To mark the 50th Anniversary of Queen releasing their eponymous debut album and their first single, Keep Yourself Alive, today Radio 2 launches a listener vote to discover Your Ultimate Queen Song, with the results revealed in a countdown chart, hosted by Steve Wright on Monday 10 April at 4pm. The vote forms the centrepiece of a Radio 2 season celebrating this legendary band.
Steve Wright:
“Can you remember when Queen had their first number one? I can: it was 1975 with Bohemian Rhapsody. I’d never heard anything quite like it before, so do now cast your votes and let’s find out What’s Your Ultimate Queen Song?”
The shortlist will include all UK Top 75 hits, including collaborations with the band following Freddie Mercury’s death. The vote is now open, with listeners able to vote at www.bbc.co.uk/queenvote for their top three songs. The vote closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 8 March. The results will revealed in a countdown chart, Your Ultimate Queen Song, available on BBC Sounds from Friday 31 March and broadcast on Radio 2 on Monday 10 April at 4pm.
Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor formed Queen in 1971, releasing their first album in 1973. Across the next 50 years, they sold over 300 million records worldwide – making them one of the best-selling artists in history – and sold out record-breaking tours worldwide.
The band have won Brits and Ivor Novello Awards, have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were the first ever band to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, with Bohemian Rhapsody also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2018, Queen received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Following Freddie’s tragic death in November 1991 and John Deacon retiring from the band in the early 90s, Queen + Adam Lambert, the US singer/songwriter, have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration since 2012, and have toured extensively across North and South America, Europe, the UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Jeff Smith, Radio 2’s Head of Music:
“We know Radio 2 listeners love the brilliant, timeless music of Queen, so we’re taking their biggest hits and creating a vote so that we can find out which of their classic songs our audiences loves the most. Steve Wright’s countdown on BBC Sounds and Radio 2 will be the perfect soundtrack whatever you’re doing over Easter!”
