1984 was the year that the British quartet led by Freddie Mercury inexplicably fell out of favor with American audiences. And I really can’t tell you why.
On the worldwide stage, Queen remained a force in the music world and would continue releasing new original music until Mercury’s death from AIDS in 1991. But 1984 saw the band hit the American top 40 for the final time with a new song. (They would triumphantly return in 1992 in the wake of Mercury’s death with a re-release of their seminal hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.”)
That final hit was a synth-driven rocker that would eventually give Lady Gaga her moniker. But “Radio Ga Ga” is not the song I’m ranking on this countdown. Nor am I ranking “I Want To Break Free,” their beloved UK hit whose video found the whole band hilariously vamping it up as a house full of several generations of British women.
No, I’m going with a third option off their 1984 album The Works, an uptempo rocker that showcases their trademark vocal harmonies with an almost ELO-influenced flourish. It’s big and bold and lets the band show off many of the things it did best as Mercury raises his voice to sarcastically chide the leaders driving the Cold War and its constant underlying threat of nuclear annihilation.
Queen perch their throne at #50 with “Hammer To Fall.”