![\"Brian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Brian-May-2022-Queen-Guitarist-Professor-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Raph Pour-Hashemi)<\/p>\n
Tue 25 November 2025 8:29, UK <\/p>\n
Queen<\/a>\u2018s position as one of the most profitable bands in modern history often sees them alienated among rock folk. The group are so commercially successful that it is often forgotten the devoted artistry behind their songs. <\/p>\n They have delivered countless hits, but beneath those chart-topping moments was a group of musicians completely determined to enact their vision of rock and roll theatrics. Whether it was Freddie Mercury\u2019s inspiring performances or the band\u2019s nous for writing number-one songs, everything felt purposeful. It means covering Queen songs isn\u2019t always easy to pull off. <\/p>\n Any good cover song needs to at least get two things right. Although many artists will just decide to play karaoke of their favourite bands whenever they try to cover them, the key to any great reinterpretation is to make the song your own, putting a unique spin on it that no one had ever heard before. While any good stadium rock band may have tried their hand at covering Queen, Brian May<\/a> thought the Moulin Rouge version of \u2018The Show Must Go On\u2019 left his jaw on the floor.<\/p>\n Then again, anyone even thinking about taking on any of Freddie Mercury\u2019s vocals is going to be in for an uphill battle. While he might not have been the only singer in Queen, Mercury\u2019s incredible showmanship birthed the idea of the all-star rock frontman, so, you know, no pressure when it comes time for someone to wear his songs with pride or anything.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not like there haven\u2019t been good covers of Queen in the past, though. The Concert for Freddie in 1992 boasted several amazing performances by everyone from Elton John to James Hetfield, and even the new version of Queen that tours with Adam Lambert sees the pop star doing a respectable job at paying tribute to Mercury.<\/p>\n Whereas Queen\u2019s music has been put into various movies throughout their career, Moulin Rouge took every classic song they could think of and threw their potential out the window. While the idea of using various songs throughout pop history to tell a bohemian-style story is an inspired idea, it\u2019s borderline toxic in musical form, especially when they interpolate classics by everyone from The Beatles to Nirvana.<\/p>\n Even though the cover of The Police\u2019s \u2018Roxanne\u2019 is probably the most wretched thing to come out of the movie, the version of \u2018The Show Must Go On\u2019 isn\u2019t much better. Although the track was meant to be a touching farewell from Mercury to his fans as he was dying of AIDs, the movie doesn\u2019t seem to do it justice, serving more as a non sequitur to get to the actual drama onscreen, including cutting out bits of the song.<\/p>\n When May first saw what they had done with his song, he remembered loathing the final product, saying<\/a>, \u201cThey completely rearranged it and got rid of one of the most important parts, which is \u2018the wings of butterflies\u2019 part. I was horrified.\u201d<\/p>\n The musical took on a lot of different tunes, but very few of those creators were left as heartbroken by the cover as May. He had seen a lot of covers of his band over the years, and most of them barely provided a blip on his radar. But this one went too far. \u201cI was so upset when I saw that film and realised that they\u2019d just taken it and moulded it into something different,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo yeah, that\u2019s all I can say, really. I wish they\u2019d asked, and I wish they\u2019d allowed us to participate\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Freddie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764064939_616_Freddie-Mercury-Queen-Singer-Musician-1980s-Far-Out-Magazine-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>Queen\u2019s lead singer, Freddie Mercury. (Credits: Far Out \/ Carol Lee \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n