Queen has so many great songs. The hits (BoRhap, Champions, Rock You, etc.) are amazing, but I think there's a lot of great songs that are really underrated too. Here's my list of some underrated songs by Queen.
1. March of the Black Queen
2. The Prophet's Song
3. Death On Two Legs
4. It's A Hard Life
5. Spread Your Wings
(THESE ARE NOT ALL)
I really wish Queen shot music videos for these songs and played them live more often. There are some great songs that never got played live.
Off the top of my head, I would consider
1. All God's People
2. Innuendo (I know a lot of people like it, but to me is one of
their best post 70s songs)
3. My Fairy King - this song from their first album set the
stage for the spectacular Queen II album
4. In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited - One of my favorite
beginnings to a Queen song. Gets stuck in my
head.
5. The Millionaire Waltz - Fell in love with my lifelong partner l
listening to this and other over the top
romantic A Day at the Races songs.
There are many underrated songs from all the albums. The majority of Jazz album, Machines or back to humans, Gimme the prize, Princes of the universe, khashogi's ship, the Miracle, was all worth it, ride the wild wind, headlong, hitman, mother love etc.
Freddie was back in great writing with Barcelona album towards the end.
'...and played them live more often'
I think all the named ones in the OP got a pretty good run live?
Innuendo is a constant pointless answer on Pointless 'Queen' rounds. Weird as it was number one and is on GH2.
This blends nicely into a 'what if'. 'The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke' was at one point considered a single release - just imagine! Also apparently the BBC version of Ogre Battle too. I'm not sure of the chances of either commercially, but I can imagine FFMS being bracketed along with Sparks 'This Town..' is great bonkers singles of 1974.
I don't think the songs named above are 'underrated'....the phrase 'underrated' intimates that people know them but then actively then say they're a bit 'meh' or not very good.
I would wager that anyone who know those tracks would rate them very highly, and therefore it would be better simply to say they are not as well known, so 'understated', 'under publicised', 'under played' maybe....but not 'underrated'.
I agree with you and that's what I meant by underrated. I love all the songs I mentioned in my comment, and I was trying to say that I wish everyone else knew them more, because they're not Queen's most well known songs.
Life is real is an interesting one for me. I found it a bit dull but hearing those live versions with the female singer a couple of years ago (in Russia I seem to remember?) made me realise it's actually quite beautiful.
It's A Hard Life is severely underrated. I think it's perhaps Freddie's most sincere and honest song about his personal life that he ever wrote for Queen.