The two Queen songs Brian May wishes Freddie Mercury could have sung live

Posted On January 7, 2026January 7, 2026

As far as legacy acts go, Queen does it well. It’s one of the great tragedies in music history just how quickly Freddie Mercury was taken from the world, but as his band continue their mission to spread his artistry, they treat his heritage with true respect and love. However, there are two songs that make Brian May’s heart ache every time, wishing he’d got to play them with his friend.

When Mercury was alive, Queen toured extensively. Along with their distinctive and theatrical sound, it was really the electric energy of their live shows that boomed them to dizzying heights. Their success really hooked onto two things: their fun and unique songwriting and their ability to translate that fun to their crowds.

Their frontman was the ultimate frontman. It could be easily argued that no one has done, or ever will, do it like Mercury. The videos from Live Aid especially attest to that beautifully. “Ay-oh!” he sang out, inviting the crowd to echo it back. Then, he makes it harder and harder, testing the audience’s dedication to him. As he ends with a final “Alright!” the smile on his face says one thing: he knew that every one of the 72,000 people in Wembley was in the palm of his hand.

That is something that can never be replicated but still needs to be honoured. After Mercury’s passing in 1991, his band found the best way possible to remember him as they invited a string of collaborators to take on the vocals and continue playing these iconic tracks live. Adam Lambert is the current singer who is performing with the band. As May said, “I’m sure Adam would meet with Freddie’s approval.”

But naturally, the guitarist misses his friend. While they got to play the majority of their tracks together, there are a few that never managed to get a live debut with the original vocalist as he became too unwell to perform.

“We were never able to perform ‘I Want It All’ live,” he said of one 1989 track featured on their penultimate album, recorded after Mercury had been diagnosed with HIV. As he began to succumb to the illness, the band’s final two albums were never toured, leaving many of the tracks never to be performed live by the original lineup. The track has become a live staple for the band, a song that has been performed by Roger Daltrey and Adam Lambert.

Written by May about his wife, Anita Dobson, the tune is a powerhouse Queen anthem, built in the image of Mercury. It’s the kind of track that would have been monumental on the stage, complete with vocal crescendos and the kind of showmanship that Mercury thrived on.

For May, it’s a song he would have loved to have seen his friend perform, but on one condition. The song needed to be sung when he was in good health and able to give it his all. “It would have become something which was a staple core of the Queen show – it’s very participative,” he said, declaring the track “very anthemic”. This is the kind of songwriting that has made Queen one of the most successful groups of all time.

It’s a similar story for another track of the same album. Another raging, upbeat track from the record was the title track, ‘The Miracle’. “I’ve always loved the track,” May said. While he never got to perform it live with Mercury, it’s a song that holds great memories. “I remember the joy we had in the studio,” he added, continuing, “It would have been nice to do this song live. You can certainly imagine this with an audience.” Still, this track has never been played live by the band.

The song was a moment of indifference upon release, though. May remembered of the tune’s reaction, “We got pasted to the wall for this in England. Everybody hated it, for some reason. It’s very uncool to be idealistic in Britain, I suppose, at the moment, and they said, ‘How can they talk about peace,’ and all that sort of stuff, then of course, China happened and everything. It seems very relevant to us.”

Roger Taylor added: “In England ‘idealism’ is ‘naivety,’ which is wrong, it’s not. There’s nothing wrong with idealism. Nick Lowe wrote that great song, great title – ‘What’s so bad about peace, love and understanding,’ yeah, and what is so bad about.”

With Adam Lambert, the group have played ‘I Want It All’ live a handful of times in homage to their lost leader. They all know that Mercury was a talent that could never be replicated or replaced, but as they keep his music alive and playing out on the biggest stages in the world, they keep his memory kicking.

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