Single:
Bohemian Rhapsody entered the Australian singles chart* on 19 January 1976 and was a #1 hit. It was the #5 song in the Top 100 of 1976.
Album:
The song is on A Night at the Opera which entered the Australian albums chart* on 12 January 1976. It reached #1 on 15 March 1976 and stayed on top for 2 weeks.
Songwriter:
Freddie Mercury
Producers:
Roy Thomas Baker, Queen
Record label of Australian release:
Elektra
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS CLIP BELOW – Bohemian Rhapsody in Klingon!
Wikipedia:
According to Mercury’s friend Chris Smith (a keyboard player in Smile), Mercury first started developing Bohemian Rhapsody in the late 1960s; Mercury used to play parts of songs he was writing at the time on the piano, and one of his pieces, known simply as The Cowboy Song, contained lyrics that ended up in the completed version produced years later, in 1975, specifically, “Mama … just killed a man.”
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody
Songfacts:
Freddie Mercury wrote the lyrics, and there has been a lot of speculation as to their meaning. Many of the words appear in the Qu’ran. “Bismillah” is one of these and it literally means “In the name of Allah.” The word “Scaramouch” means “A stock character that appears as a boastful coward.” “Beelzebub” is one of the many names given to The Devil. Mercury’s parents were deeply involved in Zoroastrianism, and these Arabic words do have a meaning in that religion.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/queen/bohemian-rhapsody
Lyrics:
Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landside
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I′m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy
Because I’m easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows doesn′t really matter to me
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Also on Bang a Gong: Bohemian Rhapsody explodes on the world’s largest pipe organ
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS CLIP
Bohemian Rhapsody – “original Klingon version” by the Qapla’ Band Players. Produced by Rusty Matyas.
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