I don't know what it is about Queen, but every one of our children love listening and singing to their songs. It all starts with playing We Will Rock You and showing them the stomp-stomp-clap. Then, they're hooked! Willow, only 2 now, loves listening to We Will Rock You and gets excited when Another One Bites the Dust comes on. Every time she asks for it, she asks me to play "this" song while she smacks her legs twice and claps once.
All four of our children will stop their bickering and crankiness to sing We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, and Another One Bites the Dust. Today, coming back from Pizza Ranch, we let the CD keep on going and got to listen to many other Queen songs, which Riannah and Nolan seemed to enjoyed (they're able to grasp the words much faster than their younger siblings). And yet, while I drive along and listen, I just can't put my finger on why Queen is always a hit with our children.
There are some things I can point out about this Greatest Hits CD. First, it's filled with a lot of excellent rock songs from the 70s that sound a lot like rock music from the 80s, 90s, through today (I don't mean pop, I mean actual rock music). Queen's musical style compared to today's rock artists isn't really that different. They don't try to get all weird artistically on the guitar or stick in 80-minute drum solos. It's just good music and good lyrics.
Second, Freddie Mercury was a damn good singer! It's not just his voice that I enjoy listening to though, it's the spirit and enthusiasm in that voice that tells you he really loved singing and really loved the songs he sang. Yes there are plenty of good singers nowadays and have been for decades, but many rock bands have over-the-top singers or ones that sound like they'd sell out at the first opportunity (I'm looking at you Mark McGrath...).
Third, the lyrics are easy to hear. I don't mean that they're always easy to understand, but that you can hear the lyrics over the instruments. It's the perfect blend and balance of music that completely avoids overwhelming the senses with too much of this or too much of that (like dance music with ridiculously loud beats that drown out the lyrics).
Fourth, they're good songs to listen to when with the family. This is especially true when you have younger children, but how quickly do you get tired of baby and children's songs (don't make me shove those ipples and bininis up your a$$!), songs sung by children (it's just not the same, you can admit it), Disney songs (it's cute until you've heard it for the 1,000th time), or kids soundtracks. It's just rock 'n' roll, and it's music that adults and children alike can enjoy. In fact, it's even music that the kids can enjoy through their teens and into early adulthood.
Fifth, music is a wonderful way to allow your children to escape the pains of being a sibling. It's amazing how when We Will Rock You comes on, the kids stop arguing and pestering and start clapping and singing! It's even more fun when they learn the words (or at least think they've learned the words) and sing along. I only wish I could record it sometime and play it back to them when they're in High School. "See, you used to sing and dance in the van, and you didn't even know all the words."
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