Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

About the song

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” the iconic masterpiece by the British rock band Queen, stands as a testament to the band’s innovative spirit and Freddie Mercury’s exceptional songwriting prowess. Released in 1975 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, *A Night at the Opera*, this groundbreaking track has become a landmark in the history of popular music.

Composed by lead singer Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is celebrated for its unconventional structure. Unlike traditional songs that adhere to a repetitive chorus, this six-minute epic unfolds in a series of distinct and contrasting segments. The track begins with a haunting intro, transitions into a poignant ballad, escalates into an operatic passage, shifts to a powerful hard rock segment, and concludes with a reflective coda. This dynamic arrangement defies standard song forms and showcases Mercury’s ambitious vision of blending different musical styles into a cohesive whole.

Mercury himself described “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a “mock opera,” a playful and dramatic fusion of three separate songs he had written. The recording process was equally ambitious, involving complex techniques that required nearly 200 tracks of overdubs. The song features a blend of operatic parody, including flamboyant choruses, witty recitative, and playful distortions of Italian operatic phrases. Its lyrics are a tapestry of references, from the mythical Scaramouche to historical figures like Galileo Galilei, and even cryptic allusions to Beelzebub and the cry of “Bismillah!”

Initially, the critical reception of “Bohemian Rhapsody” was mixed, but it quickly proved its timeless appeal and has since been hailed as one of the greatest songs ever recorded. It frequently appears in polls of the greatest songs in popular music, including a notable ranking at number 17 on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” The song’s groundbreaking promotional video is also credited with advancing the music video format.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” achieved remarkable commercial success, topping the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and later becoming the UK’s third best-selling single of all time. Its global impact extended beyond the UK, topping charts in countries like Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands, and selling over six million copies worldwide. In the United States, it reached number nine in 1976 and climbed to number two following its feature in the 1992 film *Wayne’s World*. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and, following the 2018 biopic *Bohemian Rhapsody*, became the most streamed song from the 20th century. In 2021, it was certified diamond in the US for combined digital sales and streams, solidifying its status as one of the best-selling songs in history.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” remains a groundbreaking and enduring piece of musical artistry, reflecting Queen’s unparalleled creativity and Freddie Mercury’s extraordinary talent.

Video

Lyrics

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I’m easy come, easy go
A little high, little low
Anyway the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me, to me

Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooo
Didn’t mean to make you cry
If I’m not back again this time tomorrow
Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body’s aching all the time
Goodbye everybody – I’ve got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooo – (anyway the wind blows)
I don’t want to die
I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all

I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouch, scaramouch will you do the fandango
Thunderbolt and lightning – very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo, Gallileo,
Gallileo Figaro – magnifico

But I’m just a poor boy and nobody loves me
He’s just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go – will you let me go
Bismillah! No – we will not let you go – let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go – let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go – let me go
Will not let you go – let me go (never)
Never let you go – let me go
Never let me go – ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no –
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
for me
for me

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye
So you think you can love me and leave me to die
Oh baby – can’t do this to me baby
Just gotta get out – just gotta get right outta here

Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters – nothing really matters to me

Anyway the wind blows…