Bohemian Rhapsody Song: Queen's Recording and the Never-Ending Debate

Queen, circa 1975

Queen, featuring Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, photographed around 1975, the year they began recording Bohemian Rhapsody.

August 24, 1975, marks a significant date in music history. It was on this day, 45 years prior to the original article’s writing, that the iconic British rock band Queen commenced recording their magnum opus, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The recording sessions took place at Rockfield Studio No. 1 in Monmouth, Wales, and spanned an intensive three weeks. According to accounts, Freddie Mercury, the band’s charismatic frontman, had meticulously planned the song in his mind beforehand, taking the lead in directing the recording process. Mercury, along with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, dedicated themselves tirelessly to the vocal harmonies, often singing for ten to twelve hours each day. This resulted in a staggering 180 vocal overdubs, a testament to their dedication, albeit a harsh experience for their vocal cords.

A Critical Look at an Overrated Classic?

The original article’s author confesses to a tendency towards positive reviews, often using superlatives like “brilliant” and “amazing.” This self-proclaimed “critical Pollyanna” usually focuses on music and performances they genuinely appreciate. However, in a surprising turn, the author pivots to dissect what they consider to be an exceptionally overrated song: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Drawing a parallel to Spiro T. Agnew’s phrase “nattering nabob of negativism,” the author embarks on a critical examination of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” questioning the widespread acclaim it has received. The article urges readers to listen to the song again with a critical ear before continuing, setting the stage for a dissenting opinion.

Deconstructing Bohemian Rhapsody: More Than Just a Song

The author expresses a strong dislike for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” contrasting it sharply with the ecstatic praise from rock critics. These critics, in the author’s view, often exaggerate the complexity and metaphorical depth of rock music, sometimes finding profundity where it doesn’t exist.

To understand the controversy, the author delves into the song’s composition and the band’s perspective during its creation. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” despite its nearly six-minute runtime, is described as a medley of three distinct songs loosely stitched together. Freddie Mercury himself acknowledged this in 1985, stating it was “basically three songs that I wanted to put out and I just put the three together.”

The Ballad Beginning: Confession and Absurdity

The first “song” segment begins with an a cappella introduction, transitioning into a ballad. Here, the lyrics take a dark turn as the narrator confesses to his mother about committing murder:

“Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.”

The author finds this subject matter unusual for a ballad, highlighting the somewhat jarring and abrupt nature of the lyrics.

The “Opera Section”: Parody or Innovation?

The second section, famously dubbed the “opera section,” is where “Bohemian Rhapsody” truly deviates from conventional rock structures. Producer Roy Thomas Baker recounts Mercury’s playful announcement of this section during the initial piano demo.

However, the author critiques this section as a “sophomoric parody” of opera, relying on Italian-sounding words like “Scaramouche,” “fandango,” “Galileo,” and “Figaro.” Interestingly, the inclusion of “Galileo” is linked to Brian May’s astrophysics background, a detail that adds a layer of band camaraderie to the song’s seemingly nonsensical elements.

Hard Rock Climax and Cryptic Conclusion

The final segment shifts dramatically to a hard rock style, before concluding with a quiet coda. The song ends with the enigmatic line, “any way the wind blows,” reminiscent of Forrest Gump’s philosophical simplicity.

Lyrics: Meaningless or Deeply Interpreted?

The article draws a comparison to The Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus,” another song with famously cryptic lyrics. John Lennon admitted that the lyrics of “I Am the Walrus” were deliberately nonsensical, intended to mock the overly academic analysis of Beatles’ songs. Despite this, scholars and critics have continued to dissect “I Am the Walrus” for hidden meanings, as exemplified by a 2014 academic analysis claiming the lyrics reflect “intercultural communication.”

Kenny Everett

British DJ Kenny Everett, a friend of Freddie Mercury, who played a crucial role in popularizing Bohemian Rhapsody on his radio show.

Returning to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the author cites Freddie Mercury’s friend, DJ Kenny Everett, who claimed Mercury told him the lyrics were simply “random rhyming nonsense.” Producer Roy Thomas Baker echoed this sentiment, describing the song’s creation as “totally insane” and “basically a joke,” emphasizing the lighthearted and almost accidental evolution of the operatic section.

Roy Thomas Baker

Record producer Roy Thomas Baker, who worked with Queen on Bohemian Rhapsody, highlighting the playful and experimental nature of the song’s creation.

Baker’s recollection of continuously adding tape for each “Galileo” further emphasizes the improvisational and humorous nature of the recording process. The creators themselves viewed “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a “joke,” yet this hasn’t stopped its ascent to iconic status.

Critical Overanalysis and the “Rock Critic” Dilemma

Despite its creators’ playful intentions, “Bohemian Rhapsody” has become a critical darling, consistently ranking among the greatest songs of all time. The author highlights the scholarly interpretations, particularly referencing musicologist Sheila Whiteley’s view that the title connects to “Bohemian artists’ world” and “romantic ideals of art rock.” Whiteley even interprets the opening ballad as affirming “the feminine and the need for absolution,” despite the murderous context.

Critics have proposed various interpretations of the lyrics, ranging from autobiographical readings related to Mercury’s personal life to comparisons with Albert Camus’ The Stranger or even interpretations of Mercury’s “coming out.”

Tom Service, music critic for The Guardian, attempted to elevate “Bohemian Rhapsody” by comparing it to 19th-century classical music, drawing parallels to Schumann, Chopin, Strauss, and Liszt. Service argues that the song achieves “unity in diversity” similar to symphonies by Beethoven or operas by Mozart, labeling it a “miniature operatic-rhapsodic-symphonic-tone-poem.”

The author vehemently disagrees with such comparisons, considering them “utterly inappropriate” and “false parallels.” This critique extends to the broader role of the “rock critic,” who often grapples with analyzing works by “semi-literate rockers” using language developed for classical masterpieces. The author believes applying the vocabulary of Michelangelo or Renoir to folk art is equally misaligned.

Conclusion: A Joke that Fooled the World?

Ultimately, the author questions the value of the extensive analysis surrounding “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They suggest that the song’s acclaim reveals how easily audiences can be “fooled” into finding artistic depth where little may exist. The article concludes with a cautionary note for rock critics to be more discerning in their praise.

The final line, “Galileo, Galileo, Galileo,” echoes the operatic section, leaving the reader with a sense of the song’s inherent absurdity and the ongoing debate about its true artistic merit.