Crucial Track – 20 August 2026

Share a song that captures the feeling of being brave. The album, News of the World, was a seminal moment for my youthful ears. I’d discovered a copy of Jazz in my parents record collection when I was around 10, and my Dad mentioned that I could probably find other albums by the band in the local library. News of the World was the first one I borrowed. A much more stripped back affair than the previous two albums (think Bohemian Rhapsody!), and with the rise of punk, the album has moments of rawness, as well as the usual off-kilter ballads —the Brian May led Sleeping on the Sidewalk remains a favourite— but it was this track that grabbed my young mind, that soaring quality as it builds to the chorus, a quiet/loud approach before it was a thing. It was only later in life when I revisited this album and actually LISTENED to this track that I realised how brave it was, how uplifting and celebratory. It’s not about being a champion, it’s about being brave enough to become one. We’ve all…