![\"Freddie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Freddie-Mercury-Queen-Singer-Musician-1980s-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out \/ Carol Lee \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n
Tue 20 January 2026 7:42, UK <\/p>\n
For all his stage moves, it\u2019s easy to forget how much of a phenomenon Freddie Mercury<\/a> was as a musician. <\/p>\n Even though he may have been able to deliver Queen\u2019s music to any crowd that would have them, Mercury was just as proficient behind any instrument that he tried, penning classic musical passages throughout \u2018Bohemian Rhapsody\u2019 and even the subtle guitar lick in \u2018Crazy Little Thing Called Love\u2019. While Mercury was willing to work on everybody\u2019s song in a background role, one track hit a sour note with him.<\/p>\n The bulk of the band\u2019s best tracks had mercury at their core. The truth being that while the rest of the group were more than gifted in their respective roles, it was Mercury as the powerhouse leader of the band that thrust them into the stratosphere of rock fame. <\/p>\n With that said, it\u2019s easy to forget just how many Queen songs were written without the help of Mercury. Although the frontman had his hands on most of the group\u2019s classic hits, some of the greatest songs the band would ever make would come from the other writers in the group, with Brian May penning songs like \u2018We Will Rock You\u2019 and Roger Taylor indirectly providing the perfect backdrop for Mercury\u2019s passing on \u2018These Are the Days of Our Lives\u2019.<\/p>\n If there were any unsung heroes in the group, it would have to be John Deacon. Although known as the quiet band member throughout their tenure, Deacon provided the basis for many of the band\u2019s classic hits, taking little fragments and turning them into iconic lines like \u2018Another One Bites the Dust\u2019 and \u2018I Want To Break Free\u2019. When it came to one of his first major hits, though, Deacon was a bit lenient to give it to the group. <\/p>\n Putting together A Night at the Opera, May remembers Deacon being hesitant about most of his work, telling Classic Albums<\/a>, \u201cHe was always shy. We would be going over material and we\u2019d say \u2018Have you got anything, John?\u2019, and he\u2019d go, \u2018Yeah, I got this, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s any good, but we could try it\u2019\u201d. That initial exchange would set the stage for the song \u2018You\u2019re My Best Friend\u2019, becoming one of the most genuine love songs in the Queen catalogue.<\/p>\n Recalling the making of the record, Mercury always admired the style that Deacon worked in, saying, \u201cHis melodies have always come from a Tamla-Motown thing. And I love that, I love to sing on songs like that. I mean, you can never describe anything that he made as heavy\u201d. While the song leads with Deacon\u2019s iconic keyboard intro, Mercury was originally going to play the keyboards before being appalled by what they were using.<\/p>\n From the first notes of the song, Mercury was lenient about not using a standard piano for the song. Switching to a Fender Rhodes electric piano for the first time, Mercury initially was disgusted at the idea of playing the instrument, explaining<\/a>, \u201cI refused to play that damn thing. It\u2019s tiny and horrible, and I don\u2019t like them. Why play those when you have a lovely superb piano?\u201d.<\/p>\n After working out the song on the Rhodes, Deacon thought there was no other way to translate what he wanted to say, eventually playing his own keyboards on the track. Even though Mercury was lenient about the electronic textures of the instrument, the sound of keyboards would become pivotal for the band\u2019s subsequent output.<\/p>\n![\"Freddie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Freddie-Mercury-Queen-Singer-Frontman-Musician-Far-Out-Magazine-F-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Freddie Mercury at the mic. (Credits: LastFM)<\/p>\n