What is “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, about?
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is in the style of a stream-of-consciousness nightmare that has unusual song structure, especially for popular music. The song has no chorus, instead consisting of seemingly disjointed sections including operatic segments, an a cappella passage, and a heavy rock solo. When it was released as a single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became an unlikely commercial success, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks. It set a new record for sales of a number-one single in the UK (2,176,000), a record that stood until the success of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” nine years later.[1] The single was accompanied by a promotional video; considered groundbreaking, it helped establish the visual language of the modern music video. Although critical reaction was initially mixed, especially in America, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
