In an interview with the magazine, Roger Taylor refuted rumors that Queen wanted to hire British singer George Michael as Freddy Mercury’s replacement after his death. After Freddy Mercury died of complications from AIDS in 1991, Queen and George Michael paid him an emotional tribute at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1992. Since then, the rumor has been circulating that George Michael was also being discussed as a Queen singer beyond this one-off appearance.
Now Roger told Taylor “Classic rock“: “I remember hearing the rumors, but it wouldn’t have suited us.” He explained why a long-term collaboration wouldn’t have worked in his opinion: “George wasn’t really used to working with a live band work. When he heard the power he had behind him in the rehearsal, he couldn’t believe it. He thought he was on a Concorde or something.”
George Michael performed three Queen songs
But apparently it was enough for a one-off appearance. For the “Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness” in 1992, George Michael sang the three Queen songs “39”, “These Are the Days of Our Lives” and “Somebody to Love”. The last two songs mentioned also appeared on the 1993 joint EP “Live Five”, the proceeds of which Queen and George Michael donated to the non-profit organization “Mercury Phoenix Trust”. They founded Queen shortly after the death of Freddy Mercury and have been supporting the fight against AIDS ever since.
After the EP was released, George Michael and Queen guitarist Brian May spoke MTV about their collaboration. Michael said at the time: “It was probably the proudest moment of my career because I was probably living a childhood fantasy and getting to sing one of Freddie’s songs in front of 80,000 people. It was really strange. A mixture of incredible pride and deep sadness for me.” And although many people at the time didn’t believe George Michael could do justice to a Queen song vocally, Brian May was thrilled with his performance. “It wasn’t a surprise to me because I knew he could do it. I knew he had that in him,” said the guitarist.
What is Queen’s most successful song?
“Another One Bites the Dust” is considered Queen’s most successful single, with more than seven million units sold. The song can be found on the album “The Game”, released in 1980. Of all Queen albums, their 1981 “Greatest Hits” album is considered the most commercially successful long-player release. It has sold over 25 million copies so far – the same number as “The Joshua Tree” by U2 and “No Jacket Required” by Phil Collins. It also stayed in the British charts for a full ten years.
Queen on YouTube: Which video has the most views?
This is by far the most successful Video for the song “Bohemian Rhapsodyby Queen. Since being uploaded to the video platform, it has generated over 1.4 billion clicks. The 2018 movie of the same name and the pop culture references that go back to the popular song certainly contributed to this. The genius is still unforgettable Movie scene from “Wayne’s World”in which rock fans Wayne and Garth rock out in their Gremlin.