Queen Quiz — Bohemian Rhapsody

Dale Tatnell
Nov 5
2 min read

Cover Artwork for Queen's single “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Fifty years ago, rock music history was irreversibly changed.

On October 31, 1975, Queen released a single that record executives called suicidal, critics called confusing, and fans would call nothing short of genius: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

The multi-sectional epic shattered every unwritten rule of radio programming, but thanks to the sheer, uncompromising vision of Freddie Mercury and Queen's refusal to trim a single second, the track became a global phenomenon—proving that sometimes, the biggest gamble yields the greatest reward.

It's not just a song; it's a dramatic suite that transitions through six acts—from a haunting a cappella intro and a soft ballad to a soaring guitar solo, an explosive operatic choir, and a hard rock frenzy.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered an engineering masterpiece, demonstrating Queen's insistence of not using any synthesisers; with all sounds coming from human voices or organic instruments. The song gave Queen their first official UK Chart number 1 single, which was also the UK's Christmas number 1 single of 1972 and 1991.

In recognition of the song's 50th Anniversary, Brian May and Roger Taylor performed at the Last Night of the Proms. They joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, BBC Singers, and National Youth Choir for a new orchestral arrangement of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, by Stuart Morley.

The music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” was produced in order for Queen to avoid miming on BBC's “Top of the Pops”, since they would have looked off miming to such a complex song.