I saw this tour live from the orchestra pit in 1976. We were so close we could touch the stage. Freddie gave me a long stem rose at the end of the night and called me darling. When they played this song they had a smoke machine going and we lit up joints during as we were concealed in the smoky haze, lol. The rose crumbled to dust eventually but I took lots of pictures of the concert and will always have my memory. We also got to shake Brian May’s hand and he let us each request a song. I chose “Keep Yourself Alive” and my best friend chose “Liar”, which they played. My best friend got Roger Taylor’s drumsticks. ✌️♥️🎶
Ohh, envy!! I saw them in 1980, I believe, but then Freddie already had the stach & leather look- I prefer him in his early days with the crazy hairdos. I was fourteen & it was my first great rock concert I was allowed to go to on my own, with my best friend & fellow Queen fan of course (Thanks mum, wherever you are!). But man, I would have loved to be you down in that pit!!
@@Bee-28 we were 16 yrs old and cut school to get the tickets right after the album “Night At The Opera” came out. We were already huge fans of their first 3 albums. That concert was my third, my first was Traffic at age 14 and then Led Zeppelin in 75, which is still my favorite concert.
I am an old grandfather and its still popular. We will leave it it that. I don't wanna predict what will outlive the other. Obviously the song will win in a race of time, I just hope to give it a run for its money.
Not just in the UK :) I think there's a huge number of people around the world who know every word. Many ages too. It's such an important piece, so many people are drawn into checking it out. Amazing.
I am 57 years old and I like this channel and the reactions. But I have to say you will never Know the feeling we had in the 70s 80s 90s, every week we had a new masterpiece and we only had the radio to hear them, so we recorded them on cassettes tapes. It sound very old but ¡¡what a wonderful feeling ¡¡
No Youngsters, please😀 My first concerts were in 1971 and I had around 7 great concerts going years in London. I saw Led Zep: Empire Pool, Wembley, Pink Floyd's debut DSOM with 18,000 others at Earls Court, and in successful weeks saw Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater Revival at The Royal Albert Hall, all around 1973 at World Class Venues and the COMBINED cost for the 4 Gigs was........."2.25 or $" ......LOL Pink Floys £1 Led Zep=75 Pence and both DP and CCR just 25Pence each...
@@Isleofskye I dunno if I love ya or despise ya, but definitely envy ya, to go see all those shows at Earles Court, and Royal Albert Hall, at that time... I've seen some good shows, same bands, but not the same.
55 here. I remember sitting with my boom box with Play / Record / Pause pressed down and me with all my focus hanging over the pause button waiting for the song I wanted to come on the radio to record to my cassette tape 😎
@@AnjeannetteMarie-Swifie4Ever man... you wanted as close to perfection as a D.J., a boom box, a memorex, and a song could bring through head transfer in the open aether...
I remember when this was first released. We had never heard anything like it before. Had to listen a few times to appreciate it. This song is a masterpiece! ✌️♥️
I had heard it on the radio but not listened to it. So it was only after a few plays that I even realised it was all one song. Back then you never heard the start of a song, then left the room even for three minutes and it was still playing when you came back.
After this song came out, Queen became known as one the the biggest bands in the world, and their live show was spectacular. Freddie Mercury's stage presence was incredible, so that every person in the audience felt that he was singing directly to them. I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice in the late 70s and early 80s, and both shows were among the best I had ever attended. Sadly, Freddie Mercury's death effected bass player John Deacon especially badly, to where he gave up music. John was the writer of some of Queen's biggest hits, and he was an extremely talented writer, player and in fact, he was an electrical engineer, and he even designed a custom amplifier for guitarist Brian May, which he used on nearly every Queen album, and he even uses today.
You're so lucky to have seen them, and yes John was unable to go on, and I respect the hell out of him for that..John was instrumental in many of the songs and I think when Freddie died he died a little too...I can't stand Adam Lambert singing their songs...Sorry just venting...god bless Freddie the best ever..
The most epic song ever! Freddie owned the stage! He had four extra teeth, but he never had them extracted because he was concerned that it might affect his performance.
When my son was that age-ish, his favorite artist was Ray Charles. He particularly liked "Hit the Road Jack". When he was 4, he asked what it meant. Since, no one in his life had divorced parents, I didn't want to introduce that subject to him. Nor did I want to introduce the topic of "dead beat men". So, I had to start playing more kid-friendly songs without the adult themes! Most kid-friendly music can be annoying to the adult ear. Took a while, then I found Laurie Berkner. Not that I played kid music exclusively. I introduced Bohemian Rhapsody when he was 7. My daughter always knew Bohemian Rhapsody.
And all 4 guys actually playing the instruments n singing!! No synthesizer!! No auto tune!! Just amazing talent!! Def watch the live aid performance!! Thanks for the revisit!!
I was born in 1975, the same year this song came out, and to the best of my knowledge, did not hear Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time until 1992, when the Wayne's World movie came out. It was a big movie and Bohemian Rhapsody was prominently featured in it. The song became a big hit again on MTV, Muchmusic, and radio.
In Belgium, this song never left the public eye. Each year on new year's eve we have an event where people vote for their top songs. This has been running for decades. I think Bohemian Rhapsody was voted to number one about 25 times in the last 35 years. One year there was a campaign to please please please not vote for it, and it still almost won.
Watching the two of you grow musically over the last year has been heart warming. Two young passionate intelligent people letting the music, not preconceived notions carry them to a higher stronger awareness has been a joy for me.
"oh, wow", that's exactly how I feel after every listen. The song, on the surface, is about a man who has killed and now must face the consequences. He confesses to his mother, then is judged by the court, defies it and then concludes that it was all for nothing, at least that's a way you could interpret it. The deeper meaning is that the man Freddie killed was the old him, and that for the longest time he had been living a life that wasn't really his own. It could be interpreted as a coming out song. The characters in the operatic section fight for his soul. Like a story, the song ends back where it started. Musically there is a beautiful slowing down of the tempo, even though the music lacks satisfaction until at long last the gong sounds.
It could be a coming out song, or it could be about any challenging "crossroads" moment in one's life where you need to make a call on who you want to be.
Queen has so many fantastic songs that it scares me to think about how I might never have explored them if they had never released Bohemian Rhapsody! Great reaction!
Brad, you are SO RIGHT! So much of the music you've been sampling has enormous replay value! You can't really appreciate a song without hearing it many times. I hope you guys are creating a playlist (or several!) of some of your favorites. I've listened to much of this music over the years (60s, 70s, 80s etc). And I can tell you, the nostalgia vibe is very strong in many cases. A girl I knew, a car I was driving, a movie that included a song, meeting future wife, kids, trying to learn the song on guitar, the death of significant people in my life... ...and on and on... A song comes on the radio, and I'm right there again! Priceless!
This is essentially the first music video. Before this video, artists did make promotional videos but they were only used to promote the song and artist to record distributors and were not shown to the public. They were very basic videos, showing the artist's performance as they stood before the camera miming their studio recording. To promote their song to the public, artists would appear live on TV shows and lip-synch to their records on shows like Top Of The Pops (a British TV show which gave a rundown of the latest music chart hits while featuring in-studio performances from popular music artists). To have a rock music hit in Britain at the time, an artist had to appear on Top of the Pops performing their song. Bohemian Rhapsody was being released in the U.K on October 31, 1975, but Queen was heading out on their "A Night At The Opera" world tour on November 14, 1975. They were not going to be available to promote the song or appear on Top of the Pops. In addition, the operatic potion of BohRap is way too complex to mimed realistically. In the studio recording, the choir effect was created by having Brian, Freddie, and Roger repeatedly sing their vocal parts, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. There is no way to recreate the illusion of a choir with just 3 guys lip-synching on TV. So, the band came up with the idea of creating a special video that could be used as a performance on Top of the Pops and other shows to promote their song to the public that would be more exciting than just four guys miming their song. They knew exactly the mood and image that they wanted the video to present. It was shot at the studio where they were rehearsing for their concert tour. They dressed in their concert costumes and staged the performance as though they were in front of an audience, They hired the same director that they used to videotape their 1974 Rainbow Theatre concert and a cameraman, Barry Dodd, who normally worked on movie productions. (it turns out, Barry knew some simple, non-technical camera tricks that produced those stunning special effects.) The whole video was shot in about 4 hours. It became the first record to be pushed into the forefront by virtue of a video. Queen was certainly the first band to create a 'concept' video. The video captured the musical imagery perfectly. You cannot hear that music without seeing the visuals in your mind's eye. it was only after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that it became a regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists' single releases. This single video ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music. Suddenly videos could then be shown on television shows around the world, such as the BBC's Top of the Pops, without the need for the artist to appear in person. A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals. Basically, this video launched the MTV age.
Love this song with earphones in especially! You can really hear all of the nuances of the song and their voices bouncing back and forth- just awesome!
there were no music videos when this came out. only radio. first time hearing it was unlike anything you had ever heard, and so incredibly beautiful. love it.
This is definitely in the top 5 greatest songs ever composed. It truly takes you on a journey. You really should do, Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon for another side to their unique sound.
The very first concert of my life was seeing Queen. It was their Night at the Opera tour and Bohemian Rhapsody was a new song. I feel privileged now to have actually seen them live and to have seen them do this song lived.
This song is basically a modern version of what in Opera is called a "tragedy". The protagonist in the story has killed a man, and he now laments the sorrow he's brought on his mother "Didn't mean to make you cry", and ponders his fate with regret "I don't wanna die... I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all". Then the more traditional opera part is where he begs for forgiveness, saying "Will you let me go?", to which the reply is "No! We will not let you go!". Then he tells his Mother to let him go, as Beelzebub (Satan) has "a Devil put aside for me" (as his personal torturer). And the song ends with him resigned to his fate... "Nothing really matters to me".
I was at work when a couple of guys came back from their lunch break. They said they'd just heard a fantastic number at the record store called Bohemian Rhapsody. It lasts 6 minutes, they said! We put the radio on and after half an hour or so it got played... one of those unforgettable 'Where were you when' moments.
Queen used to put on their earlier albums "No Synthesizers!" because they were that musically gifted and to stop critics who praised their Synthesizers work when they didn't use one, not until their later works. You should check out Killer Queen, the band's first big hit
Rage against the Machine did much the same thing by putting on their albums that all sounds were created by drums, guitars, and vocals. When they first came out people didn’t realize that all the incredible sounds were coming from Tom Morello’s guitar rather than studio software. Now everyone knows how talented and innovative he truly is.
This whole album "A Night at the Opera", is nothing short of a masterpiece. It was one of the first albums I bought with my own money as an 11 year-old back in 1975.
Queen's record label didn't want to release this as a single. At 6 minutes long they believed that radio stations wouldn't play it. The band gave an acetate disc of the song to the famous BBC DJ Kenny Everett and he played it 6 times on the same night. So many phoned the BBC asking how they could buy the single that EMI were forced into releasing it as a single.
I love seeing people react to this the first time. The beauty of this song is it will invoke different reactions and interpretations depending on the listener. It’s a true work of art. I heard this on the radio as a kid in 1975…. Lifelong fan to this day. I never, ever tire of their music. Know every song, off every album, hit or not. They cover every genre, sometimes on a single album, or like this, in a single song. They influenced me early, they are the reason I studied musical theater, performance and teaching (vocal coach). Freddie was not just one in a million, that number is immeasurable. Been watching a lot of your reactions tonight and I’m just thrilled by how genuinely you listening to music. Thank you!
God what a performance. I cry every time I watch this video because we no longer have this great musician. R.I.P. Freddy we miss you and your awesome voice.
There’s this great documentary called “inside the rhapsody” in which the guitarist Brian May and the drummer Roger Taylor go through how the track and music video were put together. I recommend you guys check it out if you’re interested in learning more about the song
Another excellent reaction, thank you both. Almost 50 years later, this masterpiece with it's transitions, different styles, and amazing sounds can still send shivers down one's spine. It's right up there among the GOATs.
I remember the first time this appeared on Top of the Pops, it was just astonishing, we had never seen or heard anything like it. I was at the record store at 9 the next day and there was a queue of people buying this, and at college everyone was talking about it. It was number one for weeks in the UK. The only other appearances on TOTP I can remember having the same "Did you SEE..." impact were David Bowie's "Starman" and Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".
This song was big when it came out but even bigger when it re-released in the 90's for the Wayne's World movie and a video on MTV which made this song what it is today, that and The late great Freddie Mercury!
Timeless classic no doubt...but a special mention to the guys who produced the song and video. They deserve a massive amount of praise as well, incredible when released and still a masterpiece today.
Song was released in the mid 70s, before music videos had gained momentum in the 80s. I was a child when it came out, and it was very different from the other music of that time. They were ahead of themselves.
This was a song that the music execs did not want to be released as a single. They thought they it was too long to be a single. The band kept pushing and eventually got it released as a single. The execs were blown away by the reaction the song got and to this day is still listed in the top 5 songs of theirs.
The album was called "Queen A Night At The Opera" It came out in 1975. I saw them live in 1977 in Columbus ,Ohio with 4 of my friends on their "Day At the Races Album Tour".This song was in the playlist I was 16 yrs old, the ticket was about $7.50 Main floor 15th row Baby..!!!
Two small corrections: Freddie Mercury's nostrils aren't "British skinny". He was born in Zanzibar, and his family were Parsi-Indian (i.e. from Iran via India, so he was an immigrant). And, back in the day, watching videos was not the common way people listened to music. Radio, record player or cassette player - that's what was used.
Back then bands success was based on musical and vocal talents. Once that shit MTV took hold the primary selling point became more visual rather than vocally and musically. Today many female so called artists are half nude with their camel toe in the audiences mouth and that's what makes them popular. It's all a gimmick , see back in the day Grace Slick looked great but she could sing,Morrison was very handsome but he was a tremendous lyricist and great singer. Today if you look good and love auto tune you're a rock star! Don't even get me started with rap. It's trash! MTV ruined music which was headed that way anyhow. It just helped shovel dirt on the grave that much faster!!
Yes! No one saw the video until much later because there was no vehicle to deliver them. You might see a clip on a commercial to hype the tour or something.
All written by Freddy himself, went to number 1 in the pop charts twice, used in Wayne's world plus numerous other films over the years... An absolute masterpiece. If it was not for a DJ friend of Freddy's ( Kenny Everett) it would never have seen the light of day. Or been played on air, because they considered it too long to play on the radio.
Only on your 2nd listen, it’s amazing to me both of you are feeling the same way I’m feeling about this classic queen song that I’ve listen to over 100 times!:)
I was maybe six so most of what I heard was new to me 😂 There was so much different music around. The 70's were crazy. We had glamrock, disco, punk competing for most impressive look 😂
I somehow didnt know for years, when I found out I felt _real_ stupid. I remember asking my dad why he never mentioned it, because hes always got 'fun facts' about songs and bands, he said "Sarah, they're called _Queen"_
Bohemian Rhapsody is a a three act play set to music. The title of the album is "A Night at the Opera " the first act: Moma my life is over I just shot a man. Second act is the court case: let him go. No we will not let him go. The third act is jail: just gotta get outta here. The ending is a broken spirit who goes anyway the wind blows.
I vividly remember this in 1975.. it was WILD.. nuthin like it before not since . It’s a mix of rock and opera which Freddie loved. It just needs to be appreciated as a stand alone masterpiece, you could spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it means but ultimate it’s just unique and epic 👍🏴
This was the first music video my generation saw. Still soungs majestic. When Freddie brought this song to the studio the rest of the band didn't have a clue what it was about but they knew it was amazing.
In an interview Roger got annoyed because people kept questioning if their harmonies were real or not. Roger completely lost his falsetto in 1982, from that point on, Freddie did all of the high harmonies on the albums. Freddie did the high and lower notes and Roger the high notes. Some struggle either way but Freddie was able to perform lower, middle and higher notes. He really was a LEGEND!
Wrong. Taylor sang using his falsetto many times after 1982....including on Queen's albums and in concerts. Don't be ridiculous. I'm in my late 50's and sang all my life and have my falsetto. And so you think Taylor would lose his falsetto at age 32 or 33? Stop the BS posting.
@@philosopher0076 1- Don't be so rude. 2 - Its a known fact - I didn't say Roger lost it for forever. 3 - Freddie's range was inane. Brian would do the low notes but Freddie's range outclassed them both. 3 - Google it. Stop being rude, there's no need for it.
@@floorticket Hmmm.... I'm sure you're right. I've heard from multiple sources that it was Queen, but honestly I never even thought of the Beatles. I was too young to even know who they were in the 60's.
Man, watching Lex in this reaction is just like watching a kid on Christmas morning, full of wonder at all the amazing stuff! A minor correction, though: you said that Freddy had those "British nostrils". He was indeed British but both his parents were Parsi-Indian. And you're right about them doing this against the wishes of their record label. In fact, the track didn't get any airplay at first because it was too long for the time. Check out the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" which really really explains the story well. Queen was a true phenomenon. RIP Freddie.
Incredible song that had us scratching our heads when it came out, it was that radically different. For more legendary Queen try Ogre Battle, a killer track from Queen 2. Enjoy! 🎶🎸🎤🎹🎶
Freddie never told what this masterpiece was about but the common thought is that Freddie is killing his identity up to that point and becoming a new person. Leaving the traditions and expectations of his mother and his family behind. Not coming out, he never did that (officially) but being his true self. However, Queen always wanted their fans to make a song mean whatever they thought it did. This is the most downloaded single in the world. The beginning is only Freddie's voice, layered to make it sound like more vocalists. The song is iconic as is the video. Truly amazing and all in Freddie's head. He had it all planned out. Knew every section. Brian did have input on his solo but other than that a fully Freddie epic. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The 'special' effects may look a little bit dated, but nothing can ever take away from the sheer magnificence on display here. Thankfully George Lucas wasn't involved or we'd likely have had 7 updated versions by now.
We weren't really shocked by the music when it came out years ago, because everyone was incredibly talented then. And we just expected great music from them.
First hearing this on morning radio, waking up, was mind-blowing. Just completely different from anything else. No video to watch, just music to hear and be completely stunned. It took a week to grow on me but it certainly did!
Most of us heard the song years before the video. I always thought the song was about him being poor and robbing someone where he shot him in the head without thinking. Ran home to tell his mother sorry I messed up my life and the cops would be there soon to take him away and put him to death. Not knowing any happiness he wished he was never born at all. Then when it goes into old Opera its him on trial asking for forgiveness from the judge and prosecution. In the end they say they will not let him go and he will pay for what he did. At that point he says I just got to get right out of here. Breaks free and maybe makes it to the hallway where it slows down and he is singing nothing really matters and is put to death. ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS.
Perhaps the greatest rock song ever written. I can’t even fathom how they came up with some of these ideas in this song. Truly groundbreaking and genius.
Weren't they wonderful? Millions of people have the same reaction to this song. You two have to check out the crowd singing this before a Greenday concert. Freddie must have come down for a look-see, hearing this! lol ruclips.net/video/cZnBNuqqz5g/видео.html
With all due respect, I love you, Lex, I love the way you react when a song touches your soul, we can see and feel your emotions and make us remember the same feelings we felt the first time we listened to these songs. Great channel and love to both of you.
It came out when I was in High School and at first I was blown away, then got sick of hearing Queen - many years later I revisited via reactions and now appreciate it again. Rock Opera :-)
ive loved this song since it came out in the 70s.....i will always love Freddie Mercury, i was lucky to see his last ever gig at Knebworth in the UK in Aug 86. Just one of a kind and a genuine talent - excceptional
Actually when I first heard this song on the radio I just reacted like I did with most of the amazing songs. You have to understand that back then you almost expected this sort of quality to surface every few months. We were spoiled with a plethora of talent.
He was a musical GENIUS. BO-RAP is broken down into 5 parts and is and is deemed an opera by those who know. Check it out. This is a piece that is celebrated and awarded many times over. Fred wrote the entire piece, including guitar solo. JUST BRILIANT. I feel sorry for those who turned down releasing it but congratulate the one who did and DO NOT FEEL SORRY for the deaf ones who didn't. Boy were they sorry. Those A&R guys lost their jobs and those companies lost a FORTUNE. Oh well, too bad.
I remember very well when this video first came out. It utilized a lot of new video techniques that we hadn’t really seen yet and combined with the uniqueness of the music (at least in the rock/pop genre) it was quite something. I still tend to think of this as the first real music video that was produced as a stand-alone video that wasn’t part of a film or a television performance.
I saw this tour live from the orchestra pit in 1976. We were so close we could touch the stage. Freddie gave me a long stem rose at the end of the night and called me darling. When they played this song they had a smoke machine going and we lit up joints during as we were concealed in the smoky haze, lol. The rose crumbled to dust eventually but I took lots of pictures of the concert and will always have my memory. We also got to shake Brian May’s hand and he let us each request a song. I chose “Keep Yourself Alive” and my best friend chose “Liar”, which they played. My best friend got Roger Taylor’s drumsticks. ✌️♥️🎶
What an awesome memory! 😎
Awesome!!
Great stuff.
Ohh, envy!! I saw them in 1980, I believe, but then Freddie already had the stach & leather look- I prefer him in his early days with the crazy hairdos. I was fourteen & it was my first great rock concert I was allowed to go to on my own, with my best friend & fellow Queen fan of course (Thanks mum, wherever you are!). But man, I would have loved to be you down in that pit!!
@@Bee-28 we were 16 yrs old and cut school to get the tickets right after the album “Night At The Opera” came out. We were already huge fans of their first 3 albums. That concert was my third, my first was Traffic at age 14 and then Led Zeppelin in 75, which is still my favorite concert.
Woah!! Amazing!!
This song will still be heard even when I am an old grandfather and shall always be a timeless masterpiece.
I am an old grandfather and its still popular. We will leave it it that. I don't wanna predict what will outlive the other. Obviously the song will win in a race of time, I just hope to give it a run for its money.
I am an old grandfather who’s been listening to it since it came out; still love it!
I have Great Grandchildren. I'm sure it will still be around in some form for them in the future.
This old grandfather saw them live in 1980 & 1982.
Me & 20,000 others sang along with this and every other song.
This was 70s Queen ,, The good ole years 1975 Released
It’s almost a national anthem, pretty much everyone in the Uk knows all the words, the chords and the solos off by heart
Not just in the UK :) I think there's a huge number of people around the world who know every word. Many ages too. It's such an important piece, so many people are drawn into checking it out. Amazing.
Yeah, pretty much in the US and everywhere else, as well
In America as well. I know every single word in this song.
Outside of the US and Uk as well
also i think its rare for anyone with a radio hasnt heard it, so its more of a world anthem but anyway queen is rock legends
I am 57 years old and I like this channel and the reactions. But I have to say you will never Know the feeling we had in the 70s 80s 90s, every week we had a new masterpiece and we only had the radio to hear them, so we recorded them on cassettes tapes. It sound very old but ¡¡what a wonderful feeling ¡¡
No Youngsters, please😀 My first concerts were in 1971 and I had around 7 great concerts going years in London.
I saw Led Zep: Empire Pool, Wembley, Pink Floyd's debut DSOM with 18,000 others at Earls Court, and in successful weeks saw Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater Revival at The Royal Albert Hall, all around 1973 at World Class Venues and the COMBINED cost for the 4 Gigs was........."2.25 or $" ......LOL
Pink Floys £1 Led Zep=75 Pence and both DP and CCR just 25Pence each...
That was just Three Dollars..
@@Isleofskye I dunno if I love ya or despise ya, but definitely envy ya, to go see all those shows at Earles Court, and Royal Albert Hall, at that time... I've seen some good shows, same bands, but not the same.
55 here. I remember sitting with my boom box with Play / Record / Pause pressed down and me with all my focus hanging over the pause button waiting for the song I wanted to come on the radio to record to my cassette tape 😎
@@AnjeannetteMarie-Swifie4Ever man... you wanted as close to perfection as a D.J., a boom box, a memorex, and a song could bring through head transfer in the open aether...
I remember when this was first released. We had never heard anything like it before. Had to listen a few times to appreciate it. This song is a masterpiece! ✌️♥️
Yes you're right. It did take a couple of times but once you did, you did
It's a bit gay.
Yes! It was so incredible when it came out. We just never heard anything like it did we? Amazing.
I had heard it on the radio but not listened to it. So it was only after a few plays that I even realised it was all one song. Back then you never heard the start of a song, then left the room even for three minutes and it was still playing when you came back.
You're totally right. Not only had we never heard anything like it before, we haven't heard anything like it since.
After this song came out, Queen became known as one the the biggest bands in the world, and their live show was spectacular. Freddie Mercury's stage presence was incredible, so that every person in the audience felt that he was singing directly to them. I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice in the late 70s and early 80s, and both shows were among the best I had ever attended. Sadly, Freddie Mercury's death effected bass player John Deacon especially badly, to where he gave up music. John was the writer of some of Queen's biggest hits, and he was an extremely talented writer, player and in fact, he was an electrical engineer, and he even designed a custom amplifier for guitarist Brian May, which he used on nearly every Queen album, and he even uses today.
You're so lucky to have seen them, and yes John was unable to go on, and I respect the hell out of him for that..John was instrumental in many of the songs and I think when Freddie died he died a little too...I can't stand Adam Lambert singing their songs...Sorry just venting...god bless Freddie the best ever..
The most epic song ever! Freddie owned the stage! He had four extra teeth, but he never had them extracted because he was concerned that it might affect his performance.
This has been described as rock opera...Hard to believe anyone could assemble a song like this, but here it is... Incredible!!!
This song changed rock as we knew it.
I've been showing my 2 year old son this video the past few weeks. To say he's enthralled would be an understatement
Awww. How sweet! What a great thing for a father and son to share! Glad he likes it. Music is a great way to connect! Enjoy! 🎶🎵
When my son was that age-ish, his favorite artist was Ray Charles. He particularly liked "Hit the Road Jack". When he was 4, he asked what it meant. Since, no one in his life had divorced parents, I didn't want to introduce that subject to him. Nor did I want to introduce the topic of "dead beat men". So, I had to start playing more kid-friendly songs without the adult themes!
Most kid-friendly music can be annoying to the adult ear. Took a while, then I found Laurie Berkner.
Not that I played kid music exclusively. I introduced Bohemian Rhapsody when he was 7. My daughter always knew Bohemian Rhapsody.
And all 4 guys actually playing the instruments n singing!! No synthesizer!! No auto tune!! Just amazing talent!! Def watch the live aid performance!!
Thanks for the revisit!!
And all four wrote hit songs. All were very talented.
This a masterpiece !! Freddie Mercury’s unbelievable vocals are unmatched ! You will never see anything like this again !
I was born in 1975, the same year this song came out, and to the best of my knowledge, did not hear Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time until 1992, when the Wayne's World movie came out. It was a big movie and Bohemian Rhapsody was prominently featured in it. The song became a big hit again on MTV, Muchmusic, and radio.
In Belgium, this song never left the public eye. Each year on new year's eve we have an event where people vote for their top songs. This has been running for decades. I think Bohemian Rhapsody was voted to number one about 25 times in the last 35 years. One year there was a campaign to please please please not vote for it, and it still almost won.
@@vohbovohborian28 Yeah, in the UK this has hit number 1 in 3 different decades! most brits know this better than the national anthem! :)))
@@Ianbos1 It has been UK number 1 twice, in 1975 and 1991. It was the Christmas number 1 both times.
Yeah that Wayne's World sing along really got me familiar with every word in the song. (Back when I watched the same VHSs every week.)
I had never heard this song either until Wayne' World and I remember listening to FM rock since the early 1980s
Watching the two of you grow musically over the last year has been heart warming. Two young passionate intelligent people letting the music, not preconceived notions carry them to a higher stronger awareness has been a joy for me.
"oh, wow", that's exactly how I feel after every listen.
The song, on the surface, is about a man who has killed and now must face the consequences. He confesses to his mother, then is judged by the court, defies it and then concludes that it was all for nothing, at least that's a way you could interpret it.
The deeper meaning is that the man Freddie killed was the old him, and that for the longest time he had been living a life that wasn't really his own. It could be interpreted as a coming out song. The characters in the operatic section fight for his soul. Like a story, the song ends back where it started. Musically there is a beautiful slowing down of the tempo, even though the music lacks satisfaction until at long last the gong sounds.
It could be a coming out song, or it could be about any challenging "crossroads" moment in one's life where you need to make a call on who you want to be.
I think you nailed it.
How do you get to this place from Mamma just killed a man? Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead?
Queen has so many fantastic songs that it scares me to think about how I might never have explored them if they had never released Bohemian Rhapsody! Great reaction!
This is one of the high points of 70's rock....it has EVERYTHING you can want. Not much else to say. Genius.
Masterpiece, Genius, Brilliant...Freddie....We love & miss you baby....thank you for everything.
You should watch the Muppets version of this which they did with Queen's approval and original backing track. A total hoot!
Yes yes yes.
ruclips.net/video/xKH3jPbebKk/видео.html
There's a Klingon version out there, too. It's not a perfect remake of the video but they work a lot of it in.
Please share a link with me 😂
@@fowleheidi482 I almost forgot about making this post. Anyhow, here it is @ 161m views: ruclips.net/video/tgbNymZ7vqY/видео.html
Brad, you are SO RIGHT! So much of the music you've been sampling has enormous replay value! You can't really appreciate a song without hearing it many times.
I hope you guys are creating a playlist (or several!) of some of your favorites. I've listened to much of this music over the years (60s, 70s, 80s etc). And I can tell you, the nostalgia vibe is very strong in many cases. A girl I knew, a car I was driving, a movie that included a song, meeting future wife, kids, trying to learn the song on guitar, the death of significant people in my life...
...and on and on...
A song comes on the radio, and I'm right there again!
Priceless!
This composition is a timeless masterpiece. A century will pass and it will still be listened to and praised. Thanks.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest piece of music history ever.
There simply is nothing better. Not enough to adjectives to describe how incredible this is. Still have my original copy of this on vinyl from 1975.
This is essentially the first music video. Before this video, artists did make promotional videos but they were only used to promote the song and artist to record distributors and were not shown to the public. They were very basic videos, showing the artist's performance as they stood before the camera miming their studio recording.
To promote their song to the public, artists would appear live on TV shows and lip-synch to their records on shows like Top Of The Pops (a British TV show which gave a rundown of the latest music chart hits while featuring in-studio performances from popular music artists). To have a rock music hit in Britain at the time, an artist had to appear on Top of the Pops performing their song.
Bohemian Rhapsody was being released in the U.K on October 31, 1975, but Queen was heading out on their "A Night At The Opera" world tour on November 14, 1975. They were not going to be available to promote the song or appear on Top of the Pops.
In addition, the operatic potion of BohRap is way too complex to mimed realistically. In the studio recording, the choir effect was created by having Brian, Freddie, and Roger repeatedly sing their vocal parts, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. There is no way to recreate the illusion of a choir with just 3 guys lip-synching on TV.
So, the band came up with the idea of creating a special video that could be used as a performance on Top of the Pops and other shows to promote their song to the public that would be more exciting than just four guys miming their song. They knew exactly the mood and image that they wanted the video to present.
It was shot at the studio where they were rehearsing for their concert tour. They dressed in their concert costumes and staged the performance as though they were in front of an audience, They hired the same director that they used to videotape their 1974 Rainbow Theatre concert and a cameraman, Barry Dodd, who normally worked on movie productions. (it turns out, Barry knew some simple, non-technical camera tricks that produced those stunning special effects.) The whole video was shot in about 4 hours.
It became the first record to be pushed into the forefront by virtue of a video. Queen was certainly the first band to create a 'concept' video. The video captured the musical imagery perfectly. You cannot hear that music without seeing the visuals in your mind's eye.
it was only after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that it became a regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists' single releases. This single video ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music. Suddenly videos could then be shown on television shows around the world, such as the BBC's Top of the Pops, without the need for the artist to appear in person. A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals. Basically, this video launched the MTV age.
How did you know all of that information? Queen is my favorite band
Love this song with earphones in especially! You can really hear all of the nuances of the song and their voices bouncing back and forth- just awesome!
Damn but that man could sing like no other.
Yes, Lex described the effect of hearing this song when it first came out perfectly.
there were no music videos when this came out. only radio. first time hearing it was unlike anything you had ever heard, and so incredibly beautiful. love it.
This is definitely in the top 5 greatest songs ever composed. It truly takes you on a journey. You really should do, Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon for another side to their unique sound.
The very first concert of my life was seeing Queen. It was their Night at the Opera tour and Bohemian Rhapsody was a new song. I feel privileged now to have actually seen them live and to have seen them do this song lived.
This song is basically a modern version of what in Opera is called a "tragedy".
The protagonist in the story has killed a man, and he now laments the sorrow he's brought on his mother "Didn't mean to make you cry", and ponders his fate with regret "I don't wanna die... I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all".
Then the more traditional opera part is where he begs for forgiveness, saying "Will you let me go?", to which the reply is "No! We will not let you go!".
Then he tells his Mother to let him go, as Beelzebub (Satan) has "a Devil put aside for me" (as his personal torturer).
And the song ends with him resigned to his fate... "Nothing really matters to me".
I was at work when a couple of guys came back from their lunch break. They said they'd just heard a fantastic number at the record store called Bohemian Rhapsody. It lasts 6 minutes, they said! We put the radio on and after half an hour or so it got played... one of those unforgettable 'Where were you when' moments.
Queen used to put on their earlier albums "No Synthesizers!" because they were that musically gifted and to stop critics who praised their Synthesizers work when they didn't use one, not until their later works.
You should check out Killer Queen, the band's first big hit
I swear Seven Seas Of Rhye was their first hit
Rage against the Machine did much the same thing by putting on their albums that all sounds were created by drums, guitars, and vocals. When they first came out people didn’t realize that all the incredible sounds were coming from Tom Morello’s guitar rather than studio software. Now everyone knows how talented and innovative he truly is.
@@j4m352it was, seven seas of rye was
This whole album "A Night at the Opera", is nothing short of a masterpiece. It was one of the first albums I bought with my own money as an 11 year-old back in 1975.
Queen's record label didn't want to release this as a single. At 6 minutes long they believed that radio stations wouldn't play it.
The band gave an acetate disc of the song to the famous BBC DJ Kenny Everett and he played it 6 times on the same night. So many phoned the BBC asking how they could buy the single that EMI were forced into releasing it as a single.
He'd been sacked by the BBC by that time, he played it on Capital Radio.
I love seeing people react to this the first time. The beauty of this song is it will invoke different reactions and interpretations depending on the listener. It’s a true work of art. I heard this on the radio as a kid in 1975…. Lifelong fan to this day. I never, ever tire of their music. Know every song, off every album, hit or not. They cover every genre, sometimes on a single album, or like this, in a single song. They influenced me early, they are the reason I studied musical theater, performance and teaching (vocal coach). Freddie was not just one in a million, that number is immeasurable. Been watching a lot of your reactions tonight and I’m just thrilled by how genuinely you listening to music. Thank you!
Loved this song when it first came out still love it today will never tire of it ❤️
God what a performance. I cry every time I watch this video because we no longer have this great musician. R.I.P. Freddy we miss you and your awesome voice.
There’s this great documentary called “inside the rhapsody” in which the guitarist Brian May and the drummer Roger Taylor go through how the track and music video were put together. I recommend you guys check it out if you’re interested in learning more about the song
2:47 Brian May wrote the solo
Another excellent reaction, thank you both. Almost 50 years later, this masterpiece with it's transitions, different styles, and amazing sounds can still send shivers down one's spine. It's right up there among the GOATs.
I remember the first time this appeared on Top of the Pops, it was just astonishing, we had never seen or heard anything like it. I was at the record store at 9 the next day and there was a queue of people buying this, and at college everyone was talking about it. It was number one for weeks in the UK.
The only other appearances on TOTP I can remember having the same "Did you SEE..." impact were David Bowie's "Starman" and Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".
This song was big when it came out but even bigger when it re-released in the 90's for the Wayne's World movie and a video on MTV which made this song what it is today, that and The late great Freddie Mercury!
Timeless classic no doubt...but a special mention to the guys who produced the song and video. They deserve a massive amount of praise as well, incredible when released and still a masterpiece today.
Thank you for that...Queen..Magnifico❤️🤩
Song was released in the mid 70s, before music videos had gained momentum in the 80s. I was a child when it came out, and it was very different from the other music of that time. They were ahead of themselves.
This was a song that the music execs did not want to be released as a single. They thought they it was too long to be a single. The band kept pushing and eventually got it released as a single. The execs were blown away by the reaction the song got and to this day is still listed in the top 5 songs of theirs.
The album was called "Queen A Night At The Opera" It came out in 1975. I saw them live in 1977 in Columbus ,Ohio with 4 of my friends on their "Day At the Races Album Tour".This song was in the playlist I was 16 yrs old, the ticket was about $7.50 Main floor 15th row Baby..!!!
The video movie of this is why MTV and VH1 were created! Keep going!
By the way the intro, outtro, and everything inbetween is great the way it is. If it ain't broke... Love you two ummm three.
First heard this in 1976 when I was 11 years old and I loved it and I still love it now . The whole album A Night at the Opera still blows me away ❤️
Two small corrections: Freddie Mercury's nostrils aren't "British skinny". He was born in Zanzibar, and his family were Parsi-Indian (i.e. from Iran via India, so he was an immigrant).
And, back in the day, watching videos was not the common way people listened to music. Radio, record player or cassette player - that's what was used.
Back then bands success was based on musical and vocal talents. Once that shit MTV took hold the primary selling point became more visual rather than vocally and musically. Today many female so called artists are half nude with their camel toe in the audiences mouth and that's what makes them popular. It's all a gimmick , see back in the day Grace Slick looked great but she could sing,Morrison was very handsome but he was a tremendous lyricist and great singer. Today if you look good and love auto tune you're a rock star! Don't even get me started with rap. It's trash! MTV ruined music which was headed that way anyhow. It just helped shovel dirt on the grave that much faster!!
Yes! No one saw the video until much later because there was no vehicle to deliver them. You might see a clip on a commercial to hype the tour or something.
He still had the british teeth.
All written by Freddy himself, went to number 1 in the pop charts twice, used in Wayne's world plus numerous other films over the years... An absolute masterpiece. If it was not for a DJ friend of Freddy's ( Kenny Everett) it would never have seen the light of day. Or been played on air, because they considered it too long to play on the radio.
Their best look.
Yes Lexi, it's a RnR Masterpiece for the ages. Almost perfection.
Only on your 2nd listen, it’s amazing to me both of you are feeling the same way I’m feeling about this classic queen song that I’ve listen to over 100 times!:)
I was maybe six so most of what I heard was new to me 😂 There was so much different music around. The 70's were crazy. We had glamrock, disco, punk competing for most impressive look 😂
It surprises me that a lot of people didn't know Freddie was gay. The guy literally formed a musical theater band called Queen
I somehow didnt know for years, when I found out I felt _real_ stupid. I remember asking my dad why he never mentioned it, because hes always got 'fun facts' about songs and bands, he said "Sarah, they're called _Queen"_
Bohemian Rhapsody is a a three act play set to music. The title of the album is "A Night at the Opera " the first act: Moma my life is over I just shot a man. Second act is the court case: let him go. No we will not let him go. The third act is jail: just gotta get outta here. The ending is a broken spirit who goes anyway the wind blows.
I vividly remember this in 1975.. it was WILD.. nuthin like it before not since . It’s a mix of rock and opera which Freddie loved. It just needs to be appreciated as a stand alone masterpiece, you could spend a lifetime trying to figure out what it means but ultimate it’s just unique and epic
👍🏴
You should react to Queen’s Live Aid set
It’s amazing!
I believe they already did.
Everyone has already.
Live Aid...his performance...still outstanding! No matter how many times you watch it...cold chills!
This was the first music video my generation saw. Still soungs majestic. When Freddie brought this song to the studio the rest of the band didn't have a clue what it was about but they knew it was amazing.
In an interview Roger got annoyed because people kept questioning if their harmonies were real or not. Roger completely lost his falsetto in 1982, from that point on, Freddie did all of the high harmonies on the albums. Freddie did the high and lower notes and Roger the high notes. Some struggle either way but Freddie was able to perform lower, middle and higher notes. He really was a LEGEND!
Wrong. Taylor sang using his falsetto many times after 1982....including on Queen's albums and in concerts. Don't be ridiculous.
I'm in my late 50's and sang all my life and have my falsetto. And so you think Taylor would lose his falsetto at age 32 or 33?
Stop the BS posting.
@@philosopher0076 1- Don't be so rude. 2 - Its a known fact - I didn't say Roger lost it for forever. 3 - Freddie's range was inane. Brian would do the low notes but Freddie's range outclassed them both. 3 - Google it. Stop being rude, there's no need for it.
He's like Bowie, octaves to give away.
@@JosephHuntelvisnspiders Agree!
The greatest rock song that has ever been made.PERIOD.
Have you guys done Queen "Somebody to love" Live 1981 in Montreal? EPIC perfomance!
A great piece of music brings you back again and again, finding something new each time.
This was the first music video and it set a huge bar.
The Beatles made them in the mid 60s.
@@floorticket Hmmm.... I'm sure you're right. I've heard from multiple sources that it was Queen, but honestly I never even thought of the Beatles. I was too young to even know who they were in the 60's.
Man, watching Lex in this reaction is just like watching a kid on Christmas morning, full of wonder at all the amazing stuff! A minor correction, though: you said that Freddy had those "British nostrils". He was indeed British but both his parents were Parsi-Indian. And you're right about them doing this against the wishes of their record label. In fact, the track didn't get any airplay at first because it was too long for the time. Check out the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" which really really explains the story well. Queen was a true phenomenon. RIP Freddie.
It was truly groundbreaking at the time (Still is) . Nobody looked like Freddie or sounded like Queen, and it changed music forever!
Right! What a Masterpiece.
What a song
I saw them live in 1978 and watched them do this song live. INCREDIBLE
Incredible song that had us scratching our heads when it came out, it was that radically different. For more legendary Queen try Ogre Battle, a killer track from Queen 2. Enjoy! 🎶🎸🎤🎹🎶
Ogre Battle: the two-way mirror mountain with its reversed intro mirroring the outro. Wonderful song. Was reminded of it recently by a D&d session.
Freddie never told what this masterpiece was about but the common thought is that Freddie is killing his identity up to that point and becoming a new person. Leaving the traditions and expectations of his mother and his family behind. Not coming out, he never did that (officially) but being his true self. However, Queen always wanted their fans to make a song mean whatever they thought it did. This is the most downloaded single in the world. The beginning is only Freddie's voice, layered to make it sound like more vocalists. The song is iconic as is the video. Truly amazing and all in Freddie's head. He had it all planned out. Knew every section. Brian did have input on his solo but other than that a fully Freddie epic. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The 'special' effects may look a little bit dated, but nothing can ever take away from the sheer magnificence on display here.
Thankfully George Lucas wasn't involved or we'd likely have had 7 updated versions by now.
Dated 1975 ...
Yeah, what does someone expect, it was 1975, I'll take that era's music over modern special effects for videos.
For 1975 it was the State Of The Art for effects. Ahead of its time actually.
I totally agree with Lex, a true masterpiece
We weren't really shocked by the music when it came out years ago, because everyone was incredibly talented then. And we just expected great music from them.
First hearing this on morning radio, waking up, was mind-blowing. Just completely different from anything else. No video to watch, just music to hear and be completely stunned. It took a week to grow on me but it certainly did!
Most of us heard the song years before the video. I always thought the song was about him being poor and robbing someone where he shot him in the head without thinking. Ran home to tell his mother sorry I messed up my life and the cops would be there soon to take him away and put him to death. Not knowing any happiness he wished he was never born at all. Then when it goes into old Opera its him on trial asking for forgiveness from the judge and prosecution. In the end they say they will not let him go and he will pay for what he did. At that point he says I just got to get right out of here. Breaks free and maybe makes it to the hallway where it slows down and he is singing nothing really matters and is put to death. ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS.
Perhaps the greatest rock song ever written. I can’t even fathom how they came up with some of these ideas in this song. Truly groundbreaking and genius.
Now you need to hear the Greenday concert audience singing Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen, one of the only bands that their music changed with the times and yet they are still timeless. Their song I Want It All is a great one
Weren't they wonderful? Millions of people have the same reaction to this song. You two have to check out the crowd singing this before a Greenday concert. Freddie must have come down for a look-see, hearing this! lol ruclips.net/video/cZnBNuqqz5g/видео.html
That's such a cool thing!! Kinda restores a little faith in humanity for me.....but only a little.
@@brettkenschaft4239 I know. It made me get a lump in my throat for a second and I'm a tough old mountain woman! lol
With all due respect, I love you, Lex, I love the way you react when a song touches your soul, we can see and feel your emotions and make us remember the same feelings we felt the first time we listened to these songs. Great channel and love to both of you.
One of the greatest songs ever, a timeless masterpiece.
Lex watched that entire performance with a huge grin.
Captivated by greatness 😊
It came out when I was in High School and at first I was blown away, then got sick of hearing Queen - many years later I revisited via reactions and now appreciate it again. Rock Opera :-)
ive loved this song since it came out in the 70s.....i will always love Freddie Mercury, i was lucky to see his last ever gig at Knebworth in the UK in Aug 86. Just one of a kind and a genuine talent - excceptional
Actually when I first heard this song on the radio I just reacted like I did with most of the amazing songs. You have to understand that back then you almost expected this sort of quality to surface every few months. We were spoiled with a plethora of talent.
Classic, Classic, Classic song!! Glad you reacted to it again.👍🎶
🎶🥰🎧🎸🎤🥁🎶 Y'all make me smile like a goofball! Thank you for the jam session! I'm currently visiting my daughter, so P.L.U.R.R. from San Diego!!
He was a musical GENIUS. BO-RAP is broken down into 5 parts and is and is deemed an opera by those who know. Check it out. This is a piece that is celebrated and awarded many times over. Fred wrote the entire piece, including guitar solo. JUST BRILIANT. I feel sorry for those who turned down releasing it but congratulate the one who did and DO NOT FEEL SORRY for the deaf ones who didn't. Boy were they sorry. Those A&R guys lost their jobs and those companies lost a FORTUNE. Oh well, too bad.
I remember very well when this video first came out. It utilized a lot of new video techniques that we hadn’t really seen yet and combined with the uniqueness of the music (at least in the rock/pop genre) it was quite something. I still tend to think of this as the first real music video that was produced as a stand-alone video that wasn’t part of a film or a television performance.
Well said and it was the feelings we experience when it hit the scene. Mind blowing!
There will never come another Freddie. Godspeed for the most remarkable Voice to ever grace rock.
Lex is such a character giving her view she also has a great spirit
Queen was so ahead of their time! Absolute Perfection! RIP Freddie. You're Always Loved, Remembered, and Missed!! ❤🙏💋
I’ve been to so many Queen Concerts and remember back in 1976. They always played excellent. It’s concerns I will never forget.
Saw Queen in '76 ...'79 ....'82 twice
You just had to go see them!
Plain and simple.
They were Magic everytime.
True expression without music industry interference ???
I'm Going Slightly Mad. (ALL FREDDIE)
😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Watching you two discover this music makes me appreciate it even more 😊 Thanks
The look of surprise and joy on Lex’s face always makes me smile.