Why is it that on one day I'll write about a work like Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin and the next about a rock and roll song ("Wild Thing" on one occasion)? Well, first of all, I started as a rock fan and I've remained one. For a while there, I thought that maybe rock had run its course. But great artists like Radiohead, Wilco and others restored my faith. Also, it's important to remember that what distinguishes one type of music from another is primarily the process used in making it. For example, no other style of music sounds like jazz - because jazz is put together in a very specific way. Not even great composers can emulate its sound, and I mean people like Gershwin, because the steps involved are different. (I like Rhapsody in Blue - a lot, actually - it's wonderful, but it's not the same sound as jazz. I'll be writing more on the processes involved in jazz on another occasion.)
One of the things that makes rock great is that it accepts every possible type of input and/or method. As Lou Reed once put it (I'm quoting this from memory): "In rock and roll, anyone can hit one out of the park." The upshot of all this: rock (perhaps more of a concept than a type of music) has got unbelievable diversity, and can produce songs that are unique. Which brings us to today's subject, "You're my Best Friend", from Queen's A Night at the Opera (1975). On an album filled with great and distinctive songs, this one stands out for me. Written by the bassist John Deacon (he and the drummer, Roger Taylor usually contributed one song per album - most of the writing was done by Freddie Mercury and Brian May), it's a beautiful rock and/or pop song that doesn't sound like any other I've heard. It's harmonically and rhythmically sophisticated, and yet natural at the same time, and it came to be because a particular situation allowed it to. Moral of the story: if a listener does not try to appreciate the best from all styles of music, then a lot is being missed. (Also to be enjoyed - a great performance from the band and Freddie's refulgent singing. I should also mention that although Deacon didn't write as many songs as some of the others, he did write some of their biggest hits, including "Another One Bites the Dust" and "I Want to Break Free", and others that should have been, such as "Need Your Loving Tonight".)