"Bohemian Rhapsody" was written by Queen's lead singer Freddy Mercury 1 and released in 1975.
The song has an unusual structure that contains several different sections, including a ballad, an operatic passage and a hard rock part.
According to Queens guitarist Brian May, Freddie Mercury had been working on "Bohemian Rhapsody" for several years before the band recorded it. The song was recorded over a period of three weeks at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and it is said that the band spent more time on this song than any other they have ever recorded. One week was devoted to the operatic section alone, for which Freddy Mercury had written out all the harmony parts. For the big chorale, the group layered 160 tracks of vocal overdubs (using 24-track analog recordings) until you could see through the master tape.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" received mixed reviews on its release and is therefore a typical example of how reviews are not based on the pulse of the audience but reflect the opinion of the critic. Even the record company was of the opinion that a six-minute piece was not suitable as a single and the musicians first had to do some convincing. The very long piece of music became one of the most successful songs in pop/rock history and an iconic song for Queen.
The song was made famous once again by a scene in the 1992 film "Wayne's World", in which the characters headbang to the song during a car journey. This scene helped to popularize the song with a new generation of listeners. However, the song had already risen to number one in the charts in 1991 following the death of Freddy Mercury.
The exhibition at Sotheby's will take place on 16,000 square meters of exhibition space in London from August 4 to September 5 - Freddie Mercury's 77th birthday - and will feature 1500 exhibits. These include manuscripts, pictures and many other items from Freddy Mercury's London apartment. Among them is the crown - a replica of the St. Edwards crown made of rhinestones and velvet that he wore on his last tour.
I saw Queen live at the Sporthalle in Cologne on the Live Killers Tour. It was a real experience and one of the concerts I still remember very fondly. All younger people are recommended to watch the documentaries about the group and of course the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" to learn more about the band.