Who wrote the song "I Want to Break Free"?

Who wrote the song "I Want to Break Free"? John Deacon wrote it. Queen's bassist composed the song in 1983, and it appeared on the band's 1984 album The Works. Unlike many Queen songs associated with Freddie Mercury's dramatic style, this track began as Deacon's straightforward pop composition and follows a largely traditional 12-bar blues progression in E major.

The recording exists in several forms, including an album version, a shorter single version and an extended version. Session musician Fred Mandel played the keyboard parts, including the synthesizer solo, after Deacon chose not to include a conventional guitar solo. John Deacon is the credited writer, although the other members contributed to the performance and production.

The song's video is often what people remember most. All four Queen members dressed in drag to parody the British soap opera Coronation Street, after an idea proposed by Roger Taylor. That comic visual became so closely linked with the song that it can obscure its origin as Deacon's composition.