Music_Legends_-_The_Queen_Special_Edition_2019

track in form of the massive worldwide
hit, Bohemian Rhapsody. The song reached
No. 1 all over Europe, and even hit the
Top 10 in the United States. Bohemian
Rhapsody earned Mercury an Ivor Novello
award, was promoted by a revolutionary
music video, and is the second most
played song on British radio. Years later,
Mercury tried to explain the appeal of
the track reflecting, ‘It’s one of those
songs which has such a fantasy feel about
it. I think people should just listen to it,
think about it, and then make up their
own minds as to what it says to them.
Bohemian Rhapsody didn’t just come out
of thin air. I did a bit of research although
it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera.
Why not?’
The album also featured another major
hit in John Deacon’s, You’re My Best
Friend. Peaking at No. 14 in America,
it was unlike anything Queen had done
up to this point, and proved to be a
forerunner for the myriad hits that the
band became famous for. Deacon later
talked about how Mercury originally
hated the track, especially the Wurlitzer
organ that the bassist had composed it

on, stating, ‘Well, Freddie didn’t like the

electric piano, so I took it home and I

started to learn on the electric piano and

basically that’s the song that came out

you know when I was learning to play

piano. It was written on that instrument

and it sounds best on that. You know,

often on the instrument that you wrote

the song on.’

Throughout this period, the band

spent much of their time promoting and

gigging the album, including a huge free

gig at Hyde Park in front of over 150,

people. Brian May later ruminated on

the concert’s importance to the band

remarking, ‘I think that Hyde Park

was one of the most significant gigs in

our career. There was a great affection

because we’d kind of made it in a lot of

countries by that time, but England was

still, you know, we weren’t really sure if

we were really acceptable here. So it was

a wonderful feeling to come back and see

that crowd and get that response.’

A commercial and critical smash hit,

A Night at the Opera went three times

platinum in the United States, and this

success, as well as playing sold out venues

all over the world, proved that Queen had

finally made it big on the popular music

scene.

This article is an extract from One Vision,

the Queen Special Edition of Music Legends.

Available now at issuu.com.

In real life Freddie was rather shy and introverted.

He described his on-stage alter ego as ‘an extroverted

monster’. Queen are seen here on stage in March 1977.

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