Latest episode of ‘Queen The Greatest’ YouTube series focuses on hits written by bassist John Deacon

Neal Preston/© Queen Productions Ltd

The latest episode of Queen‘s weekly YouTube video series Queen The Greatest premiered today, and the feature focuses on the successful songs that bassist John Deacon has written or co-written for the band.

The installment begins by noting that although Deacon didn’t write as many songs as his three band mates, some of his compositions were among Queen’s biggest hits.

The narrator first points out that it was John’s bass part that helped drive the band’s classic 1981 collaboration with David Bowie, “Under Pressure.”

The episode then looks at one of the first tunes John contributed to the group, “You’re My Best Friend,” which appeared on Queen’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the U.K. singles chart.

Next up is “Spread Your Wings,” from 1977’s News of the World. Cited as a “fan favorite” by the narrator, the song also broke into the top 40 of the U.K. singles chart.

The third song profiled is none other than “Another One Bites the Dust,” which sold over seven million copies worldwide, making it Queen’s best-selling single. The funky tune, from the band’s number-one album The Game, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.

The fourth Deacon-penned track that the episode looks at is “I Want to Break Free,” from 1984’s The Works. The single, whose memorable music video featured the band members in drag, just missed the top 40 in the U.S., but reached number three in the U.K.

The final song showcased in the episode is 1986’s “Friends Will Be Friends,” which John co-wrote with Freddie Mercury.  It hit #14 in the U.K.

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