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Operatic Facts About Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”
"Bohemiam Rhapsody," Queen’s classic “mock opera,” was released on October 31, 1975. Though the song was met with skepticism when played for preview audiences, it ended up spending nine weeks at No. 1 on the UK charts in 1976. It currently ranks as the third best-selling UK single of all time (behind Elton John’s Princess Diana tribute “Candle in the Wind” and Band Aid’s holiday-made “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”) and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
Here are some facts about the iconic song to consider the next time you’re hitting those “Galileo” high notes along with your car radio.
1. Freddie Mercury started writing “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1968.
The story of “Bohemian Rhapsody”—or “Bo Rhap,” as it is known by Queen fans—began in 1968, when Freddie Mercury was a student at London’s Ealing Art College. He had come up with an opening line—“Mama, just killed a man”—but no melody. Because of the Old West feel (in his mind) to the lyric, he referred to his work in progress as “The Cowboy Song.”
2. It was not originally titled “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
In May 2023, as a collection of Mercury’s personal belongings were getting ready to head to auction at Sotheby’s, an amazing discovery was made. A copy of the singer’s handwritten lyrics to the song revealed that he had seemingly wanted to title it “Mongolian Rhapsody.” According to The New York Times, that’s the title that Mercury wrote down with the lyrics—until he later crossed out the first word and replaced it with “Bohemian.”
3. Mercury was always adding another “Galileo.”
In 1975, “state-of-the-art” recording meant 24-track analog tape. The harmonies on the opera section (all sung by Mercury, drummer Roger Taylor, and guitarist Brian May) required 180 separate overdubs, and eventually the tape had been run over the recording heads so many times that it became almost transparent. In the end it took three weeks (Mercury was always adding “another ‘Galileo,’” Baker explained) and five different studios to complete the track.
4. Elton John thought the song was too “weird” for the radio.
Prior to its release, Queen’s manager played a rough mix of the song to one of his other high-profile clients, Elton John, to get his opinion. “Are you f***ing mad?” was the singer’s alleged reaction after listening to the nearly six-minute-long song. His verdict: it was too long and too “weird” for radio.
5. The song’s success is due in large part to a single DJ.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” owes part of its success to British DJ Kenny Everett, who had a popular morning radio show on Capital Radio. In early October 1975, EMI was still pressuring Queen to release “You’re My Best Friend” as the first single from A Night at the Opera. Everett got his hands on an early pressing of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” with strict instructions not to broadcast it (wink, wink). Somehow, strictly by accident (his finger must have slipped), he played the song 14 times over the course of two days. Callers flooded the radio station and local record stores with requests for the song, so the suits at EMI relented and released the magnum opus as a single.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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