ROCK MOMENT – Queen ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

When Queen released ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1975, few could have predicted it would become one of the most iconic songs in rock history. Written primarily by Freddie Mercury, the track was an ambitious, six-minute epic that defied conventional song structure. It combined a ballad, an operatic section, and a hard rock finale—elements rarely, if ever, fused together in a single pop single at the time.

Mercury reportedly began working on the song years earlier, jotting down ideas and fragments he called “The Cowboy Song” in his Kensington flat. He envisioned a dramatic, theatrical piece, drawing on his love of opera and musical storytelling. The band—Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon—spent weeks layering vocal harmonies, recording over 180 separate overdubs on then-state-of-the-art 24-track tape machines. The operatic middle section alone took three weeks to complete, with band members singing their parts again and again until the harmonies were massive.

When presented to their label, EMI, executives were skeptical. At over six minutes, it was far longer than radio-friendly singles of the era. But the band insisted it be released uncut. Radio DJ Kenny Everett, a friend of Mercury’s, played it on air repeatedly, generating massive buzz.

The gamble paid off—’Bohemian Rhapsody’ topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and became a defining track of the 1970s. It saw renewed success in 1991 after Mercury’s death and again in 1992 when it featured in Wayne’s World. Today, it remains a testament to Queen’s creativity, proving that breaking the rules can create timeless art.