There’s no doubt that Queen’s guitarist and background vocalist, Brian May, has crafted a legacy in the musical world.

With evergreen smash-hits like Under Pressure, Don’t Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You, and the damn-near unforgettable Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen has left an indelible mark on music and all the following generations of artists.

Queen’s legacy remains untouched, with Bohemian Rhapsody topping the charts as the most streamed song of the 20th century. With the track coming up on its 50th anniversary this year, here’s hoping Queen has some big celebrations planned.

Brian May recently took to social media and shared what can be considered a befitting tribute to the song. Winding up a Queen music box that’s playing Bohemian Rhapsody, Sir Brian can be heard exclaiming: “This is a gem! Perfect!”

He also captioned the video: “What a difference a semitone makes !!! This makes me giggle every time. Maybe Freddie should have written his melody line this way in the first place ! ha ha ! Fabulous ! Bri.”

When it comes to their own music, Brian has admitted in the past that there’s no song he prefers performing live more than We Will Rock You. In a conversation on The One Show, May shared: “I still love playing them all, I have to be honest. I would have to say We Will Rock You. Especially as this is the moment when we’re relaunching the musical that is named after that song. It always gives me a good feeling.”

However, that doesn’t mean it’s the music icon’s favourite song. The Englishman much prefers the band’s lesser-known tune The Miracle, which was written by Freddie Mercury – the band’s enigmatic frontman – shortly before his death. The rock-band has never performed the song live, presumably because it didn’t feel right to do so without their legendary bandmate.

During a Question & Answer session on the iconic band’s official YouTube channel, Brian previously shared: “I’m going to pick a song that not everybody knows out there, which is called The Miracle, which Freddie wrote that I always thought has a strange, unique magic to it. Especially because Freddie wrote it at a time when it was very hard for him to be optimistic, and it’s just very beautiful. I’ll go for that.”

But it’s not just Queen’s music that makes him groove. In 2019, Brian shared a list of his all-time favourite songs via Queen’s official Spotify profile. The playlist features some absolute bangers, while also giving certain lesser-recognised songs their due.

From Doris Day’s soulful Secret Love to John Lennon’s Jealous Guy all the way across to Led Zeppelin’s certified-genius track Kashmir and Foreigner’s evergreen I Want To Know What Love Is – the guitarist hasn’t been shy in showcasing his musical palate to the world.

See below the list of Brian May’s favourite songs:

1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
2. Love Kills (The Ballad) – Queen
3. Bold as Love – Jimi Hendrix
4. My Generation (Mono Version) – The Who
5. Jealous Guy – John Lennon
6. Secret Love – Doris Day
7. Maybe Baby – The Crickets
8. Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
9. Back On My Feet Again – The Babys
10. The Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
11. Stand By Me – Ben E. King
12. When a Man Loves a Woman – Percy Sledge
13. I Want to Know What Love Is – Foreigner
14. Where Were You – Jeff Beck, Alice Cooper
15. Shapes Of Things – The Yardbirds
16. Key To Love (Mono) – John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, two of the most iconic figures in music history, have long shared a deep mutual respect for one another. Their relationship spans several decades, and despite initial reservations, Clapton has come to appreciate Dylan’s profound influence on the music world.

Eric Clapton’s relationship with Bob Dylan’s music has evolved significantly over the years. Initially, Clapton’s perception of Dylan was shaped by a kind of “healthy prejudice”, according to his autobiography.

In the early days of his career, Clapton was not particularly enamored with Dylan’s style, particularly his voice and delivery. In his memoir, Clapton candidly admitted that he didn’t initially understand Dylan’s appeal until he heard Blonde on Blonde – an album that would change his outlook. His appreciation deepened as he began to recognize the genius in Dylan’s songwriting.

In the early 1970s, Clapton was still experimenting with his own musical identity, often drawing from a wide range of influences. During this period, he revisited Dylan’s work, which eventually led him to a profound appreciation of Dylan’s craftsmanship.

One of the songs that particularly resonated with Clapton was ‘Song to Woody’, a track Dylan penned as an homage to the folk legend who deeply influenced his own artistic path.

In a 1985 interview with The Telegraph, Clapton declared: “Have you heard that thing he wrote about Woody Guthrie? That to me is the sum of his life’s work so far. Whatever happens, that is it. That sums it up.”

Dylan’s decision to write ‘Song to Woody’ in the early 1960s came at a pivotal moment in his career. At that time, Dylan had already become known for his interpretations of folk songs, but he felt a strong need to write something of his own.

Speaking to WNEW-FM in 1985, Dylan remarked: “One day, I just wrote a song, and it was the first song I ever wrote, and it was a song for Woody Guthrie”.

“I just wanted a song to sing and there came a certain point where I couldn’t sing anything, I had to write what I wanted to sing because what I wanted to sing nobody else was writing, I couldn’t find that song someplace. If I could’ve I probably wouldn’t have ever started writing”, he added.

Over the years, Dylan and Clapton developed a professional relationship that was rooted in mutual respect – and which culminated with a track for Clapton’s album No Reason to Cry.

The song, ‘Sign Language’, was written by Dylan and given to Clapton without much explanation, he explained in his autobiography: “One day he came in and offered me a song called ‘Sign Language,’ which he had played for me in New York. He told me he had written the whole song down at one sitting, without even understanding what it was about. Dylan himself admitted that he didn’t fully understand what the song was about when he wrote it”.

Despite its ambiguous origins, Clapton was captivated by the track. He recalled, “I just loved the words and the melody, and the chord sequence was great.”

In the mid-1970s, Clapton covered Dylan’s iconic track, ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’. Released as a single in 1975, Clapton’s version of the song was a reggae-infused interpretation of Dylan’s original.

Few have left as indelible a mark on music and composing as Sir Elton John. His generation-defining music took genres like pop, rock, and ballads which he mixed with new-age sound to give us soundtracks that have turned into some of our favourite anthems.

With an iconic career that spans over 5 decades – Sir Elton John is not done yet. His new album, Who Believes In Angels?, with beloved songstress Brandi Carlile is out on April 4.

Ahead of the album’s release, we’ve decided to take a deep-dive into the depths of Elton John’s mind to uncover where he gets his musical inspiration from, but most importantly – find out what he listens to in his free time.

At one point–before the digital-age took the world by storm, Elton John had a record collection that comprised approximately 25,000 LPs and 23,000 singles. He sold the whole lot in 1993, with the sale’s proceeds going towards the Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity supporting people who are living with AIDS.

The master pianist has composed some of the most emotionally-wrecking songs that the human ear has heard, which also makes them some of the most beautiful tunes to exist. With a trademark style that many have tried to emulate and failed – Sir Elton John possesses vocal technique and musical mastery like no other.

Fondly referred to as the ‘Rocket Man’, ever since his 1972 hit single took the world by storm, Elton John has given us over 30 studio albums and created an enviable discography.

While technically a solo artist, his collaboration with Bernie Taupin has firmly cemented its place in music history. Giving words to his sound, Bernie and Elton have forged an unmatched collaboration ever since their 1967 meeting – an encounter that changed both of their lives.

Raised in London’s outskirts, Elton learned how to play the piano at a very young age and quickly mastered the sound, displaying his prodigal talent for the instrument. By 1970 he had released his first mega-successful hit single–Your Song–with the Elton John Band and there was no looking back.

In 2019, the EGOT winner appeared on BBC’s Radio 2 programme Tracks Of My Years and shared his top ten favourite songs of all time.

With songs as eclectic and iconic (as him) on the list, it’s exciting to get a rare insight into his preferences. Not surprisingly, Elton’s first choice is a certified banger (as Gen-Z calls it) – Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel. While talking about the 1956 classic, Elton shared: “This record changed my life, and it changed the face of music. Up till then, we’ve had Guy Mitchell, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Kay Starr and all those lovely American acts.”

Further elaborating, he said: “This record my mum brought home, she bought a record every week, and she said, ‘I heard this record in the record store, and I’ve never heard anything like it, so I had to buy it’. She put it on; it was a 7″, of course, it was on HMV, and it changed my life and propelled me into my love of rock ‘n’ roll… it changed the world socially and musically”.

The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out is another timeless classic that made its way onto the list, with the singer recalling his first tryst with the tune: “I remember being at school, at Pinner County Grammar School, and my friend Michael Johnson came with a 45″ he said, ‘I’ve just heard this band; they’re going to be the biggest band in the world’, and it was Love Me Do. I listened to it, and I thought, ‘It’s not bad, it’s not bad’, but I couldn’t see that they were going to be the biggest band in the world… he turned out to be right. I think he was number four in that fan club, so he spotted them a mile off.”

Sir Elton added: “And, of course, what the ’50s did with rock ‘n’ roll… The Beatles were extraordinary. They revolutionised the way things were recorded. Even though it was on quite simple equipment, they experimented, and they wrote fantastic songs. We Can Work It Out is such a wonderful song.”

Another cracking track on Sir Elton’s list is The Weight by Bob Dylan’s former accomplices The Band. Speaking about the song, he shared: “John Peel played the music from Big Pink on his show, and I was a religious follower of John Peel in those days. He played all the great new music, and Bernie and I freaked out when we heard it. We’d never heard anything like this before. It was Americana done in a very soulful, funky, kind of laid-back way.”

Speaking about the transformative effect the song had on him, Elton explained: “(The) next day we went up to Music Land in London and bought the import, and it changed my life again like Elvis Presley changed my life originally. This music changed my life because of the way the songs were written, the lyrics, the musicianship, was a huge influence on things like Tumbleweed Connection and Madman.”

Other iconic tracks on Sir Elton John’s favourite songs list include Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis–made a household anthem by Tom Cruise’s Top Gun – as well as songs like Peter Gabriel’s Don’t Give Up and Aretha Franklin’s Think.

Elton John’s 10 favourite songs:

1. Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
2. Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
3. Lucille – Little Richard
4. We Can Work It Out – The Beatles
5. Reach Out I’ll Be There – Four Tops
6. A Song For You – Leon Russell
7. Think – Aretha Franklin
8. The Weight – The Band
9. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night – John Lennon
10. Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel