11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2

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11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2 features music courtesy of ABBA, Ari Lennox, Mad Tsai, Orville Peck, and Queen.

ALL RISE! Her royal majesty, The Queen, is back! Yes, it has been nearly five years since we have seen her – 🎧 11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen (2018) – but finally, the long-awaited follow-up has arrived. Like the original playlist, 🎧 11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2 is comprised of songs that feature the word QUEEN 👑 in their respective titles. While exceptions occur in other lists, there are NO EXCEPTIONS over the span of these 11 songs. Gracing this queenly list is utterly royal music courtesy of 🎙 ABBA, 🎙 Ari Lennox, 🎙 Mad Tsai, 🎙 Orville Peck, and 🎙 Queen among others. So, bow down witches, because these songs are All About Her Majesty, The Queen! YASS QUEEN 👑!

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1. ABBA, “Dancing Queen”

💿 Arrival • 🏷 Polar Music International AB • 📅 1976

“You can dance, you can jive / Having the time of your life / Ooh, see that girl, watch that scene / digging the dancing queen.” Oh, the vibes, the vibes, the vibes! 🎼 ✍ Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson composed a masterpiece with 🎵 “Dancing Queen”, period. This was by far the biggest hit by 🎙 ABBA. The Swedish collective brought this unique, Europop / Euro disco hit to worldwide success, including no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Surprisingly, “Dancing Queen” is the only song by ABBA to reach the penthouse 🤯.

What makes “Dancing Queen” the sugar honey iced tea? Honestly, it is all the details – every musical cue soundly assembled. The arrangement and production are nothing short of immaculate. The groove established by the drums is noteworthy itself, with the song drawing inspiration from the drumming from the 1972 Dr. John album, Gumbo. Also, another disco hit, 🎵 “Rock Your Baby” by 🎙 George McCrae serves an influence. Beyond the drums, the keys are gorgeous, the bass line fat, and the strings soar. Of course, the bright vocals of 🎙 Anni-Frid Lyngstad and 🎙 Agnetha Fältskog play a huge role in the success, particularly in the chorus, among the best, most exuberant, and catchiest of all time. 🎵 “Dancing Queen” gets the job done, easily making you want to dance whether you are a girl or boy, young or old. Nearly five decades later, “Dancing Queen” remains a huge hit. Artists who have covered the record include 🎙 A*Teens and another icon herself, 🎙 Cher.

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2. Ari Lennox & Summer Walker, “Queen Space”

💿 age/sex/location • 🏷 Dreamville / Interscope • 🗓 2022

“So don’t waste my queen space / True elevation when I let you taste / Let it rearrange the way you think / True elevation when I let you taste…” Ah 🎵 “Queen Space” yields the final piece of 💿 age/sex/location, the fabulous sophomore album by R&B standout, 🎙 Ari Lennox. Fittingly, Lennox duets with fellow R&B diva, 🎙 Summer Walker. Lennox sets the tone, singing the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus (excerpted above) before Walker enters the mix – “There’s something I am sure of / I deserve something purer / My love is a privilege.” HELL YEAH, Ari 💪! Walker, a more subtle vocalist, is tailor made for this chill, groovy number. Her tone in the second verse is stupendous (“Can’t seem to stay away from it / Come in, I’ll make you wait on it”). Furthermore, as she complements Ari well. Also, in the context of age/sex/location, “Queen Space” is a proper follow-up to 🎵 “Blocking You” with the emphasis being placed on the privilege of being with and associating with Lennox.

3. Ed Sheeran, “The Joker and the Queen” (Ft. Taylor Swift)

💿 = (Tour Edition) • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2022

“How was I to know? It’s a crazy thing / I showed you my hand and you still let me win,” 🎙 Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse of 🎵 “The Joker and the Queen”. He continues, “And who was I to say that this was meant to be? / The road that was broken brought us together.” The 🏆 Grammy winner delivered a stunning ballad that appeared as the sixth track on his 2021 album, 💿 =. In 2022, he returned with a duet version featuring a fellow 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Taylor Swift, arguably their best collaboration EVER (appears on 💿 = (Tour Edition))!

The remixed, duet version features notable contrasts to the original. Worth noting, these contrasts are surefire selling points. Sheeran sings the original opening verse (excerpted above), as well as following up with the gorgeous chorus:

“And I know you could fall for a thousand kings

And hearts that would give you a diamond ring

When I fold, you see the best in me

The joker and the queen.”

Beyond that, Taylor Swift delivers a brand-new verse. As she sings, she sounds utterly sublime. At the end of the verse, her and Sheeran join forces, something that happens again on select parts of the chorus. The vocal chemistry is fabulous. Besides the chemistry and terrific songwriting, the production (Sheeran, 🎛 RØMANS, Johnny McDaid, and Fred again..) is key. The lightness and warmth of the sound is a vibe. The strings 🎻 are quite lovely. 🎵 “The Joker and the Queen (Remix)” = surefire winner.

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Appears in 🔻:

Awesome Songs: February 2022

4. Red Velvet, “Queendom”

💿 Queendom – The 6^th Mini Album • 🏷 SM Entertainment • 📅 2021

“We are queens in the red castle / Don’t need crown.” Hmm, now that’s a statement right there! In 2021, South Korean K-pop group 🎙 Red Velvet unleashed the total BOP 🎵 “Queendom,” the opening/title track from their 2021 EP, 💿 Queendom – The 6^th Mini Album. “Queendom” features both Korean and English lyrics. The thing is, even if you can’t decipher the Korean sans translation, given the English lyrics, and the attitude exhibited, it’s easy to see what Red Velvet are going for. Basically, these are confident girls, and nobody is going to tell them what to do. GIRL POWER, period! They assert in the pre-chorus, “We are makin’ the rules.” As Beyoncé informed us years ago, “Who run the world? Girls!” That said, In the epic chorus, they’re inclusive of all: “‘Cause were queens and kings.” “Queendom” is superbly produced, and the energy is through the roof. Safe to say Red Velvet slays!

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Appears in 🔻:

13 Q Songs: No Rhyme or Reason (2021)

5. Whitney Houston, “Queen of the Night”

💿 The Bodyguard • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1992

“I’ve got the stuff that you want / I’ve got the thing that you need / I’ve got more than enough / To make you drop to your knees.” Ooh-wee, 🎙 Whitney Houston! In the fifth track from 💿 The Bodyguard soundtrack, Houston is 🎵 “Queen of the Night”. More often than not, Houston is not noted as a songwriter. Interestingly, she writes “Queen of the Night” with 🎼✍ Daryl Simmons, Babyface, and LA Reid. Babyface and Reid also produced this fun joint, which is a funky blend of New Jack Swing era R&B and pop. As to be expected, the listener is treated to ample attitude from the queen herself, who serves up Electrifying, powerful vocals with plenty of expression, nuance. Among the best, most assertive lyrics Whitney sings: “You’ve got a problem with the way that I am / They say I’m trouble and I don’t give a damn!” WOO! “Queen of the Night” is incredibly catchy, featuring tuneful melodies on the verses and especially the chorus. Also, it is fitting that the record gets a glammy guitar 🎸 solo. #ROCK ON 🤘!!!

6. blackbear, “queen of broken hearts”

💿 everything means nothing • 🏷 Beartrap, LLC / Alamo / Interscope • 📅 2020

“Yeah, you need to chill, girl, don’t play me / I’m too far gone, you can’t save me.” WOO! “And I don’t care, fucking hate me / I popped a pill 💊 and I’m fading…” Whoa, whoa, WHOA there 🎙 blackbear! On 🎵 “queen of broken hearts,” the third track from 💿 everything means nothing, in the context of the album, women continue to get the big thumbs down 👎 from the artist. Well, sort of… To be fair, however, “queen of broken hearts” is NOT specifically about women. On “queen,” blackbear is annoyed by social media, something he imagines would be a totally destructive – wait for it – QUEEN. “I’m the queen, bow down to me / I will leave you out to bleed.” Yep – socially media can totally kill you. Of course, a big takeaway is, “Used to be a shooting star / When did I become so dark?” PERIOD!

7. Sinead Harnett, “Quarantine Queen”

🎵 “Quarantine Queen” • 🏷 Thairish Limited • 📅 2020

🎵 “Quarantine Queen” is one of many coronavirus-inspired singles, and a truly gorgeous one it is. R&B/soul singer 🎙 Sinead Harnett absolutely stuns. “I don’t wanna be alone / I don’t wanna stay here on my own,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, “Every time that I look, there’s another headline on my phone.” The pandemic increased anxiety and messed with people’s mental health, something Harnett perfectly captures. She expands the scope to the need for love to atone for all the bad, miscues, and misgivings. Characterizing her contemporary soul ballad, Harnett asserts, “That worrying emotion is what brought about ‘Quarantine Queen.’ Though a sad thought, there is hope in the song from a wider standpoint – what can we as a nation learn from this time in terms of how we are living. I hope that we will change for the better, that’s really what I was getting at.” ‘Woke’ lyricism, exquisite production, incredible vocals, and a high degree of authenticity makes “Quarantine Queen” utterly sublime.

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8. Mad Tsai, “Killer Queen”

💿 homecoming! • 🏷 Mad Tsai • 📅 2021

“She’s a motherfucking killer queen / A psychopath at seventeen / A beauty in a blood-stained dress…” Woo, 🎙 Mad Tsai! On the final track from his EP 💿 homecoming! (2021), 🎵 “Killer Queen”, the handsome pop artist goes hella dark 😈. At first, things seem okay, as Tsai describes this her as “The most beautiful in the world,” and “all the girls in town wanted to be her.” Makes sense – we all envy beauty and perfection. Of course, envy can be incredibly unhealthy, as can being the center of attention, honestly. In the first pre-chorus, we begin to see why Tsai later characterizes her as a motherfucking killer queen: “She’s a devil 😈 in disguise / The prom queen has blood on her hands / Every boy and girl she dates / Disappears without a trace.” JESUS! Notably, in the second verse, Tsai shows a different viewpoint, which expresses what might’ve pushed the queen over the edge: BULLYING. Yep, that has sent many people off the deep end, some of which cannot address in a healthier way. Psychopathy certainly is NOT the answer, even if makes for a colorful, alternative pop song. Of course, a famous film based on a 📚 Stephen King novel seems to be the inspiration (🎦 Carrie).

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9. Orville Peck, “Queen of the Rodeo”

💿 Pony • 🏷 Sub Pop • 📅 2019

“Sleek heroine, just a man / Slow on the draw…” Cutting straight to the chase, traditionally, country music and LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈 have not been a match made in heaven – THAT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. However, things have changed and progressed, at least to a degree. Openly gay musician 🎙 Orville Peck has been a proponent of this marriage of country (and alternative country) from an LGBTQ perspective. The South African born, Canadian musician keeps his identity under wraps, though there has been speculation about who this fringe-masked musician is with gorgeous eyes 😍. Anyways, he shines on the deep 🎵 “Queen of the Rodeo”, the fifth track from his 2019 debut album, 💿 Pony.

From a musical perspective, “Queen of the Rodeo” is stunning. Peck is a brilliant singer with a fantastic tone. Vocally, he captures the masculine sound of country music. The difference is, he does so eschewing toxic masculinity and brings a more inclusive vibe. Notably, the music video that accompanies “Queen of the Rodeo” is dedicated to all the LGBTQ+ and two-spirit community members working and performing in rodeos, ranches, and roadhouses across North America. Peck paints these shows as temporary escapes – a refuge, if you will – for individuals who may not feel comfortable, respected, or safe after the shows are done in their respective towns. In the tuneful chorus, the centerpiece of “Queen of the Rodeo,” where Peck does his best singing, he captures this sentiment brilliantly:

“Queen of the rodeo

You rode on in with nowhere else to go

You know the tune, so the words don’t matter

Beyond this town lies a life much sadder, babe

I know

Another evening show

Queen of the rodeo.”

“Queen of the Rodeo” is an utterly fantastic record, one that should speak volumes not only to the LGBTQ+ community, but to anyone who believes everyone should be treated with the utmost respect and be loved for who they are.

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10. Sex Pistols, “God Save The Queen”

💿 Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols • 🏷 Warner • 🗓 1977

“God save the Queen / The fascist regime…” Uh-oh! You cannot talk about a popular queen 🎙 Sex Pistols and NOT expect controversy. Furthermore, characterizing The Queen as fascist? Woo! 🎵 “God Save the Queen”, which appears on the iconic punk rock band’s sole album, 💿 Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols, is considered to be one of the more controversial tunes of them all. And no, we’re not referencing the British national anthem, which this legendary punk anthem mocks. Interestingly, the release of “God Save the Queen” coincided with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, something that only amplified flack received by the band. It’s unapologetic in its criticism of the monarch and the state of England under her reign. Given how younger individuals tend to be more liberal and rebellious, the notion of a strong reaction against the status quo (the monarchy in general) isn’t far-fetched.

“God save the queen

She ain’t no human being

There is no future

In England’s dreaming.”

Not a human being? No future in dreaming because it’s fascist! Bold, 🎙 Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), bold! There’s more of course: “God save the Queen / Cause tourists are money / And our figurehead / Is not what she seems.” The question that should be considered, of course, is this more aimed toward 👑 Queen Elizabeth II, who is controversially pictured on the cover art, or the monarchy itself. Lydon has emphasized no ill intent, essentially. Expectedly, “God Save the Queen” experienced ample backlash with no shortage of censorship – looking at you BBC. Interestingly, this single should’ve been no. 1 in the UK, but somehow (*cough, cough*) didn’t reach the no. 1 spot it earned. All told, 🎵 “God Save the Queen” is one of the greatest songs of all time and a supremely, historically important punk rock record.

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11. Queen, “Killer Queen”

💿 Sheer Heart Attack • 🏷 Hollywood • 📅 1974

🎙 Queen = one of the greatest bands of all time. Honestly, that goes without saying! What is more fitting for a band the caliber of Queen than a song about a 🎵 “Killer Queen”! “Killer Queen” graced the iconic collective’s 1974 album, 💿 Sheer Heart Attack. In the US, “Killer Queen” gave the progressive rock band their breakthrough hit, which peaked at no. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 19 weeks on the chart. While Sheer Heart Attack arrived the previous year, “Killer Queen” first charted as a single in 1975.

Much has been written about “Killer Queen” – plenty of deeper analysis is out there, people! It is one of the band’s most important songs. It is innovative thanks to the music theory behind it as well as the recording techniques. Thematically, 🎙 Freddie Mercury, who sounds amazing vocally (as always), writes about a rich prostitute, to put it bluntly 😯. Not only is it musically epic, but it is also lyrically epic too. “She keeps Moët et Chandon / In her pretty cabinet,” Mercury sings in the first verse, continuing, “‘Let them eat cake,’ she says / Just like Marie Antoinette.” Woo! Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus: “She’s a killer queen / Gunpowder, gelatine / Dynamite with a laser beam / Guaranteed to blow your mind.” Also, can’t fail to mention the guitar 🎸 skills of 🎙 Brian May, another facet of “Killer Queen” that has been dissected and emulated.

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11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic, Beartrap, LLC / Alamo / Interscope, Hollywood, Polar Music International AB, SM Entertainment, Thairish Limited, Warner; John Ray Ebora via Pexels]

11 Songs All About Her Majesty, The Queen, Vol. 2 | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on April 24, 2023April 24, 2023