I became a huge Queen fan for a year or so after Freddie Mercury's death. "These Are The Days Of Out Lives" is decent but I think "The Show Must Go On" is a much better record.

There was no escaping Bryan Adams in the summer of 1991 but I have fond memories of that summer and think it's a decent record. For me it's the sheer quantity of bland records that Bryan Adams released the rest of the decade that's tarnished his reputation for me.

Not so fond memories of Enigma because I was ill in bed for much of January 1991. I don't think I remember it at all at the time as a result, but it's since become a record I'm very familiar with and like.

On 21/09/2026 at 01:34, dandy* said:

Sadeness would be top 2 for me, possibly #1

I bought the single at the time and was mesmerised by how different it was to everything else I'd heard in the charts up to that point. I can still remember being so chuffed the week it finally ascended to the top of the charts, just a shame it didn't stay there for longer. I then persuaded my parents to buy me the album as well and it went on to be one of my most listened to albums of all time, such a relaxing a dreamy experience.

I think these days I'd say that their second album is a stronger album though <3

Sadness was number one for 10 weeks in Germany and at number 3 on the year end charts.

Top 5 Singles of 1991 in Germany

1. Scorpions – "Wind of Change"

2. Bryan Adams – "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"

3. Enigma – "Sadeness (Part I)"

4. Roxette – "Joyride"

5. Kate Yanai – "Bacardi Feeling (Summer Dreamin')"

😎

4 Queen - Innuendo

1 week in January 1991: {1}-2-12-31-46-70->6

Kept off #1: none

#70 in EOY 1991

Weekly sales at #1: 45k

We've already touched on this one as the title track from the same studio album which housed 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', and this is also the next in the much-loved triple whammy of #1s in early 1991 as it replaced 'Sadeness Part I' at the top. The opening track and lead single from the album of the same name was a bold statement, with several distinguishable sections rather like their nominal magnum opus 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but with an even longer running time of six and half minutes. The opening and closing sections emerged from a jam session to which all four members of the band contributed, and its main thrust was inspired by Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'. The middle sections includes a flamenco guitar played by Steve Howe of the band Yes which Queen guitarist Brian May joins alongside, plus a synthesised orchestra. It became only the band's third UK #1, the second credited only to Queen, and the first to debut at the top - however, like Iron Maiden a few weeks earlier, it dropped down the chart quickly, and was in fact the first ever UK #1 to spend only two weeks in the Top 10.

For a #1 by one of the most enduringly popular bands in UK history, it's striking how unknown this is in the public sphere. I've owned Queen's original Greatest Hits for years, but nothing from the later years, so to supplement this on my iPod before I had Spotify, I took the compilation Absolute Greatest out from the library, which contains 20 tracks from across their career. 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives' and 'The Show Must Go On' are both among them, but the title track from Innuendo is not. It remains virtually untouched by commercial radio in comparison to at least a dozen 70s and 80s moments which still get regular rotation. Before it came up in the first series of Sunday listening sessions (UK #1s) on Synctube in 2022, I could probably count on one hand the times I'd knowingly heard it. However it remains ripe for reappraisal from the non-#1 status its chart run suggests.

Freddie Mercury's illness, unknown at the time, and in spite of his usual powerhouse of a vocal here, could be said in hindsight to loom over the ominous tone of the opening verse and "'til the end of time" refrain. However there's much more to delve into, as the band lean into their progressive rock roots and the Zeppelin-sized ambition in their playing. The mood changes in the middle section as the gentle flamenco emerges around the title line, then springs into life setting up Freddie's optimistic "You can be anything you want to be", as the music shifts into 3/4 and then 5/4 time. By the final verse, although back in the same pattern as the opening section, there's a more triumphant feel. It's an extraordinary feeling to realise that so much potential is probably still wrapped up in this #1 hit from the early 90s, and there's every chance that if I came back and did this rate again in 5 years' time, this could be higher still. For now, the three songs which remain are the only ones in this countdown which did make it onto my iPod, and have been familiar favourites for much longer.

Wasn't a massive fan of this until I saw the video in the TOTP 1991 reruns, its brilliantly epic.

"Innuendo" was certainly big at the time and you would hear it a lot in the aftermath of Freddie Mercury's death but like you say it's been largely forgotten since. I once put this as a question in a music clips quiz and was accused of picking the most obscure Queen song I could find. I had to point out that aside from "Bohemian Rhapsody" this was the only number 1 for Queen on their own during Freddie Mercury's lifetime. A surprising statistic when you consider how many big songs Queen have.

Innuendo is certainly the best number 1 single from 1991 and my third favourite chart topper of all time. I loved it the first time I heard it, I was so pleased that they attempted something so ambitious at this stage of their career. You're right that it is largely forgotten now, every time there's a question about it on Popmaster, the contestants can't find the correct answer.

Innuendo is immense and I’ve always loved it. Criminally overlooked I agree.

On 20/09/2026 at 23:16, King Rollo said:

I do like These Are The Days Of Our Lives but there are better songs on the Innuendo album, whether they are singles or tracks that were not put out as singles. Sadeness Part 1 would certainly be in my top 5 from the year.

Innuendo (the album) is quite good,

The song Innuendo is amazing. I imagine Muse were listening vey closely.

Edited Wednesday at 06:493 days by Colm

I was never a big fan of Queen and their rock operas are completely not my thing. I neither like Bohemian Rhapsody nor Innuendo, which would be in the low midfield here for me. As said before many of the 1991 #1s are not so much my thing.

Innuendo is a song I certainly admire a lot, especially for its ambition. It’s the type of song I’d normally gravitate towards. It sounds fantastic and the lyrics are poignant, even though we didn’t know what Freddie was going through at the time of its release. However though I’ve tried hard, I just don’t love it, I don’t really know why.

So that means my top three are the same as yours, but in what order I wonder?

Innuendo came and went in a flash and I think it suffered from views like my own that they were trying too hard to do another Bo Rap - which at that point hadn't outstayed it's welcome and was topping all-time-greatest polls - and it struggled to compare with that as the mood and vibe was very different. Long-term though, I've come round from merely liking it to preferring it to Bo Rap. I just wish radio would give Bo Rap a break for 5 years and play this instead, it's very poignant in retrospect and still sounds fresh. It's not quite up to Sadeness and a couple of others on my list of the year, but it's top 10 for sure, possibly top 5.

Not the greatest Queen fan, but I have to say this is one of my absolute favourites of theirs. It's a masterpiece.

I much prefer Innuendo to Bohemian Rhapsody

Listened to it again this morning due to this thread.

The bridge of the Spanish guitar through to the oooh oooh part (badly described) is superb.

The whole way to the end is fantastic.

Sadeness is one of those very striking and unique No.1 singles, it's great that a song like that could get to the top, I loved the 90s for this sound being so popular.

I don't love or dislike Innuendo but it was definitely a strong late career Queen single.

A track that should never have been number one. Not keen on it, goes on too long, and as noted, the longevity of the track chart wise tells you what you need to know really.

27 minutes ago, Gezza said:

A track that should never have been number one. Not keen on it, goes on too long, and as noted, the longevity of the track chart wise tells you what you need to know really.

The fact that we're all here complementing it tells us even more. 10/10

Edited Wednesday at 13:443 days by Colm

30 minutes ago, Colm said:

The fact that we're all here complementing it tells us even more. 10/10

Well we're commenting on it because it was a number one 😁 But you don't really hear it anywhere generally. I mean fair enough it made No 1 but that was down to a low sales period and a late TOTP in all honesty otherwise it would very likely have debuted at No 2.

On 23/09/2026 at 15:17, Gezza said:

Well we're commenting on it because it was a number one 😁 But you don't really hear it anywhere generally. I mean fair enough it made No 1 but that was down to a low sales period and a late TOTP in all honesty otherwise it would very likely have debuted at No 2.

Interesting to be reminded of that - referring back to your Gallup thread for 1991, 'Innuendo' was less than 4k ahead of both 'Sadeness' and the song which would replace it at #1, both of which featured on the delayed TOTP episode, so had they received the earlier exposure, one or both may have denied its week at the top. Speaking of which...