“It always pulls something out of you”: The greatest Queen song, according to science
There’s almost nothing more frustrating at a gig when you’re waiting for your favourite song to come on, only to find that when it finally does, it doesn’t pack the same punch as the recorded version. But then, there’s also little that compares to that magical moment when the stars align, and somehow, it sounds better than ever. It might be easy to assume that most Queen songs sounded incredible either way, but, according to Brian May, one in particular soared above the rest.
There are many reasons why it’s more difficult to get some songs right in a live setting, like the failsafe of the recording studio and the many ways songs sound and feel more polished than when they’re presented on stage. Sometimes the music is also let down by the venue’s equipment or acoustics, or the worst-case scenario, that the musician isn’t on form that day, or doesn’t care to make it as good as the people want it to be.
However, certain songs sound good, no matter what. Usually, these are the ones with just the right amount of grit and accessibility, the kind that almost sound scientific in their ability to immediately catch the audience and incite palpable excitement, sounding up to standard even in the more questionable live conditions. According to Brian May, the one Queen song always guaranteed to skyrocket through the walls of any venue, and the one with a greatness also backed by science, is ‘We Are The Champions’.
Most of us already know the criteria a song has to meet to be considered good and catchy by scientific standards, like incorporating a certain beat, melody, and other structures and sounds that make for easy but deep-seated listening. However, with ‘We Are The Champions’, the science points to something more culturally embedded than the usual chart-topping earworm, which is something May also concedes is a real selling point when performing it on stage.
May initially recalled the band wanting to write a song that got their audiences’ hearts going, with a big, show-stopping, catchy hook that made people want to get up to wave and sing in a way that felt “unifying and positive”. This desire to evoke appeal beyond the studio meant they placed the live audience first, with a song that played into all the tropes that draw you in, like a real “musical event”, as May described it.
According to various studies, there’s a lot at play when it comes to “good” songs that incite joy. When broken down, however, all follow a similar pattern, not just with the right beats but often with big, explosive choruses that make people want to sing out with the crowds, much like what happens when Queen performed ‘We Are The Champions’. According to May, there’s also something in this song that means it sounds good, no matter what, suggesting something more culturally embedded that keeps people on their toes.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve played it,” May told Classic Rock in 2011. “But it always pulls something out of you.” Discussing how the song hits in any environment, anywhere, he added: “It’s one of those songs where even if the winds are blowing in the wrong direction, it still sounds good.” Clearly, with backing from two industry pillars—May and science—’We Are The Champions’ is a monolith in the music world, with enough punch to transcend any environment, excite any crowd, and remind people of the inexplicable magic of songs that defy description.
