UK singles chart and 24 in the US Billboard Top 100. The song was also included on the 1981 album "Greatest Hits".

Answer: Brian May

"Flash" (also known as "Flash's Theme") was produced as the opening theme of the 1981 science fiction film "Flash Gordon", for which Queen were invited to write the soundtrack by producer Dino De Laurentiis. Each member of the group wrote different tracks that were included both in the film itself and on the eventual album that accompanied it, with Brian May responsible for the title song. Unusually, the single release of the song, which came out in November 1980, and was the only single from the soundtrack album, features audio taken directly from the film alongside the song itself.

The single peaked at number ten in the UK Top 40 chart, but only reached number 42 in the US. It was also included on "Greatest Hits" in 1981.

Answer: Brian May

"Who Wants To Live Forever" is a ballad written by Brian May for Queen's 1986 album "A Kind of Magic", which also served as an unofficial soundtrack album for the film "Highlander", which the group contributed a number of songs to. May wrote the song in the backseat of his car, having seen a first cut of a scene in the film featuring an immortal character watching his wife grow old and eventually die, over which the song is played.

In the album version, the lead vocals are shared between May and Freddie Mercury, while an instrumental version, consisting of just piano and keyboard, was included as a bonus track. "Who Wants To Live Forever" peaked at number 24 in the UK when it was released in September 1986, and was also included on "Greatest Hits II" in 1992.

Answer: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury wrote "Don't Stop Me Now" during the period that resulted in the 1978 album "Jazz". The song was written as a celebration, particularly of the hedonistic lifestyle that Mercury was living at the time. However, Brian May often stated his dislike of the track, stating that he struggled with it owing to the way his friend was living. Released in January 1979, it got to number nine in the UK, but only to number 86 in the US.

Despite this, it got a degree of airplay on radio, and was included on 1981's "Greatest Hits", which saw its standing improve over time to become one of Queen's most popular songs, to the extent that it was voted as their third-best song by readers of "Rolling Stone" in 2014.

Answer: Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury wrote "Somebody To Love" for the 1976 album "A Day At The Races". The song was written with similarities to Mercury's seminal piece, "Bohemian Rhapsody", having a number of complex harmonies, which were produced through voice layering, to enable Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor to create the impression of a 100-voice choir.

The song was influenced by one of Mercury's favourite singers, Aretha Franklin, and he aimed to produce a song that sounded as if written for her. "Somebody To Love" was released in November 1976, the first single from the album, and peaked at number two in the UK chart, reaching number 13 in the US.

It was subsequently included on 1981's "Greatest Hits".

Answer: Freddie Mercury

The idea for "Bicycle Race" came about when Queen watched Stage 18 of the 1978 Tour de France in 1978, which went through the Swiss town of Montreux, where the group were in the process of recording the album that eventually became "Jazz". Freddie Mercury was inspired by the sight and wrote the song, which came to be described as a "jaunty theatrical tribute to bike riding".

The song was released as a double A-side with "Fat Bottomed Girls", with the two songs referencing each other in their lyrics. An infamous video accompanied the song, featuring 65 professional models riding bicycles around Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium while in the nude.

The song got to number 11 in the UK and 24 in the US, and was subsequently included on 1981's "Greatest Hits".

Answer: Roger Taylor

"Radio Ga Ga" first came about when Roger Taylor was driving with his young son, who uttered the words "radio ca-ca" when listening to a bad song. Initially planning to use the song for his solo album, when his bandmates heard what he had already put down, they put in their own ideas, which led to it becoming part of Queen's 1984 album "The Works".

The song used an innovative video that included scenes from the 1927 film "Metropolis", a major restoration of which Freddie Mercury had participated with.

The video was placed on heavy rotation on MTV, leading to it becoming one of the group's most well regarded songs. "Radio Ga Ga" reached number two in the UK and number 16 in the US, but topped the chart in a number of other countries. It was also included on the 1992 album "Greatest Hits II".

Answer: Roger Taylor

"A Kind of Magic" came about following Queen's viewing of an initial cut of the film "Highlander", for which they were asked to contribute to the soundtrack. In it, the lead character uses the phrase to describe his own immortality. Roger Taylor was inspired by it, and wrote a song using it as the title, with other phrases from the film used within the lyrics.

After producing the version that appeared in the film, Freddie Mercury undertook a reworking of the song to make it more "chart friendly", with this version appearing on the album of the same name. Released in March 1986 as a single, " A Kind of Magic" got to number three in the UK, but only reached number 42 in the US.

It was subsequently included on 1992's "Greatest Hits II".

Answer: Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor originally wrote "Heaven for Everyone" around the time that Queen were working on the album "A Kind of Magic". However, it was not used as a Queen track, instead being recorded by his side project, The Cross. Two versions of the song were produced - one with Roger Taylor singing the lead vocals, and one with Freddie Mercury singing the lead.

In 1993, two years after his death, the remaining members of Queen took the second version of the song and, marrying it to new instrumental work and backing vocals, included it on the 1995 album "Made in Heaven". Released as a single in October 1995, "Heaven for Everyone" reached number two in the UK, and was included on the 1999 album "Greatest Hits III".

Answer: Queen

Up to 1988, the songs on Queen's albums were generally credited to one or more individuals. "One Vision", which was included on the 1986 album "A Kind of Magic", was a rare exception in that all four members of the band received a songwriting credit, as the song was a group effort. "One Vision" came out of a week of brainstorming and jamming in the studio that produced a significant amount of material, including what eventually became "One Vision".

When released as a single, it featured a remixed version of the same song, entitled "Blurred Vision", as the B-side. "One Vision" was released in November 1985, reaching number seven in the UK, but only getting to number 61 in the US.

The song was also included on the 1992 album "Greatest Hits II".

Answer: Queen

Beginning with the 1989 album "The Miracle", all of Queen's songs were credited to the band as a whole, no matter which member(s) actually wrote them. The first song to be released under this arrangement was "I Want It All", which was written by Brian May.

The song was a reference to his conflicted feelings following the breakup of his marriage and his new relationship, and was one of the few that had already been written before the group returned to the studio in 1988 to begin work on the album. Released as a single in May 1989, it got to number three in the UK, but only number 50 in the US; it was also included on 1992's "Greatest Hits II.

It has since been adopted as a protest anthem for various groups.

Answer: Queen

"These Are the Days of Our Lives" was written and produced for the 1991 album "Innuendo", which was the last that Queen produced before Freddie Mercury died. Credited to the group as a whole, the song was written by Roger Taylor, who was reflecting on his life alongside the singer, whom he had known since the late 1960s, while watching his friend's health deteriorating.

The video for the song was produced in May 1991, and was the last to feature Freddie Mercury before his death. The song was originally released in September 1991, before being reissued as a double-A side with "Bohemian Rhapsody" in December of the same year, when it reached number one in the UK.

The song also received a Brit Award in 1992 as Single of the Year, and was included on the 1999 album "Greatest Hits III".