The thing about playing WoW, is if you have friends that are high levels on your server, you don't really learn the basics of the game, and theres going to be a huge chunk of content you'll probably never see (Azeroth mostly, few BC spots) because youre starting off so late.
But as far as how "easy" classes are for leveling, it's generally something like Hunter > Rogue > Warlock > Mage > Druid then the rest of the classes are lumped together between "really slow" and "decently alright". Unless you have someone outfit your char in the best gear you can for that level that is.
I started the game as a rogue and hated it, and it almost made me quit the game. I didn't really even have much fun in the game until I started my mage and got him to a decent level where most of his skills were opened up (around 46), so just stick to it.
Also, don't make a paladin. They're terrible in every single way. Except healing. But you can only spam your two heals for so long before you get incredibly bored of it.