Of all four members of Queen, the least is known about bassist John Deacon — the shy one.
Deacon often refused the spotlight, rarely granted interviews and retired from music shortly after Freddie Mercury's death. But his introverted personality during his career only hid his prodigious ability as both an instrumentalist and a songwriter.
On the latest episode of the band's YouTube series Queen the Greatest, celebrating 50 years of Queen, the band shines a light on Deacon's greatest compositions, which include several of the band's biggest hits.
While Deacon seemed content to focus on crafting stunning basslines through Queen's first three studio albums, when he set his sights on songwriting, his hit-rate was unmatched.
As a sole writer, Deacon penned fewer songs for Queen than his three band mates, but those songs include classics like "You're My Best Friend," "Spread Your Wings," "Another One Bites the Dust," "I Want To Break Free" and "One Year of Love."
As a co-writer, Deacon helped crafted songs like "Stone Cold Crazy," "Under Pressure," "One Vision," "Friends Will Be Friends," "The Miracle" and others.
Watch the full episode via the player above!
In April Queen celebrated the songs of drummer Roger Taylor. Later in the series, Queen will focus on songs penned by Mercury and guitarist Brian May.
Deacon's contributions to Queen's history extend well beyond the music, too. Mercury's former assistant Peter Freestone writes in his memoir that Queen owed its longevity to the scrupulous bassist, who began handling the band's finances himself in the early-'70s after catching their management embezzling the band's profits.
Mercury himself often said Queen "wouldn't do anything unless John said it was alright."