Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen

Going back to Classic Rock, the song Bohemian Rhapsody really hits home. The first time I heard this song, I was in the car with my step-dad on one of our regular drives up down to Williamsburg to pick up my step-brother. It was kind of a tradition that we would listen to classic rock on the 45 minute drive there and back because it was our favorite kind of music to listen to together and if one of us didn’t know the lyrics we would eventually learn them because we only listen to rock.

This song starts as a kind of vague question, as the singer has found himself caught in an unescapable series of events and can't believe it's actually happening. He tries to kid himself that he doesn't really care.

Next we move to his prison cell where he's explaining to his distraught mother that he has killed someone and as a result, thrown his own young life away, as he is going to be executed within 24 hours.
He then explains that it's too late for any kind of reprieve, and that he feels physically sick at the thought of what is about to happen. He cries that he doesn’t want to die and wishes he'd never even been born.

Then he goes into a kind of daydream, reverie, whatever where a kind of operatic drama is taking place in his head between him, the poor boy who has got himself into a terrible situation in a moment of madness, the chorus who are pleading for mercy, and the authorities who are legally bound to execute him. There are lots of cod-Italian images, which I think is Freddie (the singer) having a really good time writing. 

At the end of this bit he pleads to be released as he feels that the devil, Beelzebub is going to punish him enough.

We then move into the hard rock bit where his mood changes and he starts to feel angry that anyone has the right to do this to him and is desperately looking around for a way to get out, no matter what.
This doesn't last long, however, and he soon runs out of energy and lapses into acceptance of the unchangeable situation.

I believe this is the greatest song ever written. It’s like the Mount Everest of popular music, as Beethoven 5 is the Everest of the classics. Mercury was known as a great showman, but people forget that he was a great musician and composer. Up there with Lennon McCartney, Buddy, Dylan, Hendrix, sting etc.

The role of the rest of the band is undeniable, notably Brain May's amazing guitar. Second only to Hendrix and the equal or better of Knoplfler, Clapton, Gilmour, Beck etc.