I am 64 years old and have been a Queen fan since 1973,i don't know your age lovely but to see how much you appreciate their music fills my heart with joy ,their music is In good hands.❤
I’m close to your age and remember when this came out. My friends and I sang it in the back of a station wagon. Our memories belong to us but great music belongs to everyone.
You said it so exactly the greatest band ever with the best frontman ever masterpiece that chanced the rock music no one can composed ever something like this one in fifty years now thanks to freddie's mind so genius as brian said it was freddie's baby thanks great reaction❤❤
If you want to hear Brian's guitar, listen to Queen: White Queen live at Odeon, Hammersmith 12/24/1975. There is a instrumental portion of the song that is about 1.75 minutes long where Brian makes his guitar cry, scream, and wail as well as sound so perfectly sweet. You will love this performance and Freddie's vocals are perfection. Also, Brian's solo song outside of Queen that had me sobbing just from the tone is "Nothin' but Blue." As it turns out, Brian wrote that song the night before Freddie died. At the time I first heard it, I didn't have any idea of the history of the composition so that had nothing to do with what prompted my literally and uncontrollably crying out loud. Brian has the most incredible touch on his guitar, there is no one else like him. In case you didn't know, Brian built his guitar with his father when he was a teen from junk they had laying around the house, including a piece of a hundred year old fireplace. For this reason, Freddie sometimes referred to Brian's guitar as "The Fireplace," and the cheapest piece of equipment of the band. Brian named his guitar "The Red Special" and sometimes refers to it as "The Old Lady." His guitar is unique and he designed it to feed back, something that other electric guitars at the time were not designed to do, as a matter of fact, they were designed NOT to feed back.
I would add "Brighton Rock" a collection of nested bookends on the outside you have the song with the whole of the band, then just Brian and Roger and right in the middle just Brian's guitar solo.
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best songs ever. The change between the different styles of music is just perfect. And don't forget, the song will soon be 50 years old. 🤯
The best analogy I can think of is listening to it is like riding a roller coaster just out of order. It has it's slow parts, then it slowly climbs that big hill, then shifts into the headbanger section as you race down the other side of that hill.
The impact this song AND video made just cannot be understated. I remember it well. It literally EXPLODED into the musical world. Also, the editing and effects on the video were cutting-edge.
I bought "A Night at the Opera" back in 1975 when it came out. Had been a fan already, but this album cemented it. So much so that i had the opportunity to see them in September 1980, during the Game album tour in Madison Square Garden.
Same here, I was enthralled with this song and the rest of the album did not disappoint. At fifteen years old I loved it for all it's different influences - classical, pop, R&B, etc. As a car guy, I've even been a big fan of "I'm In Love With My Car", one of the oddities of this album.
I heard this the first time it was played on national radio, by the great Kenny Everett. He played it back to back almost without comment. An iconic moment.
Such an epic song, one of the best ever recorded. Can you imagine being a kid in the 70's as I was and hearing this come out of your radio? Truly mind-blowing. From what I read this was actually pieces of unfinished songs/ideas from Freddie that were woven together so skillfully. A true masterpiece of music.
This is a Rock Opera. There were several in the 70,s, such as The Who's Tommy, Lead Zepelin's Stairway to Heaven, Pink Floyds Wish you were here, Jesus Christ Superstar. What a great time to come of age.
Nice pick. Beautiful reaction.. Look on your face...priceless. So cool to see you discovering our music. And very nice to watch as you broaden your musical horizons and check out the tunes I listened to when I was younger than you are now. When this was released it was all over the radio waves, and later on MTV and VH1 Classic. We were buying Queen records to play on our record players by the million. Watchin and diggin from this old longhaired rocker. Big shoutout from Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Go with God. Bless you. Peace and love, girlfriend.
The Who wrote a full rock opera "Tommy" that you can rent. It has Elton John in the title role. There was a rock musical that broke lots of ground. "Hair" is a cultural icon. As a rock artist, you might benefit from watching it and Tommy. The Beatles are the first I knew of that used orchestral instruments in unique service to rock. (There had always been orchestral music used in rock songs, but usually in the traditional musical roles.)
Tommy the studio version is far superior to me, and although I'm a huge fan of both The Who and Elton John, I can't stand Elton's version of Pinball Wizard, which is a "guitar anthem" to me...
"The accompanying video for their 1975 single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is generally recognised as the first ever promotional music video, kick-starting and setting the gold-standard for the genre for decades to come.". Nearly 50 years old now - wow ! Couple of years ago I saw Queen & Adam Lambert live. Hearing Bohemian Rhapsody performed live, with thousands of people singing every word, was incredible.
Great to see the younger generation still enjoying classic rock. I was born in the 50's my parents listened to big band amd my grandparents listened to swing jazz. the 60's was peace and love, the eighties was making money. the 70's was the party. i saw queen in ft wayne indiana in i believe 1975 could have been 74. they were awesome! Freddy (RIP) was a showman. Yes you are right nobody had done anything like this until Queen. the same band that made Fat bottomed girls lol they make the rockin' world go round.
When I was a kid my neighbor had the "Another One Bites the Dust" 45, so I was already a fan. I wasn't introduced to this song till Wayne's World. I love Brian's guitar tone! No one else sounds like him, you can always tell it's him! I think he and his dad made that guitar when he was in high school!
I bought this in 1975. It´s so good to watch you and your knowledge. May i suggest another prog-rock sensation? FOCUS : HOCUSPOCUS Live Midnight Special 1973 (must be this version, there´s a reason for that, but i won´t spoil it).
HEY Honey, FUN FACT: The acapella harmonies at the beginning are ALL FREDDIE (even though the video shows all the band members “singing”… The others are lip syncing.) Freddie recorded the intro himself in five parts and overlaid them. You should also see this LIVE. (They omit the acapella intro, but the rest is EVEN BETTER LIVE. The best live performance is (IMO)… MONTREAL IN 1981
@@nancymjohnson I think there is a wee bit of confusion between the intro and the famous middle opera part of the song. Marcie is correct about the very beginning of Bohemian Rhapsody with Freddie Mercury being the only one singing that acapella part. He recorded 5 parts and they overdubbed (layered) his vocals to create that harmony. You are correct about the drummer Roger Taylor on the high notes, but that is in the opera part where they are singing "Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me. Galileo, Galileo. Galileo, Galileo. Galileo, Figaro - magnificoo... He's just a poor boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity...." And so on. Freddie took the middle register, guitarist Brian May the low, and Taylor the highs. Freddie, May, and Taylor each recorded several parts, then they overdubbed them multiple times to create that wall of sound. I cannot remember who, but either May or Taylor stated in an interview that they worked 10-12 hours a day on the vocals. Freddie wanted to keep adding parts and the tape got so thin you could see through it and they almost lost the music several times. The bassist John Deacon was the only one of the four that did not sing on this track.
@@bobmiller6870 Freddie sang most of the lower/middle register and some mid-to high notes too, Brian sang mostly middle register while Roger took care of the higher one🙂 It's insane to think how much effort they put into recording the whole thing, absolutely incredible!
As a kid in the 70's i knew kiss,ACDC, Styx and Aerosmith because of my cool older brothers. but I didn't know Queen until circa 1990. When I heard this song 💯🔥🤘
i was a big Fan of Queen in the 70's, bought A Day at the races and I was hooked! But my friends and family just didnt get them. called them "Opera", which was far from the truth. They made great music, it just didnt fit in the box they called rock music. They were big then, but actually grew bigger thru the years. Now you hear their songs played everywhere, Movies, tv, commercials and stadiums...
I was a young teen when this came out and I remember my friends and I singing it in the back of a station wagon on our way to a ballgame. Our memories belong to each one of us but great music belongs to every generation.
The first real rock opera was The Who's Tommy and the Moody Blues and Emerson, Lake and Palmer were using classical themes in their rock music before Queen but that doesn't mean they didn't take it to another level.
@@dallesamllhals9161 - The great thing about music and the progressive rock genre in particular is that you can take a common cord progression and put it in another key with a different time signature and make a completely new piece of music. Personally, I don't think that is stealing anything.
Yes this song was ground breaking at the time but for many reasons, not just because of the genres they blended into this, but also because music videos at the time were not really a thing and also radio did not want to play the song because of its length and wanted a radio edit version which was the norm with longer songs back then, and they refused to allow it. If you want examples even songs like Bat out of hell or a bit later, Sweet child o'mine had radio edits (usually cutting out guitar solos) but BoRap never had a radio edit. One other thing, Brian May has a very unique tone mainly because he and his father (I believe) built his guitar from scratch using things like wood from a fireplace and springs from a motorcycle.
Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues - in Paris. Restored video! Classical music and rock from 1967. The studio version has an extended instrumental and a spoken word poem which purists prefer, but this promotional film is like a psychedelic time capsule.
Brian May, made his own guitar at home with his dad. The first rock opera was Tommy, about a blind pin-ball wizard. The high notes are the drummer. All of these guys wrote hits, this one was all Freddy, he had to fight to keep this at the origina length, they also finished uni and had careers outside of music.
No.1 for 9 weeks in the UK at the time of release, for a song that the record company at the time said it was too long for a single! A certain DJ at the time helped by playing the song almost continuously, (13 times in just one day), had something to do with it. Cementing it into the consciousnesses of many listeners. I remember it well at the time it was released. The video being almost as iconic as the song itself, which was played each week it was no.1, if memory serves me right, on, 'Top of the Pops.' We always went daft during the, 'rock', part of the song as it was so powerful! It's certainly stood the test of time. Bryan May's, 'Driven By You', would be an interesting reaction.
This was a small hit when it came out, but as time went on it gathered momentum into one of the most memorable songs from the 70's. Your comment about how this song was barrier and boundary breaking, and RISKY, for the time is spot on.
@@anne-mariesindruprix4792 Yeah, when it was originally released in the US it never got higher than number nine on the charts. But then when it was featured in the movie "Waynes World" in 1992 there was a huge resurgence in popularity, and it almost made it up to number 1. In American pop culture it did not really take off until Waynes World. It was rarely played on the radio in the 80's. From this American's perspective, I'll stand by my statement. Your perspective might be different.
@@OZAHS1959 somebody said in an interview that “ nothing has happened until it has happened in US .” It was the UK charts. It reached #9 in US. - so in that perspective it is a small hit.
I was only eight years old and remember this playing for the first time on Top of the Pops. It was as jaw dropping then to us as it is to you nearly 50 years later. Here in the UK we have embraced and nurtured generations of inspirational and experimental musical genres It's no surprise that Queen and many others thrived here. We love our music !!
If you want a treat from Queen please consider "White Queen" live at the Odeon Hammersmith 1975! A real treat of an early great track from this legendary band!! Thanks as always for the reaction!!
This song was released in 1975. You were correct in saying it being a different because of the mix of rock and classical music. In 1970 a band called ELO was formed. The concept was Electric with light orchestra. They dropped the "with" later. I think you know where I'm going with this
there is one more name to add to why this did so well, and that is Kenny Everett a comedian and DJ he got the ball rolling by playing it 14 times in two days on his radio show
Nessum Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti Miss Saraevo - U2 and Luciano Pavarotti Rhoades Blues - The Doors Poweeslaver - Iron Maiden God Save the Queen - Sex Pistox Bring it to us, Millei The songs with your vision is amazing.
The album that included Bohemian Rhapsody was called "A Night at the Opera;" all the songs on that LP, with the exception of Brian May's rocker Sweet Lady, have elements of opera and classical music. It would ba quite a task but someone should review that entire album.
The record label did not want them to do this song because they said that no one will ever listen to it. WRONG!!! It became the gr greatest rock song that there has ever been.
The German band Amon Düül II already mixed opera and rock on their 1970 album "Yeti" in the song "Soap Shop Rock". That was 5 years before Queen did "Bohemian Rhapsody" .
Innuendo, definitely. It was pretty much the last of their big, EPIC operatic numbers, and definitely the BEST. Certainly it was for the band's final years what Bo-Rhap was for the early days ...
6:09 Actually, there was something kind of like this done before - by Queen, in 1974: The March of the Black Queen. There is A LOT going on in that song. I see a lot of people refer to the song as the older sister to Bohemian Rhapsody.
Yo era muy chico, y crecí escuchando esta música, y ya era algo normal escuchar alguna obra de arte del rock, nueva. Y siempre la reacción era de sentirse maravillado, como si fuera de otro mundo. De hecho creo que la vida de esos años giraba alrededor de su música, y es que era así de buena e importante. Y se la valoraba mucho, por ejemplo ahora uno escucha unos segundos de una canción, y pasa a la siguiente y luego a la siguiente. En esos años era suficiente tener unas cuantas buenas canciones, porque eran demasiado buenas...
The members of Queen did think that Freddie Mercury was "quite mad" w/ his grandiose ideas for 'Bohemian rhapsody'... (as well as other songs he would craft) but they were supportive and impressed w/ how the track turned out. The idea for the video was based on the cover of their 2nd album "Queen II"... they wanted that album cover to 'come alive' visually. Queen saw the success in Japan in 1974 and they knew that they were on the verge of breaking big worldwide soon after. As far as the movie 'Bohemian rhapsody'... the anecdotes came from the band themselves, but there were discrepancies. For one, I think it was Brian May who introduced Freddie Mercury to his then-gf Mary Austin (they didn't meet casually!) ... The track "We will rock you" was written around 1977 when Freddie had long hair and no mustache (NOT 1980 as depicted in the movie)... Mary Austin did say that she and Freddie were engaged, but he kept putting off the wedding date cos he was always on tour w/ Queen... When she confronted him about his reluctance to marry and possible infidelity, he admitted quietly that he was sleeping around w/ men and thought he was 'bisexual'... but Mary told him, "No Freddie, I think you are gay..." The 2 remained close friends... he did buy her a house next to his in the UK, but Queen soon moved to West Germany as 'tax exiles'... After Freddie's death, the bulk of his estate went to Mary Austin (he died w/ her helping care for him), and the rest to his family. The other scenes were not in correct timelines... 'Fat bottomed girls' came out AFTER the single 'Bohemian rhapsody' (not before) ... Freddie was diagnosed w/ AIDS in 1987 and he revealed it to the band around 1988 (NOT before Live Aid 1985)... and his ex-bf/ personal manager Paul Prenter went to the press and outed Freddie as gay around 1987 as well after he was fired.
4:00 No, there is no classical or lyric music here nor a mix of different genres, but different "motifs" in a song, which is called a "rhapsody". Listen to Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, this is popular music until today.
Before Bohemian Rhapsody, The Who released Tommy (1969). Then, the following year, the original London cast of Jesus Christ Superstar (with Deep Purple's Ian Gillan in the title role) hit the stores. Both were double albums and were the first two successful Rock Operas. However, recording a six-minute Opera and releasing it as a single??? Certainly unheard of at the time. But, then again, Queen were known to throw the rules book out the window, so to speak.
"Tommy" is a rock opera but musically has nothing to do with opera at all. That pat in "Bohemian Rhapsody" that begins with "I see a little silhouetto of a man..." has a lot to do with opera.
I think this was actually the VERY FIRST MUSIC VIDEO EVER MADE... A lot of the visual imagery was a recreation of the Queen 2 album cover... Never mind the risk about the song style... Radio play songs were typically 3 minutes and 5 seconds... 3:05!!!
A great example of why Freddie was the greatest showman. Don't think anyone else could have done the opera into rock like he did. Now Meatloaf did bring theatrics in with what became a "rock-opera", but it wasn't a pure operatic music itself.
There's a video called Inside The Rhapsody, which has a fantastic insight into how this epic was made. 🙂 Definitely recommended for everyone wanting to know details.
There’s a short doc about 10 minutes long on why Bohemian Rhapsody was the greatest song ever written. Give it a listen and even a reaction I think you’ll really enjoy it. Very very informative.
Hey, Millie - you did it right with the headphones... so much is missed without them... Love your reaction! Look forward to more... especially I hope you will hear some of their less popular songs.. especially by Sir Dr. Brian May...
Yes! The different styles/elements of music were certainly a risk, but so was the length of the song. Bohemian Rhapsody was almost 6 minutes and the producers didn't think the radio stations would play a record that long, so that too was a risk!
The best Brain solo in my opinion are: 1. Brighton Rock from Sheer Heart Attack album 2. Star Fleet (with Eddie Van Halen) from Star Fleet Project but all his solo guitars are masterpieces.
Great reaction. Uriah Heep released Bird of Prey in 1970 that has some operatic influences. Uriah Heep is somewhat of an unheralded early metal band. Their songs draw from a wide variety of influences including; Metal, prog, psychedelic, folk, and opera.
Queen happened to have the same manager as Elton John. His name was John Reid. Reid played the unreleased track for Elton at that time and he told him that was going to be the single. EJ’s response was are you bloody fkng mad? Lol😂
The very first rock opera would be Tommy, an album by The Who. But this affects the whole album. As a one song opera Bohemian Rhapsody is very special to this day.
I was a kid when I heard this song for the first time, end of 80's, start of 90's. It wasn't quite my song (I was big time into metal), but something in this song stuck in my mind. It was just different, not exactly to my tastes and yet I liked it, in some way. And with each passing year I liked this song more and more. It is an absolutely amazing piece, Queen is amazing and Freddy Mercury - barely any word can really describe what and who he was.
NO QUESTION THEY WERE INCREDIBLY TALENTED….MANY WERE BREAKING MUSIC BARRIERS….PROCAL HARUM, SHINE ON BRIGHTLY, PINK FLOYD, A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS….MOODY BLUES, ON A THRESHOLD OF A DREAM….I’M 70 NOW AND MUSIC SPOKE TO US AND OFTEN FOR US….IN THOSE DAYS, ONE HAD TO BE GOOD…MOST FLAWS COULD NOT BE COVERED UP AS THEY CAN BE TODAY…
You should check out Tommy Johanson from Sweden, he does a new cover every Friday and plays his own instruments, he's also guitarist for Sabaton, has a very high vocal range
The Beatles, the undisputed greatest band of all time, featured a lot of classical music ingredients in vast numbers of their songs in the 1960s, and blazed the trail for all those who followed.
The Beatles even went so far as to have nothing but strings on "Eleanor Rigby". No guitar, bass or drums. All of the "ground breaking" that followed was derivative. The ground was already broken.
And what about those changes of rhythm and intensity in the music to accentuate the feelings? I know, about ten years ago, someone recorded a video clip acting out what the lyrics say, but I don't remember who and I haven't been able to find the video
There are many Queen vids that are excellent, another one that shocked a lot of people and even Queen fans and that is the vid to I Want to Break Free, if you have not seen it give it a go. All the best.
Kids of my generation that grew up in the sixties had been listening to new and innovative music for a decade when Queen hit the scene and we would have been more disappointed if their music hadn't been new and innovative. I fact it was just another example how rock keep morphing and changing and we just came to expect and certainly accept the new and unusual. Also Queen kind of introduced what became known as arena rock. One more thing, The Who album Tommy, which had the classic track Pinball Wizard was considered the first Rock Opera and I also think that Quadrophenia was also considered a Rock Opera.
In my opinion, their song, "Killer Queen" was kind of a predecessor to "Bohemian Rhapsody". It has many of the same type of elements and similar harmonies and predated "Bohemian Rhapsody". And though they're not that similar, The Who did a "rock opera" called "Tommy" in 1969.
I am 64 years old and have been a Queen fan since 1973,i don't know your age lovely but to see how much you appreciate their music fills my heart with joy ,their music is In good hands.❤
I’m close to your age and remember when this came out. My friends and I sang it in the back of a station wagon. Our memories belong to us but great music belongs to everyone.
I'm with you, Keith, great comment!
The four heads are just for effect. In fact all four voices are Freddie's!
67 ...with you Keith! No one comes close to Queen..
You gotta' admit, for a PhD astrophysicist, the guitarist can really shred.
That went straight over a lot of heads...
Stellar performance
💯☺
Who said Geeks aren't cool? True Star Quality!
He could sing and write songs too.
You will enjoy, Who Wants to Live Forever. The sheer power of Freddie’s voice in live in Budapest is amazing.
You said it so exactly the greatest band ever with the best frontman ever masterpiece that chanced the rock music no one can composed ever something like this one in fifty years now thanks to freddie's mind so genius as brian said it was freddie's baby thanks great reaction❤❤
If you want to hear Brian's guitar, listen to Queen: White Queen live at Odeon, Hammersmith 12/24/1975. There is a instrumental portion of the song that is about 1.75 minutes long where Brian makes his guitar cry, scream, and wail as well as sound so perfectly sweet. You will love this performance and Freddie's vocals are perfection. Also, Brian's solo song outside of Queen that had me sobbing just from the tone is "Nothin' but Blue." As it turns out, Brian wrote that song the night before Freddie died. At the time I first heard it, I didn't have any idea of the history of the composition so that had nothing to do with what prompted my literally and uncontrollably crying out loud. Brian has the most incredible touch on his guitar, there is no one else like him. In case you didn't know, Brian built his guitar with his father when he was a teen from junk they had laying around the house, including a piece of a hundred year old fireplace. For this reason, Freddie sometimes referred to Brian's guitar as "The Fireplace," and the cheapest piece of equipment of the band. Brian named his guitar "The Red Special" and sometimes refers to it as "The Old Lady." His guitar is unique and he designed it to feed back, something that other electric guitars at the time were not designed to do, as a matter of fact, they were designed NOT to feed back.
Agreed, this is truly one of their most passionate performances.
I would add "Brighton Rock" a collection of nested bookends on the outside you have the song with the whole of the band, then just Brian and Roger and right in the middle just Brian's guitar solo.
Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the best songs ever. The change between the different styles of music is just perfect.
And don't forget, the song will soon be 50 years old. 🤯
The best analogy I can think of is listening to it is like riding a roller coaster just out of order. It has it's slow parts, then it slowly climbs that big hill, then shifts into the headbanger section as you race down the other side of that hill.
The impact this song AND video made just cannot be understated. I remember it well. It literally EXPLODED into the musical world. Also, the editing and effects on the video were cutting-edge.
I bought "A Night at the Opera" back in 1975 when it came out. Had been a fan already, but this album cemented it.
So much so that i had the opportunity to see them in September 1980, during the Game album tour in Madison Square Garden.
Same here, I was enthralled with this song and the rest of the album did not disappoint. At fifteen years old I loved it for all it's different influences - classical, pop, R&B, etc. As a car guy, I've even been a big fan of "I'm In Love With My Car", one of the oddities of this album.
@@toddmathers5075 thanks for catching that, total brain fart. I fixed it.
I heard this the first time it was played on national radio, by the great Kenny Everett. He played it back to back almost without comment. An iconic moment.
Such an epic song, one of the best ever recorded. Can you imagine being a kid in the 70's as I was and hearing this come out of your radio? Truly mind-blowing. From what I read this was actually pieces of unfinished songs/ideas from Freddie that were woven together so skillfully. A true masterpiece of music.
This is a Rock Opera. There were several in the 70,s, such as The Who's Tommy, Lead Zepelin's Stairway to Heaven, Pink Floyds Wish you were here, Jesus Christ Superstar. What a great time to come of age.
Nice pick. Beautiful reaction.. Look on your face...priceless. So cool to see you discovering our music. And very nice to watch as you broaden your musical horizons and check out the tunes I listened to when I was younger than you are now. When this was released it was all over the radio waves, and later on MTV and VH1 Classic. We were buying Queen records to play on our record players by the million. Watchin and diggin from this old longhaired rocker. Big shoutout from Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Go with God. Bless you. Peace and love, girlfriend.
The Who wrote a full rock opera "Tommy" that you can rent. It has Elton John in the title role. There was a rock musical that broke lots of ground. "Hair" is a cultural icon. As a rock artist, you might benefit from watching it and Tommy. The Beatles are the first I knew of that used orchestral instruments in unique service to rock. (There had always been orchestral music used in rock songs, but usually in the traditional musical roles.)
Tommy the studio version is far superior to me, and although I'm a huge fan of both The Who and Elton John, I can't stand Elton's version of Pinball Wizard, which is a "guitar anthem" to me...
"The accompanying video for their 1975 single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is generally recognised as the first ever promotional music video, kick-starting and setting the gold-standard for the genre for decades to come.". Nearly 50 years old now - wow ! Couple of years ago I saw Queen & Adam Lambert live. Hearing Bohemian Rhapsody performed live, with thousands of people singing every word, was incredible.
Great to see the younger generation still enjoying classic rock. I was born in the 50's my parents listened to big band amd my grandparents listened to swing jazz. the 60's was peace and love, the eighties was making money. the 70's was the party. i saw queen in ft wayne indiana in i believe 1975 could have been 74. they were awesome! Freddy (RIP) was a showman. Yes you are right nobody had done anything like this until Queen. the same band that made Fat bottomed girls lol they make the rockin' world go round.
Maybe not exactly a match, but the Who did their rock opera, "Tommy" in 1969.
When I was a kid my neighbor had the "Another One Bites the Dust" 45, so I was already a fan. I wasn't introduced to this song till Wayne's World. I love Brian's guitar tone! No one else sounds like him, you can always tell it's him! I think he and his dad made that guitar when he was in high school!
I bought this in 1975. It´s so good to watch you and your knowledge. May i suggest another prog-rock sensation? FOCUS : HOCUSPOCUS Live Midnight Special 1973 (must be this version, there´s a reason for that, but i won´t spoil it).
HEY Honey,
FUN FACT:
The acapella harmonies at the beginning are ALL FREDDIE (even though the video shows all the band members “singing”… The others are lip syncing.) Freddie recorded the intro himself in five parts and overlaid them.
You should also see this LIVE. (They omit the acapella intro, but the rest is EVEN BETTER LIVE. The best live performance is (IMO)…
MONTREAL IN 1981
Not. He had to teach the drummer how to reach the highest notes.
@@nancymjohnson I think there is a wee bit of confusion between the intro and the famous middle opera part of the song. Marcie is correct about the very beginning of Bohemian Rhapsody with Freddie Mercury being the only one singing that acapella part. He recorded 5 parts and they overdubbed (layered) his vocals to create that harmony.
You are correct about the drummer Roger Taylor on the high notes, but that is in the opera part where they are singing "Thunderbolts and lightning, very, very frightening me. Galileo, Galileo. Galileo, Galileo. Galileo, Figaro - magnificoo... He's just a poor boy from a poor family, Spare him his life from this monstrosity...." And so on.
Freddie took the middle register, guitarist Brian May the low, and Taylor the highs. Freddie, May, and Taylor each recorded several parts, then they overdubbed them multiple times to create that wall of sound. I cannot remember who, but either May or Taylor stated in an interview that they worked 10-12 hours a day on the vocals. Freddie wanted to keep adding parts and the tape got so thin you could see through it and they almost lost the music several times. The bassist John Deacon was the only one of the four that did not sing on this track.
@@bobmiller6870 THANK YOU for clarifying, Bob!
@@nancymjohnson In the middle operatic section, yes… Fred, Roger & Brian all sang.
The intro was just Fred.
@@bobmiller6870 Freddie sang most of the lower/middle register and some mid-to high notes too, Brian sang mostly middle register while Roger took care of the higher one🙂 It's insane to think how much effort they put into recording the whole thing, absolutely incredible!
Quite simply one of the best songs ever written, love Queen! Your reaction and words are fabulous ⭐🌟
Can we talk about how you always say “can we talk about”….
I love it. 🥰😊
As a kid in the 70's i knew kiss,ACDC, Styx and Aerosmith because of my cool older brothers. but I didn't know Queen until circa 1990. When I heard this song 💯🔥🤘
i was a big Fan of Queen in the 70's, bought A Day at the races and I was hooked! But my friends and family just didnt get them. called them "Opera", which was far from the truth. They made great music, it just didnt fit in the box they called rock music. They were big then, but actually grew bigger thru the years. Now you hear their songs played everywhere, Movies, tv, commercials and stadiums...
Thank you for watching!!! I was in high school when this song came out, IT WAS A CLASSIC THEN & IS NOW!!! 😇🎶♥
I was a young teen when this came out and I remember my friends and I singing it in the back of a station wagon on our way to a ballgame. Our memories belong to each one of us but great music belongs to every generation.
The first real rock opera was The Who's Tommy and the Moody Blues and Emerson, Lake and Palmer were using classical themes in their rock music before Queen but that doesn't mean they didn't take it to another level.
The Moody Blues, Days of Future Past.
...and composers NEVER stole from eachother...EVER! 😀
@@dallesamllhals9161 - The great thing about music and the progressive rock genre in particular is that you can take a common cord progression and put it in another key with a different time signature and make a completely new piece of music. Personally, I don't think that is stealing anything.
@@RMForbes505 AHA! So only progressive rock does new things?
@@dallesamllhals9161 Not what I said at all. However, prog went out of the way to mix things up.
Yes this song was ground breaking at the time but for many reasons, not just because of the genres they blended into this, but also because music videos at the time were not really a thing and also radio did not want to play the song because of its length and wanted a radio edit version which was the norm with longer songs back then, and they refused to allow it.
If you want examples even songs like Bat out of hell or a bit later, Sweet child o'mine had radio edits (usually cutting out guitar solos) but BoRap never had a radio edit.
One other thing, Brian May has a very unique tone mainly because he and his father (I believe) built his guitar from scratch using things like wood from a fireplace and springs from a motorcycle.
Nights in White Satin - The Moody Blues - in Paris. Restored video! Classical music and rock from 1967. The studio version has an extended instrumental and a spoken word poem which purists prefer, but this promotional film is like a psychedelic time capsule.
Brian May, made his own guitar at home with his dad. The first rock opera was Tommy, about a blind pin-ball wizard. The high notes are the drummer. All of these guys wrote hits, this one was all Freddy, he had to fight to keep this at the origina length, they also finished uni and had careers outside of music.
The Greatest Band of all time 👑❤
No.1 for 9 weeks in the UK at the time of release, for a song that the record company at the time said it was too long for a single! A certain DJ at the time helped by playing the song almost continuously, (13 times in just one day), had something to do with it. Cementing it into the consciousnesses of many listeners. I remember it well at the time it was released. The video being almost as iconic as the song itself, which was played each week it was no.1, if memory serves me right, on, 'Top of the Pops.' We always went daft during the, 'rock', part of the song as it was so powerful! It's certainly stood the test of time.
Bryan May's, 'Driven By You', would be an interesting reaction.
This song is just fantastic ! This is an anthem for all a generation 🤘👏😊
This was a small hit when it came out, but as time went on it gathered momentum into one of the most memorable songs from the 70's. Your comment about how this song was barrier and boundary breaking, and RISKY, for the time is spot on.
It went to #1 in the charts - and stayed there for 9 weeks - - is that a small hit??
@@anne-mariesindruprix4792 Yeah, when it was originally released in the US it never got higher than number nine on the charts. But then when it was featured in the movie "Waynes World" in 1992 there was a huge resurgence in popularity, and it almost made it up to number 1. In American pop culture it did not really take off until Waynes World. It was rarely played on the radio in the 80's. From this American's perspective, I'll stand by my statement. Your perspective might be different.
@@OZAHS1959 somebody said in an interview that “ nothing has happened until it has happened in US .” It was the UK charts. It reached #9 in US. - so in that perspective it is a small hit.
I don't remember if had react to but if you want something showing how awesome Brian May is as guitarist, I suggest you the song Brighton Rock
Oh most definitely! I think this gets so overlooked when people talk about Brian.
I was only eight years old and remember this playing for the first time on Top of the Pops.
It was as jaw dropping then to us as it is to you nearly 50 years later.
Here in the UK we have embraced and nurtured generations of inspirational and experimental musical genres
It's no surprise that Queen and many others thrived here.
We love our music !!
If you want a treat from Queen please consider "White Queen" live at the Odeon Hammersmith 1975! A real treat of an early great track from this legendary band!! Thanks as always for the reaction!!
Glad you are on air again Millie!❤
ELO { electric light orchestra } clasical music too
This song was released in 1975. You were correct in saying it being a different because of the mix of rock and classical music. In 1970 a band called ELO was formed. The concept was Electric with light orchestra. They dropped the "with" later. I think you know where I'm going with this
In Korea, a group called Forestella covered this song^^ You won't regret it!! Please listen to it^^
there is one more name to add to why this did so well, and that is Kenny Everett a comedian and DJ he got the ball rolling by playing it 14 times in two days on his radio show
Nessum Dorma - Luciano Pavarotti
Miss Saraevo - U2 and Luciano Pavarotti
Rhoades Blues - The Doors
Poweeslaver - Iron Maiden
God Save the Queen - Sex Pistox
Bring it to us, Millei
The songs with your vision is amazing.
The album that included Bohemian Rhapsody was called "A Night at the Opera;" all the songs on that LP, with the exception of Brian May's rocker Sweet Lady, have elements of opera and classical music. It would ba quite a task but someone should review that entire album.
They are all classically trained musicians. Bryan is also astrophysicist and helped with the Mars rover
The record label did not want them to do this song because they said that no one will ever listen to it. WRONG!!! It became the gr greatest rock song that there has ever been.
This song is a really magnificent song of all time
Proof talent lasts. An old song and video now, but now a classic masterpiece. Good you finally saw and enjoyed. 🎉❤
The German band Amon Düül II already mixed opera and rock on their 1970 album "Yeti" in the song "Soap Shop Rock". That was 5 years before Queen did "Bohemian Rhapsody" .
Quite simply your reaction was a joy to watch. Thank you.
Innuendo, definitely. It was pretty much the last of their big, EPIC operatic numbers, and definitely the BEST. Certainly it was for the band's final years what Bo-Rhap was for the early days ...
Bohemian Rhapsody was a (miraculous) hodgepodge of several unfinished songs by Freddie... perfectly melded into a masterpiece.. lovely
wow! Beautiful sweet Freddie! Love Freddie's look in the 70s!
6:09
Actually, there was something kind of like this done before - by Queen, in 1974: The March of the Black Queen.
There is A LOT going on in that song. I see a lot of people refer to the song as the older sister to Bohemian Rhapsody.
Yo era muy chico, y crecí escuchando esta música, y ya era algo normal escuchar alguna obra de arte del rock, nueva. Y siempre la reacción era de sentirse maravillado, como si fuera de otro mundo. De hecho creo que la vida de esos años giraba alrededor de su música, y es que era así de buena e importante. Y se la valoraba mucho, por ejemplo ahora uno escucha unos segundos de una canción, y pasa a la siguiente y luego a la siguiente. En esos años era suficiente tener unas cuantas buenas canciones, porque eran demasiado buenas...
The members of Queen did think that Freddie Mercury was "quite mad" w/ his grandiose ideas for 'Bohemian rhapsody'... (as well as other songs he would craft) but they were supportive and impressed w/ how the track turned out.
The idea for the video was based on the cover of their 2nd album "Queen II"... they wanted that album cover to 'come alive' visually. Queen saw the success in Japan in 1974 and they knew that they were on the verge of breaking big worldwide soon after.
As far as the movie 'Bohemian rhapsody'... the anecdotes came from the band themselves, but there were discrepancies. For one, I think it was Brian May who introduced Freddie Mercury to his then-gf Mary Austin (they didn't meet casually!) ... The track "We will rock you" was written around 1977 when Freddie had long hair and no mustache (NOT 1980 as depicted in the movie)...
Mary Austin did say that she and Freddie were engaged, but he kept putting off the wedding date cos he was always on tour w/ Queen... When she confronted him about his reluctance to marry and possible infidelity, he admitted quietly that he was sleeping around w/ men and thought he was 'bisexual'... but Mary told him, "No Freddie, I think you are gay..."
The 2 remained close friends... he did buy her a house next to his in the UK, but Queen soon moved to West Germany as 'tax exiles'... After Freddie's death, the bulk of his estate went to Mary Austin (he died w/ her helping care for him), and the rest to his family.
The other scenes were not in correct timelines... 'Fat bottomed girls' came out AFTER the single 'Bohemian rhapsody' (not before) ... Freddie was diagnosed w/ AIDS in 1987 and he revealed it to the band around 1988 (NOT before Live Aid 1985)... and his ex-bf/ personal manager Paul Prenter went to the press and outed Freddie as gay around 1987 as well after he was fired.
4:00 No, there is no classical or lyric music here nor a mix of different genres, but different "motifs" in a song, which is called a "rhapsody". Listen to Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, this is popular music until today.
Actually the first Rock Opera was 5 years before this in 1970 called "Tommy " by the Who. Queen elaborated the genre more with this song.
And Tommy was a full length movie, not just a video.
Before Bohemian Rhapsody, The Who released Tommy (1969). Then, the following year, the original London cast of Jesus Christ Superstar (with Deep Purple's Ian Gillan in the title role) hit the stores. Both were double albums and were the first two successful Rock Operas. However, recording a six-minute Opera and releasing it as a single??? Certainly unheard of at the time. But, then again, Queen were known to throw the rules book out the window, so to speak.
"Tommy" is a rock opera but musically has nothing to do with opera at all. That pat in "Bohemian Rhapsody" that begins with "I see a little silhouetto of a man..." has a lot to do with opera.
The slightly rockier part just before the end always reminds me of "The Sweet"
Tienes que escuchar Because por los Beatles, en el disco Abby Road, muchos antes de la Rapsodia
It is fun to listen to the crowd waiting for a green say concert sing this entire song
I think this was actually the VERY FIRST MUSIC VIDEO EVER MADE... A lot of the visual imagery was a recreation of the Queen 2 album cover... Never mind the risk about the song style... Radio play songs were typically 3 minutes and 5 seconds... 3:05!!!
You have to look at Queen in the seventies...their hair ...style of clothing was iconic..and we love it🤩
A great example of why Freddie was the greatest showman. Don't think anyone else could have done the opera into rock like he did. Now Meatloaf did bring theatrics in with what became a "rock-opera", but it wasn't a pure operatic music itself.
There's a video called Inside The Rhapsody, which has a fantastic insight into how this epic was made. 🙂 Definitely recommended for everyone wanting to know details.
March of the Black Queen would be a great song to study for the guitar , two excellent solos and some great riffs.
For a good showcase of Brian May's guitar playing, check out 'Brighton Rock,' from Queen's third album, 'Sheer Heart Attack.'
There’s a short doc about 10 minutes long on why Bohemian Rhapsody was the greatest song ever written. Give it a listen and even a reaction I think you’ll really enjoy it. Very very informative.
Loved them all my life.
Great input, great reaction!!
Hey, Millie - you did it right with the headphones... so much is missed without them... Love your reaction! Look forward to more... especially I hope you will hear some of their less popular songs.. especially by Sir Dr. Brian May...
Yes! The different styles/elements of music were certainly a risk, but so was the length of the song. Bohemian Rhapsody was almost 6 minutes and the producers didn't think the radio stations would play a record that long, so that too was a risk!
The best Brain solo in my opinion are:
1. Brighton Rock from Sheer Heart Attack album
2. Star Fleet (with Eddie Van Halen) from Star Fleet Project
but all his solo guitars are masterpieces.
Classic song of Queen🎼🎶🎸❤🇬🇧
Great reaction. Uriah Heep released Bird of Prey in 1970 that has some operatic influences. Uriah Heep is somewhat of an unheralded early metal band. Their songs draw from a wide variety of influences including; Metal, prog, psychedelic, folk, and opera.
Queen happened to have the same manager as Elton John. His name was John Reid. Reid played the unreleased track for Elton at that time and he told him that was going to be the single. EJ’s response was are you bloody fkng mad? Lol😂
The very first rock opera would be Tommy, an album by The Who. But this affects the whole album. As a one song opera Bohemian Rhapsody is very special to this day.
im 69 years old was brought up with queen i so loved your reaction to this!
I was a kid when I heard this song for the first time, end of 80's, start of 90's. It wasn't quite my song (I was big time into metal), but something in this song stuck in my mind. It was just different, not exactly to my tastes and yet I liked it, in some way. And with each passing year I liked this song more and more. It is an absolutely amazing piece, Queen is amazing and Freddy Mercury - barely any word can really describe what and who he was.
It was also the length of the song that the powers that be they thought nobody would listen so long for a song on the radio But they did
Freddie always said this was 3 songs put together 🙂
NO QUESTION THEY WERE INCREDIBLY TALENTED….MANY WERE BREAKING MUSIC BARRIERS….PROCAL HARUM, SHINE ON BRIGHTLY, PINK FLOYD, A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS….MOODY BLUES, ON A THRESHOLD OF A DREAM….I’M 70 NOW AND MUSIC SPOKE TO US AND OFTEN FOR US….IN THOSE DAYS, ONE HAD TO BE GOOD…MOST FLAWS COULD NOT BE COVERED UP AS THEY CAN BE TODAY…
You should check out Tommy Johanson from Sweden, he does a new cover every Friday and plays his own instruments, he's also guitarist for Sabaton, has a very high vocal range
The Beatles, the undisputed greatest band of all time, featured a lot of classical music ingredients in vast numbers of their songs in the 1960s, and blazed the trail for all those who followed.
The Beatles even went so far as to have nothing but strings on "Eleanor Rigby". No guitar, bass or drums. All of the "ground breaking" that followed was derivative. The ground was already broken.
The Beatles have so many amazing songs. If I had to name my favourite, I certainly can't decide between 10 tracks and I'm actually a metalhead...
Definitely not undisputed
the greatest song of all time, period.
This is widely considered to be the first-ever music video.
Nobody other than Freddie Mercury had such a vocal range
Just so you know, they even named the album a "Night at the Opera"
There is a making of it, don't know if you have seen it but its really interesting.
And what about those changes of rhythm and intensity in the music to accentuate the feelings?
I know, about ten years ago, someone recorded a video clip acting out what the lyrics say, but I don't remember who and I haven't been able to find the video
There are many Queen vids that are excellent, another one that shocked a lot of people and even Queen fans and that is the vid to I Want to Break Free, if you have not seen it give it a go. All the best.
Listen to Procol Harum and the Moody Blues from before the time of this song
Welcome to Queen, Gorgeous Millie
NO a Whiter shade of pale by Procol Harum came before this as a mix of classic and rock as Brian May would testify to later.
I've heard some say Eddie Van Halen invented the guitar picking with finger but you see May do it here
I Love your reaction to this
Kids of my generation that grew up in the sixties had been listening to new and innovative music for a decade when Queen hit the scene and we would have been more disappointed if their music hadn't been new and innovative. I fact it was just another example how rock keep morphing and changing and we just came to expect and certainly accept the new and unusual. Also Queen kind of introduced what became known as arena rock. One more thing, The Who album Tommy, which had the classic track Pinball Wizard was considered the first Rock Opera and I also think that Quadrophenia was also considered a Rock Opera.
You should watch what is considered the greatest rock performance of all time. Queen at Live Aid.
You’re so perspective at young age , thumbs up to you took me years😀👍
This is called masterpiece song
In my opinion, their song, "Killer Queen" was kind of a predecessor to "Bohemian Rhapsody". It has many of the same type of elements and similar harmonies and predated "Bohemian Rhapsody".
And though they're not that similar, The Who did a "rock opera" called "Tommy" in 1969.
Try YES they were the grandfather of Prog