A Few of My Favourite Things: Rock Goddesses and Collaborations Edition

I was getting my Queen on earlier today. Not Elizabeth II, but the British band with the one and only Freddie Mercury. Don't know who he is? Shame on you!

This man put all other rock gods to shame. And now you know.

Freddie's long since passed. At least twenty years, but the music he made, the notes he hit, and his voice... Though I love many bands and musicians dearly, this man is the one to beat. Except for David Bowie. He's the only one I would consider to be on a level playing field. The notes he hits might not be as high, but Bowie's voice has a unique quality that gives me the same feelings and chills as Freddie's.

I didn't plan on listening to multiple collaborations in a row. How it all started was I was trying to find a live edition of Queen and David Bowie doing "Under Pressure". I was halfway successful. I found a live version of "Under Pressure," but it only had Queen. I suppose I shouldn't speak so casually about Queen that way, especially since it's one of my favourite bands, and I would give my soul to be able to go back in time just long enough to catch a Queen concert. But, the song was missing Bowie. Never fear, though, Freddie sure as hell knows how to hold his own!

I rest my case.

This started my quest for other collaborations, mainly Queen oriented. On Youtube, off to the side, was a video I hadn't seen in a very long time. It was still "Under Pressure," and instead of Bowie collaborating with Queen, he sang with Eurythmics powerhouse Annie Lennox. It was from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992 at Wembley Stadium in England.

Annie Lennox will never be Freddie, but I think she did one hell of a job!

I used to have the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on VHS. I remember lending it to a friend, and then never seeing it again.  And before you ask, yes, I miss watching it. Thank heavens for the internet!

My "Under Pressure" quest led me on the hunt to find other musical hook-ups with awesome rock gods. Sure, there's Aerosmith, another one of my all-time favourite bands, with Run DMC doing, "Walk This Way"...

...which may just have saved Aerosmith's career as they were in a bit of a rut, and rock-opera god Meat Loaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" featuring Ellen Foley will always be amazing...

... but I kept on finding myself coming back to Queen.

I never did manage to find a live version of both Queen and David Bowie doing "Under Pressure." But one can always hope and dream. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the studio version. Mariah Carey wishes she could hit notes as high as Freddie.

Long live the Queen (and David Bowie)!