Queen was a band that refused humility and simplicity. Freddie Mercury and his colleagues were all about high-minded concepts, long songs, loud solos, and even louder clothes. “A Night at the Opera” was the culmination of those ideas and, to many, Queen’s masterpiece.
But, beyond “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is it really that good? And is it true that fans of actual opera and classical music get seizures every time they hear it? I’ll try to answer at least some of the questions today as I look back, revisit and review “A Night at the Opera.”
The Road to Making Queen’s “A Night at the Opera”
Hollywood movies, documentaries, and books have all tried to paint a picture of the beginning of Queen’s reign. You probably know the lore already. Back in 1970, Freddie Mercury was still going by his birth-given name and trying to persuade local cool kids, Brian May and Roger Taylor, to let him sing for their band, Smile.
The two relented begrudgingly. And, after all the band’s members, which now included bassist John Deacon, finished their university studies, they started Queen.
The band was a mix of Smile’s Beatles and hard-rock interests and Mercury’s fascination with Led Zeppelin, mythology, and the theatre.
Queen’s songs tended to be long. The band, on Mercury’s insistence, wore elaborate costumes. And, even though their rise was slow, the group played with the confidence of musicians playing Wembley, which, in due time, they would conquer.
All of these characteristics made Queen with the progressive rock movement. It was a scene in which musicianship was treated with the utmost respect and where songs shorter than 10 minutes were considered unfinished.
Queen’s first albums captured the imagination of prog-rock fans. But a couple of their singles, chiefly “Killer Queen,” caught the interest of radio. It looked like Queen might be that rare proposition that appealed to both fans of sophisticated rock and pop.
The bulk of “A Night at the Opera” was documented in a barn-turned-recording studio in Surrey. The album was made under significant pressure related to the band’s finances and management. But it was also powered by a considerable influx of inspiration from all of Queen’s four musicians. All of them wrote songs and fought about which one would make the single.
Review of “A Night at the Opera”
“A Night at the Opera,” indeed, is also the story of one of the greatest, most atypical rock singles, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Written by Mercury, constructed like a piece of classical music, nearly six minutes long, and utilizes modern multi-tracking technology to create the illusion of a gigantic choir.
Memorable and hard to ignore, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became Queen’s showpiece, the group’s most famous song. That’s not to say that everyone liked it. Those who actually enjoyed going to the opera and classical compositions generally found the piece appalling. This hasn’t stopped its fame. Regardless of the fact that it has been slightly overplayed, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is an inspired piece of music.
That’s not to say that it’s a one-off, either. Brian May answer to it is “The Prophet’s Song.” Inspired by Nietzsche and made to sound like the end of the world, “The Prophet’s Song” is a colossal piece of music. It’s rare for anything within Queen’s discography to be so underrated.
The idea of the opera as a spectacle containing an introduction, several breathtaking moments, and a satisfying finale is maintained in spirit. “A Night at the Opera” is a concept album. It’s rock n’ roll treated as pieces of work of classical music.
Album opener, “Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…), begins with beautiful piano arpeggios but launches into one of Queen’s best hard-rock numbers. The vitriolic set of lyrics is aimed at the group’s former management, who, they believed, were responsible for the group’s poor finances.
Old-Timey, Long-Forgotten Musical Styles
There are a handful of beautifully eccentric pieces of old-time pre-pop. Vaudevillian “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon,” in which the main character proposes to be an ordinary guy who goes painting on Friday in the Louvre, is notable for the retro sound created by placing the microphone inside of a bucket. May sings “Good Company” in a Dixieland-jazz style using an old ukulele. And “Seaside Rendezvous” is similarly playful and allows Roger Taylor and Mercury to harmonize and imitate brass instruments using their voices alone.
There are also a few tracks that fit modern pop programming without causing much fuss. “Love of My Life” is one of Queen’s most stirring power ballads. And “You’re My Best Friend,” the album’s second single, written by John Deacon, is a soft-pop song number to help the band expand its audience.
Speaking about singles, Taylor’s rocking “I’m in Love with My Car” contains the drummer/singer’s gruff vocals and is the companion piece of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” single. A double A-side release, the sales encouraged by “Rhapsody” and the single’s status meant that Taylor received half of the publishing money for it. This was a contentious issue within the band until the late 1980s, when they opted to write credits evenly for each song.
The curtains are drawn with May, guitar wizard on duty with the band, soloing over a rendition of “God Save the Queen,” England’s national anthem. There’s your ending!
“A Night at the Opera” had just about everything. The pleasing pop numbers were balanced by rockers meant to be played live and old-time ditties meant to be kept in the studio. It also had “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and needn’t over-rely on it.
Legacy of “A Night at the Opera”
In a time defined by concept albums, “A Night at the Opera” stood apart. It offered a complete musical experience. And it was allowed to Freddie Mercury’s explicitly being part of a band that was anything but ordinary.
Not that everyone fancied the sophistication of Queen’s music. Punk bands of the late 1970s, Sex Pistols especially, zeroed in on Queen as enemies of their working class, less-is-more ideals.
That didn’t stop “A Night at the Opera” from becoming and remaining a massive hit. It’s routinely included on lists of the best albums of all time, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” tends to win polls for naming the greatest songs recorded since the dawn of rock’ n’ roll.
“A Night at the Opera” has sold over six million units and is miraculously not even Queen’s biggest-selling record. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was the centerpiece of a Queen film that won the Oscars. And, back in the 1990s, when Wayne’s World played it in a scene of car headbanging, it was back on top of the charts.
Freddie Mercury wanted to bring ballet to the masses with “A Night at the Opera.” To Sid Vicious’ despair, he not only succeeded but made it all seem enormously entertaining to crowds of millions across the world.
