Freddie Mercury wrote the progressive, unique Bohemian Rhapsody over the course of number of years, carefully constructing the ballad section, expansive chorus, operatic segment and heavy guitars. At five minutes and 55 seconds, getting it okayed as the first single from their fourth studio album A Night at the Opera was no mean fear, however. Rumour has it Bohemian Rhapsody divided Queen, with Roger Taylor and Brian May backing Mercury’s creative vision while John Deacon, along with their manager John Reid, was unsure such a long song would be accepted.
Reid and Deacon weren’t the only ones with understandable concerns about the commercial viability of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Elton John revealed Reid had played him the track before it was released, writing in his new autobiography, Me, that he thought it was “absolutely ridiculous” and “the campest thing [he’d] ever heard”.
“We listened to the song and I shook my head, incredulous,” he said. “‘You’re not actually going to release that, are you?’”
Not pulling his punches, John continued: “For one thing, it’s about three hours long. For another, it’s the dampest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. And the title’s absolutely ridiculous as well.”
Queen’s label, EMI, are said to have been dubious about the song’s potential as the lead single, with one executive reportedly asking, “What the f*** is this?” after being played the song for the first time.
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But, according to Rolling Stone, Bohemian Rhapsody also caused division within the band.
Deacon reportedly agreed with Reid that it should be edited before being given to the radio stations.
But May and Taylor were behind Mercury’s resolution that the song should remain as it was.
They also had an unexpected ally in radio DJ Kenny Everett, who played a vital part in launching the Bohemian Rhapsody fans know and love and which was to go down in history.
“It could be half an hour,” he told Queen. “It’s going to be number one for centuries.”
Everett got hold of a copy of the single and was asked not keep it to himself until the time of release.
But he soon began to use his copy to tease clips on his show, building anticipation and an intriguing marketing campaign around the future hit.
Interest began to mount and, eventually, he played the track in full 14 times over two days.
Bohemian Rhapsody wound up spending nine weeks at the top of the UK singles charts.
Not only did it top the chats when it was released in 1975 but also pulled off the rare move of re-entering at the top spot following Mercury’s death in 1991.
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Queen’s sound engineer Gary Langan has since given insights into the creative process behind the recording of one of the band’s biggest hits.
He told Metro.co.uk Mercury was in the studio every single day to oversee all aspects of the recording.
“It was the song that was only in Freddie’s head,” he said. “All the other songs were collaborations with each other.
“It terms of Bohemian Rhapsody, it was always Freddie calling the shots.”
Langan also touched on the arguments which went on behind-the-scenes, explaining: “If you’re going to create something epic, it’s going to create epic discussions.”
Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987 but kept the diagnosis private for many years.
In 1991, days before his death, he released a statement confirming his condition.
The Queen legend died on November 24 of bronchopneumonia, a complication due to AIDS.
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