(Credits: Far Out / Koh Hasebe / Elektra Records)
Fri 16 January 2026 18:00, UK
Recently, the song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ celebrated its 50th anniversary, and fans of Queen everywhere came out to praise the classic.
You can’t blame them either. How often do you find yourself talking to fans of a certain band, hearing them ramble on about the so-called classics they adore, only for you to think, “It’s not that good, is it?”
Sure, the subjective nature of music is important, and one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but that doesn’t negate the fact that some over-the-top fans often exaggerate.
That’s not the case with a song like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ though. All of the hype for this track is well and truly deserved, as despite five decades rolling by since Freddie Mercury originally put pen to paper, people still ponder over what is undoubtedly one of the most complicated, layered and exciting rock songs ever written.
With most songs that people love, there are specific sections that listeners look forward to and are moved by; very few tracks are great in their entirety. No matter how captivating a song is, even the most devoted of minds zone out occasionally, but that doesn’t happen with this Queen song. From the first line to the last, from real life to the wind blows, you can’t turn away.
It’s hard to believe that there were some people who originally heard the song and thought because of the complexity and length, it wouldn’t land. This is just another testament towards the ambition of the band and how they managed to block out the naysayers in pursuit of a sound that would ring on for generations to come.
The complexity of the song is a reflection of Freddie Mercury himself, as Brian May said many different parts of him went into making it. “Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood,” said May, “He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song.”
Yes, this song is a classic, the kind people write books about and dedicate years to trying to truly understand, but it also shouldn’t take away from the album it resides on as a whole. Queen didn’t just push boundaries with ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, they did so too with Night At The Opera, an album which people consider their best, and that the band consider their peak. They had made good records before this, but Night At The Opera showed just how limitless their potential truly was. Without that album, Queen could have fizzled out into obscurity, and the band members still feel like they owe a great deal to it.
“It was a watershed album for us,” said Brian May when discussing the musical force. “Thanks in a large part to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, people knew who we were. Not just in the UK, but in America, Australia, everywhere.”
Roger Taylor agreed, saying, “We were at the peak of our confidence […] It felt like there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do, and it shows on that album.”
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