The new Queen biopic is predicted to introduce the band to the so called “Spotify generation” and boost their streams exponentially. We saw this pattern after Lady Gaga and the N.W.A rap group released their life stories, increasing the streams for their whole catalog as much as 308% and 200% respectively.
Before we go ahead and listen to “A Night at the Opera” for an entire month, let’s remember why Bohemian Rhapsody is arguably the best rock song of all time.
Song structure
Most of the radio songs released in 1975 and even today follow the standard pop structure. We have heard it all the time. In fact we can get bored of the radio because it’s all the same old story.
- Verse
- Chorus
- Verse
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Chorus Again
Bohemian Rhapsody was totally different. In fact, it didn’t even have a chorus. If we listen carefully, it is almost as if it is a mix of different songs in one. What is crazier is that it had many genres, including an operatic section. How many time have we heard opera on the radio?
Length of the song
The average length for a radio song is around 3 minutes. In fact many have noticed that the length of today’s songs are getting shorter.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a 6 minutes and 7 seconds long song. I am sure their record label was confused on why Queen wanted this as their single and worried on how to make it work. Little did they know that they had nothing to worry about as this masterpiece would top the charts becoming #1 for 9 weeks during 1976, becoming a success in the UK.
Lyrics and ambiguity
I am sure that we all have had a “what in the world am I listening” moment with this song. Many of us probably don’t know what is being said, which keeps us intrigued and listening through the whole 6 minutes.
Can you guess what do these words mean?
- Scaramouche: character from early Italian theatre, the commedia dell’arte. This stock character is known for bragging but being a coward at the same time.
- Fandango: A Spanish dance where a man and a woman would dance accompanied by a guitar playing a triple meter time signature song.
- Bismillah: “In the name of God” in Arabic.
- Beelzebub: another name for The Devil.
Recording process
- Made with a 24-track analog tape recorder. Those of us who have recorded in analog know the difficulty but richness of sound that these consoles bring.
- The HUGE male and female choir are simply the voices of May, Taylor and Mercury.
- Many sections, especially the operatic parts included more than 180 overdubs! With the limitation of a 24-track, this is a challenge.
- Freddie didn’t use a metronome. His original wrist positioning created a nice attack while being as precise as a drummer. According to guitarist Brian May, very few musicians have this ability on the piano.
Conclusion
This song has the weirdest but most creative choices. Mercury’s ambition and difference challenged the standard music of the era and, against all odds, this song became an international success. Be original, kids.