4th - Radio Ga Ga (1984)

 

4-(2)-2-4-7-16-28-37-60 (9 weeks)

 

 

Average Score - 40.75

 

Highest Score - 50 (gooddelta)

 

Lowest Score - 0 (Smint)

Two classics there. WWTLF feels a bit too high now for my liking so a unexpected TSMGO or the predictable BR win I'd go with personally now.

Would love TSMGO to win the whole thing. It's already exceeded my expectations getting this far. :wub:

So one from each of the 70s, 80s and 90s remaining. Did anyone see either of those non Top 10 hits making the Top 3? I certainly didn’t. But can either of them beat the mighty Bo Rhap? Final reveal tomorrow. :w00t:

^I did cos that's what I voted (I think)

Who wants to Live Forever is their best ever, should really win

Yes it's a big surprise WWTLF top 3 - SMGO, less so due to the message and Freddie dying shortly after, it's always going to be sad. WWTLF is from Highlander, a good film dominated by their soundtrack. Radio Gaga is my fave of the top 5, but they are all good. Bo Rap obv always wins everything, but when it was fresh and new and exciting and topping my charts over Pre-Xmas 1975, I still preferred the "other" Mamma Mia record which had a much-longer run atop my charts than Bo Rap.

Very happy with this top 3 - they were my 47-49 pointers!

3rd - Who Wants To Live Forever, 1986

 

Score: 822

Average score: 41.10

Highest: 50 - Bjork

Lowest: 28 - dandy*

 

Polyhex entry:

27/09/1986 Queen Who Wants To Live Forever? 24 28-{24}-31-38-64->5

 

 

This was only the 4th single from "A Kind Of Magic", hence its very modest chart impact. Like the title track it was written for the film "Highlander".

 

This owes its Top 3 placing here to incredibly consistent scores, with every single one of the 20 voters ranking it in the top half. The synths on this do create an incredible sound world and it has an epic build to it.

2nd - The Show Must Go On, 1991

 

Score: 833

Average score: 41.65

Highest: 50 - Lukuzz, JulianT

Lowest: 18 - King Rollo

 

Polyhex entry:

26/10/1991 Queen The Show Must Go On 16 19-{16}-23-41-62-34R(2)-27-29-40-52->10

 

 

The fourth single from Innuendo, this reached #16 just a few weeks before Freddy's death and re-entered after he died at a time when re-entries were very rare.

 

Could anything have more poignantly summed up what Freddy was going through when he recorded it? Given this was always likely to be a race for 2nd place I'm delighted with how well my 50 pointer has done - great to see that so many of you love it too.

1st - Bohemian Rhapsody, 1975

 

Score: 926

Average score: 46.30

Highest: 50 - King Rollo, Nina West, Smint, dj_tim_e, Chez Wombat, Brer

Lowest: 39 - Lukuzz

 

Polyhex entries:

08/11/1975 Queen Bohemian Rhapsody 1 47-17-9-{1}-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-3-6-16-32-36->17

21/12/1991 Queen Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days Of Our Lives 1 {1}-1-1-1-1-2-4-10-16-13-21-36-53-55->14

 

 

The lead single from "A Night At The Opera", and re-released as a double A side with "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" following Freddy's death, this is still one of the 10 biggest selling singles in history (3rd on pure sales), and also the most streamed song released before 1990.

 

Well you can't argue with that result really. It was nearly 100 points ahead of 2nd with 6 top scores, and despite the field being packed with classics no voter placed it outside their top 12.

Thanks very much all who participated, commented and read! Thanks to Ed for helping me run this.

 

1 Bohemian Rhapsody [1975] 926

2 The Show Must Go On [1991] 833

3 Who Wants To Live Forever [1986] 822

4 Radio Ga Ga [1984] 815

5 Under Pressure (with David Bowie) [1981] 797

6 Somebody To Love [1976] 789

7 Another One Bites The Dust [1980] 777

8 Killer Queen [1974] 775

9 I Want To Break Free [1984] 771

10 Don't Stop Me Now [1979] 769

11 We Are The Champions [1977] 751

12 Innuendo [1991] 742

13 A Kind Of Magic [1986] 648

14 These Are The Days Of Our Lives [1991] 632

15 You're My Best Friend [1976] 620

16 Crazy Little Thing Called Love [1979] 609

17 I Want It All [1989] 605

18 Love Of My Life [1979] 601

19 Seven Seas Of Rhye [1974] 593

20 Hammer To Fall [1984] 576

21 One Vision [1985] 556

22 I'm Going Slightly Mad [1991] 506

23 Flash [1980] 487

24 It's A Hard Life [1984] 464

25 Save Me [1980] 457

26 Fat Bottomed Girls [1978] 419

27 Too Much Love Will Kill You [1996] 410

28 Play The Game [1980] 408

29 Breakthru [1989] 401

30 Bicycle Race [1978] 399

31 Tie Your Mother Down [1977] 383

32 Heaven For Everyone [1995] 375

33 Thank God It's Christmas [1984] 366

34 The Miracle [1989] 365

35 Las Palabras De Amor [1982] 364

36 A Winter's Tale [1995] 356

37 The Invisible Man [1989] 356

38 Back Chat [1982] 337

39 Friends Will Be Friends [1986] 337

40 You Don’t Fool Me [1996] 329

41 Now I'm Here [1975] 323

42 Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy [1977] 323

43 Spread Your Wings [1978] 300

44 Scandal [1989] 275

45 Somebody To Love (Five Live EP) [1992] 272

46 Let Me Live [1996] 261

47 Headlong [1991] 254

48 No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young) [1998] 179

49 Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen & The Muppets) [2009] 169

50 Body Language [1982] 168

51 Flash (Queen & Vanguard) [2003] 115

52 Another One Bites The Dust (Queen vs The Miami Project) [2006] 108

53 Under Pressure - Rah Mix [1999] 91

54 We Will Rock You (Five & Queen) [2000] 54

55 Another One Bites The Dust (Small Soldiers film version) [1998] 43

56 C-Lebrity [2008] 39

 

When I see BR not come first in something is the day I see pigs fly tbh :lol: (although one radio station used to do a hall of fame 500 where it took turns with 'Angels' on the occasional year).

 

'The Show Must Go On' I didn't foresee being as high as 2nd for some reason but great for that. Impressive for a top 30 hit of theirs to come 3rd also!

 

Thanks for running Julian. It's been fun following and ranking + listening ^_^

The winner was hardly in doubt but it's well-deserved. Delighted to see The Show Must Go On as runner-up, even if it was closer to Innuendo in 12th than 1st.

 

Thanks for running this Julian!

Thanks Julian and Ed for the results and commentary.

 

Bohemian Rhapsody is the rightful winner, I will never tire of it.

 

Great to see Who Wants To Live Forever and Radio Ga Ga in the top 5 as well.

Thanks for organising this Julian! Quite a bit of difference with the national poll in places which is nice to see. Not sure which did better or worse significantly yet... :)

 

Bo Rap, prob shot someone who'd been singing it non-stop for 48 years, day-in day-out, so justifiable homicide. Yes I gave it a top 10 placing because it's a work of art! (Still don't want to hear it for a few years though) :teresa:

Wonder why The Show Must Go On didn’t get a higher reentry when Freddie passed away, there must have been demand surely while waiting for the Bo Rap rerelease, maybe they had enough albums people purchased instead at the time?

 

Anyway thanks for this Julian a great countdown!

Edited April 24, 20232 yr by steve201

Great top 3 and actually the correct top 5 too

 

Great running this Julian

Ah a predictable winner but still a fab song, even though I apparently voted it the lowest :lol:

 

The Show Must Go On is iconic!

Thanks so much for this Julian. The no.1 was never in doubt but thrilled about 'The Show Must Go On" being no.2