The song is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare, and has unusual musical structure for popular music (it has no chorus, instead consisting of seemingly disjointed sections including operatic segments, an a cappella and a hard rock part) which works beyond the range of this reviewer. Despite this, it was released as a single and became a huge commercial success.
Bohemian Rhapsody is widely hailed as Queen's "magnum opus", and it marked a decisive point in the band's career and set them on the way to become one of the world's most popular music groups. The single was accompanied by a groundbreaking music video (then termed a "promotional video") which helped establish the visual language of the modern music video.
A truncated version of the song was included in all Queen's subsequent live concert performances (as the band could not recreate the middle section live, because of the many overdubbed voices) and still enjoys great popularity around the world.
In January 1976, Freddie Mercury was interviewed by Sounds regarding the writing process of the song.:
"I'm going to shatter some illusions, it was just one of those pieces I wrote for the album: just writing my batch of songs. In its early stages I almost rejected it, but then it grew. We started deciding on a single about halfway through. There were a few contenders - we were thinking of 'The Prophet's Song' at one point - but then 'Bohemian Rhapsody' seemed the one. There was a time when the others wanted to chop it around a bit, but I refused. If it was going to be released, it would be in its entirety. We knew it was very risky, but we had so much confidence in that song - I did anyway. I felt, underneath it all, that if it was successful it would earn a lot of respect. People were all going, You're joking, they'll never play it, you'll only hear the first few bars and then they'll fade it out. We had numerous rows. EMI were shocked - A six-minute single? You must be joking! The same in America - Oh, you just got away with it in Britain."
In a 1982 interview with On The Record, Queen guitarist Brian May discussed the song's vocal harmonies, and creating the now famous solo.
Interviewer: Who came up with the idea for the vocal harmonies used in "Bohemian Rhapsody"?
Brian May: We always were keen on that kind of thing. That was something which we wanted to do from the beginning. We wanted to be a group that could do the heaviness of hard rock, but also have harmonies swooping around all over the place. We thought there was some real power and emotion in that combination.
Interviewer: Was the first solo in that song very difficult for you?
Brian May: No, that was pretty much off the cuff, except I think I had plenty of time to think about that one. I remember playing along with it in the studio for a while when other things were being done. I knew what kind of melody I wanted to play.
John Deacon spoke about the song in a 1977 interview: "When we finished the album, the Night at the Opera album, that was the track on it that we thought we were gonna release as a single in England first. And when we released it in England we didn't necessarily think it'd be released in America, cause we know even over here, you know, the AM tastes are even more (hesitates) stricter. Anyway we did have thoughts about even in England, perhaps editing it down at all, but we listened to it over and over again and there was no way we could edit it. We tried a few ideas, but if you edited it, you always lost some part of the song, so we had to leave it all in. And luckily it took off anyway."
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put a gun against his head
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
Mama, life had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, ooh
Didn't mean to make you cry
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
As if nothing really matters
Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time
Goodbye everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh
I don't wanna die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
I see a little silhouetto of a man
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
Gallileo, Gallileo
Gallileo, Gallileo
Gallileo Figaro, magnifico
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go (let him go)
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let him go)
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let me go)
Will not let you go (let me go)
Never, never, never let you go, never let me go
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh, mama mia, mama mia
Mama mia, let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
For me
For me
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
Oh, baby
Can't do this to me, baby
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
(Ooh yeah, ooh yeah)
Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to me
Any way the wind blows
The lyrics to Queen's iconic song, Bohemian Rhapsody, tell a story of a man who has just committed murder and is grappling with the consequences. The song starts with the singer expressing his guilt to his mother, stating that he has killed a man by putting a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. He acknowledges that he has thrown his life away and apologizes to his mother for making her cry. He instructs her to carry on as if nothing really matters.
The second verse reveals that it is too late for the singer to change his fate, and he must face the reality of his actions. He says goodbye to everyone he knows, expressing his fear and reluctance to die. The chorus repeats, with the singer begging his mother not to let him die and wishing he had never been born.
The song then enters a surreal, operatic section where the singer sees a "little silhouetto of a man" and hears the names Scaramouche and Galileo. This section describes the chaos and confusion surrounding the singer as he faces the consequences of his actions. The song ends with the singer pleading for escape from his fate and confessing that nothing really matters.
Overall, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a complex and emotional song that uses vivid imagery and a mix of musical styles to tell a story of guilt, fear, and acceptance of fate.
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, just killed a man
Mother, I've just killed a man.
Put a gun against his head
I used a gun to shoot him.
Pulled my trigger, now he's dead
I pulled the trigger of the gun, and it took the man's life.
Mama, life had just begun
I still had so much to live for.
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
By killing the man, I threw away the future I could have had.
Mama, ooh
Mother, I'm feeling lost and confused.
Didn't mean to make you cry
I didn't intend to hurt you with my actions.
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
If I don't return by tomorrow, something has happened to me.
Carry on, carry on
Keep moving forward even if I'm not there.
As if nothing really matters
Keep going, even if it feels like everything is pointless.
Too late, my time has come
It's too late for me now.
Sends shivers down my spine
I'm terrified of what's going to happen to me.
Body's aching all the time
I'm in constant physical pain.
Goodbye everybody, I've got to go
Farewell, friends. I can't stay any longer.
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
I have to face the consequences of my actions alone.
Mama, ooh
Mother, I'm scared.
I don't wanna die
I'm afraid of dying.
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all
Sometimes I wish I'd never existed.
I see a little silhouetto of a man
I'm hallucinating.
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?
I'm disoriented and speaking nonsense.
Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me
I'm frightened by the storm outside.
Gallileo, Gallileo
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
Gallileo, Gallileo
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
Gallileo Figaro, magnifico
I'm still hallucinating and speaking nonsense.
I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
I feel unloved and alone.
He's just a poor boy from a poor family
I'm no different from others who feel alone and unloved.
Spare him his life from this monstrosity
Let him live and be free from this terrible situation.
Easy come easy go, will you let me go?
I'm begging for freedom even if it's temporary.
Bismillah! No, we will not let you go (let him go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let him go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Bismillah! We will not let you go (let me go)
I'm being denied the freedom I crave.
Will not let you go (let me go)
I'm not being allowed to go free.
Never, never, never let you go, never let me go
My captor will never give me the freedom I desire.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
I'm hopeless and helpless.
Oh, mama mia, mama mia
I'm calling out for my mother.
Mama mia, let me go
Mother, please help me escape.
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me
The devil is preparing a punishment for me.
For me
I will be the one who suffers the devil's wrath.
So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?
You're being cruel and unjust to me.
So you think you can love me and leave me to die?
You're pretending to care about me, but you'll abandon me to suffer alone.
Oh, baby
I'm hurt and confused by your actions.
Can't do this to me, baby
Please don't treat me this way.
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here
I need to escape from this situation.
(Ooh yeah, ooh yeah)
I'm feeling relieved and free.
Nothing really matters
In the end, nothing truly matters.
Anyone can see
It's clear to anyone who looks.
Nothing really matters
In the end, nothing truly matters.
Nothing really matters to me
In the end, nothing really matters to me.
Any way the wind blows
I'm not attached to any particular path or outcome.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Mercury
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Queen
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Seek God. It's not about religion, it's not about rituals, it's not about hypocrisy, or about a cheap philosophy of life. It is about communion with God Himself, Creator of all existing things, from the smallest atom to the biggest star. Everything has the hand of God. I know that few will read this message, and even fewer people will be impacted by it, but if you've read this far, I heartily advise you to seek the Lord, who died for you, took the guilt of your sins, and is willing to forgive and accept you, regardless of who you are, or what you've done. I say this as someone who is passionate about astronomy and who was once both skeptical and agnostic. It's your decision! You have the free will to do whatever you want!
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Like for the best band EVER. God Bless the Queen
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All of them
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I will not become a rock star, I will become a legend
By: freddie mercury
@Pookieather
Stolen Comment?
@elxd1468
No
@jo4n__p4bl07
as like mine one was not stolen but people sayed that it was so dont worry xd