Bohemian Rhapsody
The story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, from formation to their legendary 1985 Live Aid performance.
Last updated
Bohemian Rhapsody is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the piece is a six-minute suite that deliberately avoids a repeating chorus, instead unfolding through several distinct sections: an intro, a ballad, an operatic passage, a hard rock segment, and a reflective coda. Mercury described it as a "mock opera," born from combining three separate songs he had written. The track parodies operatic conventions through bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative, and distorted Italian phrases, with lyrical nods to characters such as Scaramouche, Figaro, and Beelzebub, alongside cries of "Bismillah!" and references to Galileo and the fandango.
History and recording
Recording took place between August and September 1975 across five studios, with Queen and co-producer Roy Thomas Baker. Due to the limitations of 24-track analogue tape, the band had to bounce recordings across eight generations of tape, requiring nearly 200 overdubs for the final mix. Mercury, guitarist Brian May, and drummer Roger Taylor reportedly sang their vocal parts for ten to twelve hours daily over three weeks, with May recalling that Mercury’s vocal overdubs were so precise they created a natural phasing effect. The piano used was a C. Bechstein concert grand, allegedly the same instrument Paul McCartney used for "Hey Jude." May’s guitar solo was recorded on a single track, intended as a counter-melody to the main theme.
Release
The song topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and later for another five after Mercury’s death, becoming the UK’s third best-selling single. It also reached number one in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the Netherlands, selling over six million copies worldwide. In the US, it initially peaked at number nine in 1976, but rose to number two after its use in the 1992 film Wayne’s World.
Achievements and accolades
The promotional video is credited with advancing the music video medium. Retrospective acclaim has seen it ranked among the greatest songs ever, including at number 17 on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list of the 500 Greatest Songs, with Mercury’s vocal performance voted the greatest in rock history by readers. In 2004, it entered the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2021 it was certified diamond in the US. The Library of Congress inducted it into the National Recording Registry in 2022.
Lore & Background
The film was announced in late 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to play Mercury. After he left the project in mid-2013 following creative differences with producers, the project languished until Malek was cast and Singer was hired as director in November 2016.
Singer served as director through most of principal photography, which began in London in September 2017, but was fired in December of the same year due to frequent absences and clashes with the cast and crew. Dexter Fletcher, who was originally set to direct when the project was early in development, was hired to complete the film; Singer retained sole director credit as per Directors Guild of America guidelines, while Fletcher received an executive producer credit. Filming concluded in January 2018.
Reader's Guide
The film traces Mercury's transformation from Farrokh Bulsara, a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport, to the global icon who headlined Live Aid in 1985. The story opens in 1970 when he discovers a college band called Smile performing at a pub and offers to replace their departed singer. After impressing drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May with his voice, he joins the group, which eventually becomes Queen with bassist John Deacon.
The narrative follows the band's rise through hits like "Killer Queen" and the controversial release of "Bohemian Rhapsody," which they debut on Kenny Everett's radio show after EMI refuses to issue it as a single. Personal drama threads through the music: Freddie's relationship with Mary Austin, his coming out as bisexual, his turbulent partnership with manager Paul Prenter, his solo career with CBS, and his eventual diagnosis with HIV. The film culminates in the band's electrifying Live Aid set, after which intertitles note Freddie's death in November 1991 at age 45.
Did You Know?
- The film grossed over $911 million worldwide on a production budget of $50–55 million.
- At the 91st Academy Awards, the film won four Oscars: Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.
- The film's premiere took place at Wembley Arena on October 23, 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Bohemian Rhapsody?
Freddie Mercury is the sole credited writer of the track. He composed it for Queen's 1975 studio album A Night at the Opera.
What album is Bohemian Rhapsody on?
The song appears on Queen's 1975 record A Night at the Opera. It was released as the album's lead single and became one of the band's signature recordings.
What genres is Bohemian Rhapsody classified under?
It is generally tagged as progressive rock, hard rock, art rock, and progressive pop. The song shifts through a piano ballad, an operatic middle passage, and a heavy rock outro, which is why it spans several genre categories.
More in Performing Arts & Music Genres
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Bohemian Rhapsody (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced