Earlier today I was in the car with my friend when Bohemian Rhapsody came on the radio. A jolt of excitement hit me as soon as I recognized it. So, like most Queen fans, I turned to my friend and started to scream the lyrics. To my surprise, my non-Queen-fan friend asked me“Why do you even like this song anyway?” In this blog, I am going to go into detail and explain why Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is (in my opinion) the best song ever written. The chances of knowing a song even the slightest bit similar to Bohemian Rhapsody are... well, impossiblereally. Before hearing the song, if someone told me a song combined acapella, ballad, rock, and opera, I would think they were out of their mind. the combination of rock and opera alone blow my mind. The lyrics in the song are extraordinarily powerful. The actual meaning of them have been interpreted in several ways, but what I see the song as is Freddie’s personal journey and struggle with coming out as bisexual. Verse 1:"Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead" can be interpreted as Freddie destroying his past self, the straight man he was trying to be."I see a little silhouetto of a man" is Freddie being haunted by what he’s done and what he is. Here’s a link to the Capella alone in Bohemian Rhapsody. In this video, it’s easy to here the range, emotion, and passion in Freddie’s voice. The song starts off with the Capella. Despite the lack of instruments, Freddie’s voice actually carries the song with his emotion. In the opera section of the song, it’s shocking that the high pitched“Galileo” was produced by the band’s drummer, Roger Taylor. The layers and layers of Freddie’s voice went along perfectly with the tone the song and lyrics were communicating. The introwas soft and pleasant. The opera was loud and powerful. The rock was strong and aggressive. The Ballad of Bohemian Rhapsody: The balladstarts off soft and almost depressing. The mention of death sets a dark tone, along with the delicate piano. 35 seconds into the song, Freddiestarts to drag out his voice more and put more effort, communicating emotion, but then slows down again. He then eases into the second verse with even more power and some aggression. The song then kicks off into Brian May’s (the band's guitarist) solo. After this, the overwhelming rock-opera comes in. The ballad then continues into a soft tone, similar to the one it started with. Something no one expected from a 70srock band was an opera. This part of the song was so impressive that it even got its own song on the album A Night At The Opera.What’s great about the operatic section of the song is that it’s not just any random song lyrics sung in opera, it really does sound like a legit opera. Words like could only make sense in an actual opera, where nothing is supposed to make sense. The last part of Bohemian Rhapsody is the rock section, what most Queen fans are used to. This is also the queue to start headbanging. It starts with Brian May’s second guitar solo in the song along with Roger Taylors fast paced drumming. Then Freddie comes in with more aggressivelyrics with a perfectly fitting aggressive voice. The line“So you think you can love me and leave me to die... can’t do this to me baby” enhances the confidence in Freddie’s voice. The song slows down into the second part of the ballad and ends with the infamous gong in the last note of the song.I. Uniqueness
II. Lyrics
III. Capella
IV. Ballad
VI. Opera
V. Rock
FAQs
What Makes Bohemian Rhapsody One of the Greatest Songs of All Time:? ›
Bohemian Rhapsody was seen as being groundbreaking when it was released, due to the song's unique composition style and vast variety in sound throughout the song, as well as its intriguing lyrics.
What's so special about Bohemian Rhapsody? ›Queen had embraced progressive rock as one of their many diverse influences. "Bohemian Rhapsody" parodies many different elements of opera by using bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative, and distorted Italian operatic phrases.
Is Bohemian Rhapsody the greatest song ever written? ›Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' voted greatest song of all time by Gold listeners. Posted on Monday 29th August, 2022 in Queen News. After thousands of votes, we have crowned the winner of Gold's Hall of Fame Top 300 for 2022!
What kept Bohemian Rhapsody off number 1? ›43 years ago today, ABBA's 'Mamma Mia' hit number one in the UK Singles Charts – replacing Queen's masterpiece 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which had held the position for nine weeks. Interestingly, both songs feature the phrase “mamma mia” in their lyrics.
Is Bohemian Rhapsody the number one song of all time? ›Queen's iconic 1975 song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was voted the greatest song of all time by Gold listeners, ahead of 'Hotel California' by the Eagles at two. John Lennon's 'Imagine' came third, ahead of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at four and Elvis Presley's 'Always on My Mind' at five.
What is the overall message of Bohemian Rhapsody? ›I interpret this song as representing the internal struggle that Freddie Mercury had in coming out, in telling the world that he was a bisexual. I think it was probably very difficult for him. It didn't seem like reality. It seemed like fantasy.
Which is the greatest song of all time? ›Rolling Stone updated its list of the 500 greatest songs of all-time – its first update in 17 years. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, took home the top spot for her version of "Respect," which was originally recorded by Otis Redding. Snagging second place was Public Enemy's "Fight the Power."
Where does Bohemian Rhapsody rank all time? ›Queen's iconic 1975 song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was voted the greatest song of all time by Gold listeners, ahead of 'Hotel California' by the Eagles at two. John Lennon's 'Imagine' came third, ahead of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' at four and Elvis Presley's 'Always on My Mind' at five.
What song knocked Bohemian Rhapsody off number 1? ›Today in 1976, ABBA's Mamma Mia knocked Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody from UK #1 position. Both songs have the lyric "Mamma Mia, Mamma Mia let me go."
What is the meaning behind the song "Bohemian Rhapsody"? ›Here is the crux of the song. Freddie here is referring to realising that he is bisexual (not gay). He has just murdered his old self, the person his parents knew and who has certain expectations placed upon him. Freddie knows he's going to disappoint his mother and as such the reference to having thrown it all away.
What did Queen think of Bohemian Rhapsody? ›
Though the group's record company were initially reluctant to issue “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single, Queen were united in insisting that it was the right choice, despite exceeding the three-minute running time expected of most single releases.
What song was #1 longest? ›"Old Town Road" holds the record for the longest stretch at No. 1 with 19 weeks. It also became the fastest song in history to be certified diamond.
What did Freddie Mercury call his mother? › Why is Bohemian Rhapsody considered good? ›An important reason that "Bohemian Rhapsody" resonates and has resonated for over 40 years is that it embodied something very intense, which is Freddie Mercury's personality and life. That record is an oral extension of Freddie Mercury's self-consciousness without shame.
What was Queen's biggest hit of all time? ›“Bohemian Rhapsody” was first made for Queen's 1975 album, A Night at the Opera. Written by Freddie Mercury, the song is Queen's greatest hit to date.
Who has the #1 song of all time? ›| Rank | Single | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blinding Lights" | The Weeknd |
| 2. | "The Twist" | Chubby Checker |
| 3. | "Smooth" | Santana featuring Rob Thomas |
| 4. | "Mack the Knife" | Bobby Darin |
“It is one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it,” Mercury 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.”
How is Bohemian Rhapsody different? ›Structure, Arrangement, and Journey. Bohemian Rhapsody is a six-minute composition, consisting of 6 distinct sections without a chorus: an intro, a ballad segment, a guitar solo an operatic passage, a hard rock part, and a reflective outro coda.
Why was Bohemian Rhapsody so controversial? ›There were a lot of people cheering against “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The film has been dogged by accusations of hom*ophobia, and the film's director, Bryan Singer, was accused of rape and sexual abuse. But as a gay historian, I keep coming back to something else – the tragic history that's glaringly absent from this movie.
What is the most played song of all time? ›Various sources cite the Righteous Brothers' “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'” (1964) as having more than eight million plays on radio and TV, and The Beatles' “Yesterday” (1965) with at least seven million in the U.S. alone, and many more in the rest of the world.