Queen is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band’s legendary 1975 album, A Night at the Opera, all year, and one way they’re doing it is with their YouTube series, Queen the Greatest. In the series, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor discuss the ins-and-outs of recording the album, which was groundbreaking at the time and ruled the airwaves.
As for the sound of the album, Taylor says that the band “wanted it to be eclectic” and to have “different styles.”
“We had things like ‘Seaside Rendezvous.’ Lot of fun,” he said. “But we also had this monumentally long song, ‘The Prophet’s Song.’ It was kind of fun. Brian had a field day on that one.”
Taylor added that even though the label at the time didn’t want some of the album’s longer songs, that didn’t bother Queen. “We never thought about making singles,” he said.
The Story Behind Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Record executives famously rejected having “Bohemian Rhapsody” for a variety of reasons, one being that it was so unorthodox for a rock single at the time. But, as Taylor explained, “It all made sensed to us. … I think we were right.”
May also said that at the time, everyone was telling Queen that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was going to fail as a single, but they were determined to do it anyway.
“The song, without a doubt, continues to resonate,” May added in the series. “We go onstage and play it at the Albert Hall, with a full orchestra and 150-piece choir, and it’s fresh as a daisy. It’s new and exciting, and the reaction you get from people is just amazing. And that’s a classical audience. They just went berserk.”
May continued, “It will always be there, I think, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ It’s truly immortal and it’s a good feeling.”
It’s true that “Bohemian Rhapsody” continues to be one of not only Queen’s greatest songs ever but one of the best rock songs of all time.
Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.