The Song of the Milennium

At the age of only 4, the British Pop Rock Group Queen undertook their "Night at the Opera" tour.

Single Cover from Wikipedia

The lead track, which was revolutionary for its time, featured several divergent styles, and this masterful combining of a ballad segment, an operatic passage, and a heavy rock solo portion helped the song become popular.

Written by Freddie Mercury, most of the song was born in the studio.

Starting rehearsals in August 1975, for between 10 and 12 hours a day, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor would practice their parts in the song. The recording session of the operatic passage only was a phenomonal 3 weeks long! Due to the limits of the technology in 1975, special techniques were used to render the massive effects.

Special techniques, and 5 recording studios!

In one part of the song, there is an apparrent 'mass choir' of 600 people. Not so. The tracks were recorded, and overdubbed to create the effect. In many places it was necessary to join parts of the sound track. This was done with razor blades and adhesive tape.

It was, at the time, the single most expensive single recording ever made.
It is one of the most elaborate recordings in all musical history.

It was 'leaked' to radio stations in the UK and USA, to test the public's response, as the band's recording agents felt that at almost 6 minutes, it was too long for general release. The response from the public was overwhelming, so much so that the single had to be rushed into production unedited!

Released on the 31st of October 1975, the song rocketed to the top of the BBC top Twenty, where it stayed for 9 weeks. The very same (unedited) version went back to the top of the BBC top Twenty 16 years later, in 1991 when Freddie Mercury died!

35 Years after being released, the Song of the Milennium is still going strong, and still on playlists all over the world.

The Song is Bohemian Rhapsody.




Bohemian Rhapsody lyrics

Song Lyrics | Queen lyrics