A Rock Rhapsody: Bohemian Rhapsody

The British rock quartet Queen released an operatic masterpiece, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” on Oct. 31, 1975.

It would peak at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart here in the U.S., but it would hit No. 1 in the U.K. on Nov. 21, 1975 — a half-

century ago Friday — and would stay there for nine weeks, the longest any single had occupied the top spot there in two decades.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” has since been recognized as one of the greatest — and one of the most memorable — rock performances of all time. So good luck getting this song out of your head today ...

'Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?'

Lead singer Freddie Mercury of Queen began working on what became “Bohemian Rhapsody” back in the 1960s.

Chris Smith, who played keyboards in Mercury’s first band, Smile, said Freddie would warm up at rehearsals by playing several of his piano compositions, including one called “The Cowboy Song.” That one began with the line, “Mama, just killed a man.”

Mercury originally called the song “Mongolian Rhapsody.” At some point, in his original draft of lyrics, he changed the word “Mongolian” to “Bohemian.” There were other changes, too: “Mama, there's a war began; I’ve got to leave tonight” became “Mama, just killed a man.”

“I remember Freddie coming in with loads of bits of paper from his dad’s work, like Post-it notes, and pounding on the piano,” said lead guitarist Brian May. “He played the piano like most people play the drums. And this song he had was full of gaps where he explained that something operatic would happen here and so on. He’d worked out the harmonies in his head.”

Mercury and his three colleagues spent days in the studio singing scaramouches and fandangos into a 24-track tape machine. They ended up with 180 separate recordings that had to be mixed together. Producer Roy Thomas Baker recalled Mercury coming into the studio proclaiming, “Oh, I’ve got a few more ‘Galileos,’ dear!”

On the other hand, the backing track was recorded fairly quickly. May's guitar solo before the opera section was recorded on only one track, with no overdubbing. He wanted to play “a little tune that would be a counterpart to the main melody,” he said. “I didn't just want to play the melody.”

May worked out the solo before he tried playing it. His reasoning was always that “the fingers tend to be predictable unless being led by the brain.”

'Mamma Mia Let Me Go ...'

At five minutes and 55 seconds, Queen knew getting the song on the radio might be a problem. The group’s label, EMI, pleaded with the band to trim it down. Mercury refused.

Finally, Mercury gave a copy of the single to his friend, Kenny Everett of London’s Capital Radio, who played the song on his show. Calls poured in from listeners begging him to give it another spin.

Everett ended up playing “Bohemian Rhapsody” 14 times over two days. Fans stormed record stores to buy copies, only to be told it hadn’t been released yet.

The single zoomed to No. 1 in the U.K. and stayed there for nine weeks. Ironically, the song that finally knocked it out of the top spot was “Mamma Mia” by Abba.

In the U.S., it peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard but remained in the Hot 100 for 24 weeks and was certified gold.

'Nothing Really Matters To Me'

The meaning of the song has been the source of much debate over the past half-century. Some have pointed out the similarities to Albert Camus’ novel “The Stranger,” in which a young man confesses to an impulsive murder before he is executed.

Others have pointed out the lyrics were Mercury's way of dealing with his personal issues. Not many public figures had yet come out as gay in 1975.

Mercury and his bandmates agreed to not reveal anything about the lyrics to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “It’s one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it,” he said. “I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them.”

A few clues, however:

- Bismillah: Means “In the name of Allah.” Many Muslims say it before undertaking a task.

- Scaramouch: A stock character that appears as a boastful coward.

- Beelzebub: Is one of the many names given to The Devil.

- Galileo: It’s been speculated Mercury included the name of the famed astronomer as a nod to May, who is an astronomy buff and who, in 2007, would earn a PhD in astrophysics.

Queen's Single Chart Performance In The U.S.