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(Originally finalized on May 26, 2025)
Preface: I started out searching for king and queen songs for a combined theme, but options were plentiful enough to justify splitting them up and covering them separately. So let's put the King aside, because this week the Queen reigns supreme!
Monday: The Runaways - Queens of Noise [Queens of Noise, 1977]
Comments: Whatever you do, don't call them princesses. These down-and-dirty queens of noise could rock with the best of them - as demonstrated on this title track (and opener) from Joan Jett's teenage all-girl starter band The Runaways' second album. It would be the last to feature the Cherry Bomb herself, Cherie Currie.
Tuesday: Heart - Little Queen [Little Queen, 1977]
Comments: Coming hot on the heels of the single Barracuda, and not to be confused with Chuck Berry's hit Little Queenie, this is the title track from the third album by Heart - another female-led band (though not exclusively female) - released following some complications with their record label over their second album.
Wednesday: Styx - Queen of Spades [Pieces of Eight, 1978]
Comments: Although not quite as iconic as The Grand Illusion, Styx's followup album, Pieces of Eight, stands largely on the success of the hits Blue Collar Man and Renegade. But if that tripod has a third leg, it would have to be this number, ostensibly a warning about gambling, but one that could be applied to addiction in general.
Thursday: Mountain - Mississippi Queen [Climbing!, 1970]
Comments: This is probably going to be the most popular song on this list; it's the song that put Mountain on the map. Being both their debut single and the first track on their first album, it also qualifies as a First Impression! With the influential Leslie West on guitar, I don't know why this early proto-metal band didn't have more hits.
Friday: CSNY - Black Queen (Live) [4 Way Street, 1971]
Comments: I like symmetry, so it pleases me to include this song from Crosby Stills Nash & Young's live album 4 Way Street, as a parallel to the song from the same album I shared last week. This time, the spotlight is on Stephen Stills, as he plays a moody acoustic blues originally recorded for his self-titled debut solo album the previous year.
Saturday: The Doors - Queen of the Highway [Morrison Hotel, 1970]
Comments: Following the orchestra-laden low point that was The Soft Parade, The Doors' penultimate album (and appetizer to L.A. Woman) was considered a return to form. Although not as popular as the rollicking Roadhouse Blues, or the unexpectedly funky Peace Frog, this song features keymaster Ray Manzarek quite prominently.
Sunday: Mott The Hoople - Rock And Roll Queen [Mott The Hoople, 1969]
Comments: From Mott The Hoople's debut album, I discovered this song (that could fit right in on one of my Rock 'n' Roll themes) while digging in to their catalog for my episode of Band Connections centered around Bad Company. Said to be deliberately trying to emulate The Rolling Stones, the fact that the Stones' later hit Bitch bears some resemblance to this song is nothing short of poetic justice.
Honorable Mention: Queen - Killer Queen [Sheer Heart Attack, 1974]
Comments: If, as I said last week, I'm not the best ambassador for the band Rush, then I'm an even worse ambassador for Queen. Though talented, their aesthetic is a little bit campy for my tastes. But it hardly seems fair to neglect them in a theme dedicated to queens, especially after featuring two artists named King in my theme dedicated to kings. So here's their breakout hit from their third album, a bouncey little number that puts the rhyme in rhythm.