There are those who claim that “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of the greatest songs of all time and that, for all intents and purposes, everything about it altered the trajectory of pop music for at least a century. And there are those who hate it and, frankly speaking, are wrong.
But, Galileo, Galileo, Figaro, magnifico-o-o-o? What does the song actually mean? Here’s my answer based on years of expertise and a penchant for singing the tune a capella on long commutes home over the years.
Key Facts Table
| Released | 31 October 1975 |
| Album | A Night at the Opera |
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury |
| Band | Queen |
| Genre | Progressive Rock / Symphonic Rock |
| Length | 5:55 |
| Key Themes | Fatalism, personal crisis, operatic storytelling |
| Chart Peak | #1 (UK Singles Chart), #9 (US Billboard Hot 100 in ’76 / #2 in ’92) |
Queen’s Long Road to Making “Bohemian Rhapsody”
You’ve seen the movie, wept at the end, and gave Rami Malek an Oscar. But is any of that true?
Queen did start out as a progressive-rock band with an obsession for mythology and Led Zeppelin-style heaviness. Drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May were, indeed, members of a power trio called Smile before Freddie Mercury persuaded them to let him sing. That much is true.
Essential to the story, however, is just how much work the four musicians, joined on bass by John Deacon, put into developing the group.
I love the early Queen records. To me, they are some of the best prog-rock albums of the era. But apart from the dazzling “Seven Seas of Rhye” and the glam-rock sweetness of “Killer Queen,” few of the band’s early singles had any great comemrcial impact outside Japan. (See where those albums rank in my article on “Queen Albums Ranked from Worst to Best“)
“A Night at the Opera” was the album that would either turn Mercury and the boys into superstars, or force them to pack it in and go home.
The Mysterious Meaning of the Lyrics of “Bohemian Rhapsody”
The lyrics for “Bohemian Rhapsody” have been dissected thousands of times. They are among the most misunderstood in the history of rock music. Books, documentaries and confessions have helped us to piece together the possible meaning of Freddie Mercury’s words.
Much of the esoteric language featured in the song is either part of a religious ritual or mythology. Frankly, it shares a lot in common, in that sense, with other early Queen compositions, if you ask me.
Bismillah is a name that appears in the Qur’an and means “In the name of Allah.” Beelzebub is the name of a demon in pagan mythology. Galileo is an astronomer, like May. Scaramouch is a boastful type of character that appears in plays.
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar. As Parsis, his parents practised Zoroastrianism. The family was forced to leave a relatively comfortable life in Zanzibar.
Guitarist Brian May seems to think that the song is tied to Mercury’s own ego and insecurities: “Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song.“
Lesley-Ann Jones, who wrote a biography about Mercury, believes that the song may be intended to reveal the singer’s bisexuality to the world. When Jones asked the singer this question in 1986, the singer chose to be vague, describing it as “a song about relationships.”
The Innovative Music Video
The music video, one of the earliest of its kind, ended up being as influential to the history of pop music as the song itself.
Famously, the film cost only £3,500 and was shot within a few hours in the band’s rehearsal room. Bruce Gowers directed the video. He was chosen, largely, because he had worked with The Beatles on some of their videos.
The effects used in the promo film helped to establish its notoriety. It was one of the first of its kind, and a mighty strong promotional tool.
I remember watching the music video ad and thinking that, despite its age, it looked just as stunning as any of the more modern pop star promo clips.
The Legacy of Queen and “Bohemian Rhapsody”
In my list of The Greatest Rock Songs of all Time, I placed “Bohemian Rhapsody” at #2. Indeed, I stand by my choice. Few pieces of pop art have been more influential, are known to more people, or are as beloved as this one.
Oh, yes. And I placed Queen fourth on my list of The Greatest Rock Bands and Artists of All-Time.
The song and the album it helped to promote became huge hits. The song peaked at #9 in the US and #1 in the UK, and was Queen’s first international hit.
It was featured countless times in the media, most famously in the now-iconic scene at the start of “Wayne’s World,” where Mike Myers and Dana Carvey mime to it.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” helped to establish loud rock music as an art form worth taking just as seriously as opera and classical music. This, I think, would be the thing that Freddie Mercury, its author, would be most proud of.
