Queen – You’re My Best Friend

I like Queen every once in a while, but I have to take them in doses. Queen is over the top, and they went out of their way to do that, which is fine, but in this song, they keep it more simple. I first got into them when my friend Paul, brought the News Of The World album cover to school, as we all loved the cool robot. Before he did that, I do remember this song on the radio. Out of all of their well-known hits, this one is a little different, more pure pop-sounding. 

In the hands of another band, this song could have turned into a bland pop song. The harmonies and the arrangement by Queen lifted this song up. It was written by the bass player John Deacon. All members of Queen encouraged each other to write, and each one of them wrote at least one hit. Deacon wrote this one, I Want To Break Free, and the huge Another One Bites The Dust. 

It was written for his wife, Veronica, while the couple were newly married. That explains the warmth in the lyrics, which never dip into rock-star bombast. Musically, it stands out in Queen’s catalog because of that Wurlitzer electric piano. Deacon played it and made it the song’s signature sound, even though Freddie Mercury didn’t like that instrument at all. Well, Freddie was wrong here because it fit the song perfectly. You cannot get that sound from a grand piano. 

The song came off the A Night at the Opera album. This is one of the two albums that Queen named after Marx Brothers movies…the other one is Day at the Races. They were watching the A Night at the Opera movie while making the album. They became friends with Groucho Marx in the mid-seventies.

It peaked at #16 on the Billboard 100, #7 in the UK, and #2 in Canada in 1976.

Freddie Mercury: I refused to play that damn thing, It’s tiny and horrible and I don’t like them. Why play those when you have a lovely superb piano.

You’re My Best Friend

Ooh you make me live
Whatever this world can give to me
It’s you you’re all I see
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live

Ooh you’re the best friend that I ever had
I’ve been with you such a long time
You’re my sunshine and I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
Oh you’re my best friend

Ooh you make me live

Ooh I’ve been wandering round
But I still come back to you
In rain or shine
You’ve stood by me girl
I’m happy at home
You’re my best friend

Ooh you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live

You’re the first one
When things turn out bad
You know I’ll never be lonely
You’re my only one
And I love the things
I really love the things that you do
Ooh you’re my best friend

Ooh you make me live

I’m happy at home
You’re my best friend
Oh you’re my best friend
Ooh you make me live
You’re my best friend

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

56 thoughts on “Queen – You’re My Best Friend”

    1. Thank you Shelia! I always thought this one gets overlooked at times. I love this one and Somebody to Love…they did have some great songs.

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  2. This is a great song and a nice little separate stand out from the night at the opera. I truly appreciate Freddie Mercury‘s work on the Fender Rhodes on this piece.

    Definitely a far cry from Death on two legs, though I do love that song.

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    1. First of all…thanks for bringing that song up…it’s been a long time since I heard it.
      Yes I always thought this one was different for them. I like Queen so don’t get me wrong but sometimes the 100 backup voices get to me…they were one of a kind though…no doubt. They had their own style. Thank you for commenting.

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      2. You know what? I don’t do enough power pop but I need to…I love it as well obviously. Big Star, Badfinger, Raspberries, Dwight Twilley, and many more.

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    1. Yes they were…probably around 1980-1981 when the album The Game came out with Another One Bites The Dust. Jim…I was in Jr High and you could go anywhere without someone humming it, whistling it, or singing it….and the pep rallies.

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      2. Yes! This one and Somebody To Love are probably my top 2. One of the reasons is probably because they are not worn out.

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  7. was a huge fan? I would say early Queen for sure….KIller Queen yes!…they were and sounded like no one else, so I get why some didn’t get on board…and then Live Aid, I was woke?…..Freddie was unique, what a voice… oddly enough could not stand Bohemian Rhapsody….and while I’ll say if it ain’t Freddie it ain’t Queen, I think I’m the only one, but I loved who ever sang with the band at the UK summer olympics…I think because it was so different and not someone trying to sound like an original…

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    1. Yea I like Killer Queen. It’s complex with Queen for me…some I do like but those overdubbed voices like Bohemian Rhapsody…yes I like it but in doses. Yea the Paul Rodgers era stumped me…a rock/blues singer just didn’t fit for me.
      Oh Freddie’s voice…he could sing anything from a raw rock song to some opera.
      Oh Warren…how about Keep Yourself Alive? I love that one.

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      1. oh yes….much like Kiss, and Aerosmith I like the beginnings a lot….Queen 2 was so cool..I think I was in jr high and we were all hooked on white queen (as it begins)…it was sort of like Rush and 2112, at that time not many others were listening….

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      2. Yea around 1980 is when I really started to listen more and buy…it was the time of The Game…but I ended up, like you, liking their earlier songs a lot.

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  8. Watch out gals …that dashing ladies man Freddie is looking pretty fit and ready for love in the photo. Tie your daughters down, LOL.
    I agree- I am burned out on ‘We will rock you/we are the champions’ and much of the time ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ but they were great , talented and this is a wonderful song. Nice pick.
    Believe it or not, I think my fave by them is the obscure one that brought down the house at Live Aid- ‘Radio Gaga’

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    1. LOL… thats what I meant when I said that…their songs are just too worn out…now this one I do like…it’s a nice pop song. I like Radio Gaga as well…and I want to Break Free also

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      1. funny you mention ‘I Want to Break Free’. It’s not really a song I think of but I heard it earlier this week in a store and thought ‘hey- that’s not a bad song really. Wonder why it wasn’t a hit? (over here at least)’

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      2. I thought it was Dave…It was heavy in the rotation and on our rock station but that could have been more locally.

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  9. A swell song, to be sure. The first video is way way toned down from the official version. I agree on the keyboard they used. I am a big fan of Brian May’s guitar playing. He’s in that intuitive playing group.

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  11. Pingback: Queen – You’re My Best Friend – MobsterTiger

  13. This is a forgotten one for me. I liked it early on, but it got old pretty quick, probably because of endless airplay. That’s a fun story about the piano. When someone mentions ‘A Night at the Opera’, I think of Brian May’s song ’39’, which I love.

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      5. The more conservative trainers said to use Staying Alive for the tempo. That one is too obvious. My daughter is a fan of The Office. I’ve just seen a few bits and pieces (reference to the Dave Clark Five was unintentional but I’ll leave it.)

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      6. Nothing wrong with Dave Clark Five references here. Ok so the Office had some reason for picking that one other than comedy….=

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  16. I feel the same way about them as you. I liked them a lot more in the 70’s. Now, I don’t listen to them on purpose. This and “Killer Queen” are probably their best songs, in my opinion.

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  18. Queen, over the top? lol. I know what you mean. Deacon was the silent writing assassin in this band. Need Your Loving from The Game is my fav track of his. I had a heard time getting into them as the 80s wore on. Mind you I liked a few tracks from The Miracle…. but yeah I get it Max..

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    1. The Game I still love…yea I do think Deacon was the secret weapon they had…I do like over the top every once in a while…but whew… it’s like they put an orchestra of backup voices on every song lol.

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  20. I love the song You’re My Best Friend, and it’s a really fun song to play. Thankfully I do get to play it as I’m in a Queen Tribute Band. We find that when we start the intro we always get a cheer as everyone recognises it. We once had a QR code on our screens where people could grab the lyrics of the songs on our set list, and this song was the top song downloaded that night.
    I have a tutorial of how to play it on my YouTube if anyone wants to learn it

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