Photo of Queen
Photo: Carl Lender · CC BY-SA 3.0

Band

Queen

Active1970-present
OriginLondon, England, UK
Albums15
Tracks172

Most frequent collaborator: Roy Thomas Baker  ·  56 tracks

RockHard RockArena RockGlam Rock
99%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 170 of 172 tracks

Did Queen write their own songs?

Yes, nearly all of them. Queen is a self-writing band, credited on around 99% of their catalogue, and unusually, all four members wrote hit singles: Freddie Mercury ('Bohemian Rhapsody'), Brian May ('We Will Rock You'), Roger Taylor ('Radio Ga Ga'), and John Deacon ('Another One Bites the Dust'). The main outside credit is David Bowie, who co-wrote 'Under Pressure.'

By the Numbers

15
Studio Albums
172
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
250 million to 300 million
Records Sold
56
Years Active
17
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 170 / 172 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 172 tracks: how many Queen wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Queen has a writing credit99%
94%
5%
1%
Sole author162tracks94%
Co-written8tracks5%
Outside writers2tracks1%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Queen's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 172 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)99%
Composer (music)99%
Producer100%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 172 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Freddie Mercury Died November 24, 1991 1970-1991
46%
46%
0%
99%
Brian May 1970-present
37%
37%
10%
100%
Roger Taylor 1970-present
19%
19%
0%
99%
John Deacon 1970-1997
17%
17%
0%
99%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Queen's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 99%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
100%
100%
100%
94%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
1973Queen
1974Queen II
1974Sheer Heart Attack
1975A Night at the Opera
1976A Day at the Races
1977News of the World
1978Jazz
1980The Game
1980Flash Gordon
1982Hot Space
1984The Works
1986A Kind of Magic
1989The Miracle
1991Innuendo
1995Made in Heaven
Early · 98% written
Mid · 98% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

99%
1970s
Queen, Queen II +5 more
99%
1980s
The Game, Flash Gordon +4 more
100%
1990s
Innuendo, Made in Heaven

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Queen sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Queen
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Tina Turner0%
Cher8%
Eric Clapton40%
Michael Jackson51%
Santana59%
The Rolling Stones75%
Aerosmith86%
99%Queen
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Seven Seas of Rhye
Queen II
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
Killer Queen
Sheer Heart Attack
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
Bohemian Rhapsody
A Night at the Opera
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
You're My Best Friend
A Night at the Opera
Written by John Deacon
Wrote it
Somebody to Love
A Day at the Races
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
Tie Your Mother Down
A Day at the Races
Written by Brian May
Wrote it
We Are the Champions
News of the World
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
We Will Rock You
News of the World
Written by Brian May
Wrote it
Another One Bites the Dust
The Game
Written by John Deacon
Wrote it
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The Game
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
Under Pressure
Hot Space
Written by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, David Bowie, David Robert Jones
Co-wrote
Body Language
Hot Space
Written by Freddie Mercury
Wrote it
Radio Ga Ga
The Works
Written by Roger Taylor
Wrote it
I Want to Break Free
The Works
Written by John Deacon
Wrote it
A Kind of Magic
A Kind of Magic
Written by Roger Taylor
Wrote it
Who Wants to Live Forever
A Kind of Magic
Written by Brian May
Wrote it
I Want It All
The Miracle
Written by Brian May
Wrote it
Breakthru
The Miracle
Written by Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor
Wrote it
Innuendo
Innuendo
Written by Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor
Wrote it
The Show Must Go On
Innuendo
Written by Brian May
Wrote it

Discography 15 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Queen172 tracks
RT56 RM54 DR27 MS11 RG3 HB2

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. RT Roy Thomas Baker · RM Reinhold Mack · DR David Richards · MS Mike Stone · RG Robin G. Cable · HB Howard Blake

The Writers & Producers Behind Queen 6 key collaborators

RT
Roy Thomas Baker
Producer
Queen / Queen II / Sheer Heart Attack / A Night at the Opera56 tracks
RM
Reinhold Mack
Producer
The Game / Flash Gordon / Hot Space / The Works54 tracks
DR
David Richards
Producer
A Kind of Magic / The Miracle / Innuendo / Made in Heaven27 tracks
MS
Mike Stone
Producer
News of the World11 tracks
RG
Robin G. Cable
Producer
Queen II3 tracks
HB
Howard Blake
Songwriter
Flash Gordon2 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Queen's authorship distribution is one of the most remarkable in rock music: all four members were legitimate songwriters, each responsible for major hits. Brian May wrote 'We Will Rock You,' 'Hammer to Fall,' 'The Show Must Go On,' and 'Who Wants to Live Forever.' Roger Taylor wrote 'Radio Ga Ga,' 'A Kind of Magic,' and 'These Are the Days of Our Lives.' John Deacon wrote 'Another One Bites the Dust,' 'I Want to Break Free,' 'You're My Best Friend,' and 'Spread Your Wings.' Freddie Mercury wrote the majority, 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'Killer Queen,' 'We Are the Champions,' 'Somebody to Love,' 'Don't Stop Me Now,' and dozens more. Starting with The Miracle (1989), the band chose to credit all compositions collectively to 'Queen,' obscuring individual contributions; the actual writers for that album and Innuendo (1991) have since been disclosed in liner note reissues. Made in Heaven (1995) was assembled posthumously from Mercury recordings after his death.

Quick Facts

  • All four wrote hitsThe rare band where all four members wrote number-one singles; all four are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame
  • Rock HallInducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001
  • Bohemian RhapsodyFreddie Mercury's six-minute epic became one of the most famous songs ever recorded
  • Under PressureTheir 1981 UK number one was a collaboration with David Bowie
  • Freddie MercuryFrontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991

Creative Fingerprint

A band of four songwriters: Queen's members wrote nearly everything themselves, and unusually, all four, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, wrote hit singles. Almost the only outside credit is David Bowie on 'Under Pressure.'

The Story

Queen is a British rock band formed in London in 1970, consisting of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). The band became one of the best-selling music artists in history, with estimated album sales exceeding 300 million worldwide. Unlike most rock bands, all four members contributed original songs across their catalog, Mercury, May, Taylor, and Deacon each wrote songs that became major singles, creating one of the most democratically distributed songwriting records in rock history. Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991, the day after publicly confirming he had AIDS. John Deacon retired from music in 1997. Brian May and Roger Taylor have continued performing as Queen alongside vocalist Adam Lambert since 2012. Mercury's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (1975) is widely regarded as one of the greatest songs ever recorded.

Awards & Recognition

Sold an estimated 250 to 300 million records worldwide, one of the best-selling acts of all time
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001
All four members were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, each having written hit singles
'Bohemian Rhapsody' is one of the most celebrated and best-selling songs of all time
Their 1985 Live Aid set is often ranked the greatest live performance in rock history

Frequently Asked Questions Queen

Did Queen write their own songs?
Yes, nearly all of them. Queen is a self-writing band, credited on around 99% of their catalogue, and unusually, all four members wrote hit singles: Freddie Mercury ('Bohemian Rhapsody'), Brian May ('We Will Rock You'), Roger Taylor ('Radio Ga Ga'), and John Deacon ('Another One Bites the Dust'). The main outside credit is David Bowie, who co-wrote 'Under Pressure.'
Who wrote 'Bohemian Rhapsody'?
'Bohemian Rhapsody' (1975) was written entirely by Freddie Mercury for the album A Night at the Opera. Its six-minute, multi-section structure made it one of the most ambitious and famous rock songs ever.
Who wrote 'Another One Bites the Dust'?
'Another One Bites the Dust' (1980) was written by bassist John Deacon. Its funky bass line made it one of Queen's biggest hits and their best-selling US single.
Who wrote 'We Will Rock You'?
'We Will Rock You' (1977) was written by guitarist Brian May, while 'We Are the Champions,' on the same album, was written by Freddie Mercury. Together they became stadium anthems.
Did all four members of Queen write songs?
Yes, and that is rare. Each of the four wrote at least one hit single, which is why all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, an honor few bands share.
Who wrote 'Under Pressure'?
'Under Pressure' (1981) was co-written by Queen and David Bowie, who sang on it with Freddie Mercury. It is one of the few Queen songs with an outside co-writer.
How many albums did Queen release?
This catalogue covers 15 of their studio albums, from Queen (1973) to Made in Heaven (1995), which was completed after Freddie Mercury's death.
How many records has Queen sold?
An estimated 250 to 300 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music acts of all time.
When did Freddie Mercury die?
Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991, from complications of AIDS, one day after publicly announcing his diagnosis.
What genre is Queen?
They are a rock band who ranged widely, from hard rock and glam to arena anthems, opera-inspired pieces, funk, and pop, defined by Freddie Mercury's voice and Brian May's guitar.

Sources

Wikipedia: Queen