Bohemian Rhapsody - wikipedia Bohemian Rhapsody For the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic of the same name, see Bohemian Rhapsody ( film ). `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' Original cover of the US single release Single by Queen from the album A Night at the Opera B - side `` I 'm in Love with My Car '' `` Death on Two Legs ( Dedicated to... ) '' ( Poland ) `` Sweet Lady '' ( Turkey ) Released 31 October 1975 Format 7 '' cassette CD Recorded August -- September 1975 Studio Various Rockfield Studios, Monmouthshire Penrhos Court, Herefordshire Roundhouse Studio, London SARM ( East ), London Scorpio Sound, London Wessex Studios, London Genre Progressive rock symphonic rock hard rock progressive pop Length 5 : 57 Label EMI Elektra Songwriter ( s ) Freddie Mercury Producer ( s ) Roy Thomas Baker Queen Queen singles chronology `` Lily of the Valley '' ( 1975 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( 1975 ) `` You 're My Best Friend '' ( 1976 ) `` Lily of the Valley '' ( 1975 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( 1975 ) `` You 're My Best Friend '' ( 1976 ) A Night at the Opera track listing 12 tracks Side one `` Death on Two Legs ( Dedicated to... ) '' `` Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon '' `` I 'm in Love with My Car '' `` You 're My Best Friend '' `` ' 39 '' `` Sweet Lady '' `` Seaside Rendezvous '' Side two `` The Prophet 's Song '' `` Love of My Life '' `` Good Company '' `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' `` God Save the Queen '' `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band 's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. It is a six - minute suite, consisting of several sections without a chorus : an intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part and a reflective coda. The song is a more accessible take on the 1970s progressive rock genre. It was reportedly the most expensive single ever made at the time of its release, though the exact cost of production can not be determined. When it was released as a single, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' became a commercial success, staying at the top of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks and selling more than a million copies by the end of January 1976. It reached number one again in 1991 for another five weeks when the same version was re-released, eventually becoming the UK 's third - best - selling single of all time. It is also the only song to be Christmas number one twice by the same artist. It topped the charts in several other markets as well, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and The Netherlands, later becoming one of the best - selling singles of all time. In the United States, the song originally peaked at number nine in 1976. It returned to the chart at number two in 1992 following Freddie Mercury 's death in 1991, as well as its appearance in the film Wayne 's World, which revived its American popularity. Although critical reaction was initially mixed, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' remains one of Queen 's most popular songs and is frequently placed on modern lists of the greatest songs of all time. The single was accompanied by a promotional video, which many scholars consider ground - breaking. Rolling Stone magazine stated : `` Its influence can not be overstated, practically inventing the music video seven years before MTV went on the air. '' In 2004, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2012, the song topped the list on an ITV nationwide poll in the UK to find `` The Nation 's Favourite Number One '' over 60 years of music. Contents 1 History and recording 2 Composition and analysis 2.1 Intro ( 0 : 00 -- 0 : 49 ) 2.2 Ballad ( 0 : 49 -- 3 : 02 ) 2.2. 1 Guitar solo ( 2 : 40 -- 3 : 05 ) 2.3 Opera ( 3 : 05 -- 4 : 07 ) 2.4 Rock ( 4 : 07 -- 4 : 54 ) 2.5 Outro ( 4 : 54 -- 5 : 55 ) 3 Context 4 Release 5 Promotional video 6 Critical reaction, acclaim and legacy 6.1 Wayne 's World 6.2 40th anniversary 7 Live performances 8 Chart performance 8.1 Weekly charts 8.2 Year - end charts 8.3 Decade - end charts 8.4 Sales and certifications 9 Queen comments on the record 10 Personnel 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External links History and recording Freddie Mercury wrote `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' at his home in London. The song 's producer, Roy Thomas Baker, related how Mercury once played the opening ballad section on the piano for him : `` He played the beginning on the piano, then stopped and said, ' And this is where the opera section comes in ! ' Then we went out to eat dinner. '' Guitarist Brian May says the band thought that Mercury 's blueprint for the song was `` intriguing and original, and worthy of work ''. According to May, much of Queen 's material was written in the studio, but this song `` was all in Freddie 's mind '' before they started. Music scholar Sheila Whiteley suggests that `` the title draws strongly on contemporary rock ideology, the individualism of the Bohemian artists ' world, with Rhapsody affirming the romantic ideals of art rock ''. Commenting on bohemianism, Judith Peraino said `` Mercury intended... ( this song ) to be a ' mock opera ', something outside the norm of rock songs, and it does follow a certain operatic logic : choruses of multi-tracked voices alternate with aria - like solos, the emotions are excessive, the plot confusing. '' In terms of execution, the song is preceded by the Beach Boys ' 1966 single `` Good Vibrations '', which was also pieced together using various different sections. 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 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. '' This echoes the opener of a 1962 b - side called Mama by Roy Orbison, which is also on Roy Orbison 's Greatest Hits ( 1962 ). Recording began on 24 August 1975 at Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth Wales, after a three - week rehearsal at Penrhos Court, near Kington, Herefordshire. During the making of the track, four additional studios ( Roundhouse, SARM ( East ), Scorpion, and Wessex ) were used. According to some band members, Mercury mentally prepared the song beforehand and directed the band throughout. Mercury used a Bechstein `` concert grand '' piano, which he played in the promotional video and the UK tour. Due to the elaborate nature of the song, it was recorded in various sections. May, Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor reportedly sang their vocal parts continually for ten to twelve hours a day. The entire piece took three weeks to record, and in some sections featured 180 separate overdubs. Since the studios of the time only offered 24 - track analog tape, it was necessary for the three to overdub themselves many times and `` bounce '' these down to successive sub-mixes. In the end, eighth - generation tapes were used. The various sections of tape containing the desired sub-mixes had to be spliced ( cut and assembled in the correct sequence ). May recalled placing a tape in front of the light and being able to see through it, as the tape had been used so many times. Producer Baker recalls that May 's solo was done on only one track, rather than recording multiple tracks. May stated that he wanted to compose `` a little tune that would be a counterpart to the main melody ; I did n't just want to play the melody ''. The guitarist said that his better material stems from this way of working : in which he thought of the tune before playing it : `` the fingers tend to be predictable unless being led by the brain. '' Composition and Analysis `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' has been associated with several genres of music, including progressive rock, progressive pop, symphonic rock and hard rock. The song is highly unusual for a popular single in featuring no chorus, combining disparate musical styles and containing lyrics which eschew conventional love - based narratives for allusions to murder and nihilism. It consists of sections, beginning with an introduction, then a piano ballad, before a guitar solo leads to an operatic interlude. A hard rock part follows this and it concludes with a coda. The song is in the keys of B ♭ major, E ♭ major, A major and F major, and shifts from a 9 8 metre in the introduction to 4 4. This musical format of writing a song as a suite with changes in style, tone and tempo throughout was uncommon in most mainstream pop and rock music but common in progressive rock. The genre had reached its artistic and commercial zenith between 1970 and 1975 in the music of British bands such as Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator and Curved Air. The music of progressive rock was characterised by dramatic contrasts, frequent shifts in tempo and in rhythmic character from one section of a composition to the next. Bands from the genre had blended rock with classical music, its structural features and compositional practices, as well as using classical music instrumentation. Queen had embraced progressive rock as one of their many diverse influences. `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' parodies many different elements of opera by using bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative and distorted Italian operatic phraseology. An embryonic version of this style had already been utilised in Mercury 's earlier compositions for the band `` My Fairy King '' ( 1973 ) and `` The March of the Black Queen '' ( 1974 ). Intro ( 0 : 00 -- 0 : 49 ) The song begins with a close five - part harmony a cappella introduction in B ♭ major -- entirely multi track recordings of Mercury although the video has all four members lip - syncing this part. The lyrics question whether life is `` real '' or `` just fantasy caught in a landslide '' before concluding that there can be `` no escape from reality ''. After 20 seconds, the grand piano enters, and Mercury 's voice alternates with the other vocal parts. The narrator introduces himself as `` just a poor boy '' but declares that he `` needs no sympathy '' because he is `` easy come, easy go '' and then `` little high, little low '' ( if listening in stereo, the words `` little high '' come from the left speaker whereas the `` little low '' comes from the right ) ; chromatic side - slipping on `` easy come, easy go '' highlights the dream - like atmosphere. The end of this section is marked by the bass entrance and the cross-handed piano vamp in B ♭. Ballad ( 0 : 49 -- 3 : 02 ) `` Mama, just killed a man '' This sample features the distinctive piano vamp in B ♭ and the first line of the first verse. Problems playing this file ? See media help. The piano begins the vamp in B ♭ major along with the entrance of John Deacon 's bass guitar, marking the onset of this section. After it plays twice, Mercury 's vocals enter. Over the course of the section, the vocals evolve from a softly sung harmony to an impassioned solo performance by Mercury. The narrator explains to his mother that he has `` just killed a man, '' with `` a gun against his head '' and in doing so, has thrown his life away. This `` confessional '' section, Whiteley comments, is `` affirmative of the nurturant and life - giving force of the feminine and the need for absolution ''. The bassline brings about a modulation to E ♭ major, underpinning the mood of desperation. It is at this point ( 1 : 19 ) that Taylor 's drums enter ( this features the 1 - 1 - 2 rhythm of `` We Will Rock You '' in ballad form ), and the narrator makes the second of several invocations to his `` mama '' in the new key, reusing the original theme. The narrator explains his regret over `` mak ( ing ) you cry '' and urging mama to `` carry on as if nothing really matters ''. A brief, descending variation of the piano vamp phrase connects to a two repeat of the vamp in B ♭ major once again, ushering in the second verse. As the ballad proceeds into its second verse, the narrator shows how tired and beaten down he is by his actions ( as May enters on guitar and mimics the upper range of the piano at 1 : 50 ). May imitates a bell tree during the line `` sends shivers down my spine '', by playing the strings of his guitar on the other side of the bridge. The narrator bids the world goodbye announcing he has `` got to go '' and prepares to `` face the truth '' admitting `` I do n't want to die / I sometimes wish I 'd never been born at all. '' This is where the guitar solo enters. Guitar solo ( 2 : 40 -- 3 : 05 ) Towards the end of the ballad section, the band builds in intensity, incorporating a guitar solo ( in E ♭ major ) played and composed by May. The intensity continues to build, but once the bass line completes its descent establishing modulation to the new key ( A major ), the entire band cuts out abruptly at 3 : 03 except for quiet, staccato A major quaver ( eighth - note ) chords on the piano, marking the start of the `` Opera '' section. Opera ( 3 : 05 -- 4 : 07 ) `` Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango ? '' The operatic segment enters immediately as May 's solo abruptly concludes. This vast shift in style is just one example of how the song rapidly changes throughout its running time. Problems playing this file ? See media help. A rapid series of rhythmic and harmonic changes introduces a pseudo-operatic midsection, which contains the bulk of the elaborate vocal multi-tracking, depicting the narrator 's descent into hell. While the underlying pulse of the song is maintained, the dynamics vary greatly from bar to bar, from only Mercury 's voice accompanied by a piano to a multi-voice choir supported by drums, bass, piano and Timpani. The choir effect was created by having May, Mercury, and Taylor repeatedly sing their vocal parts, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. These overdubs were then combined into successive submixes. According to Roger Taylor, the voices of May, Mercury and himself combined created a wide vocal range : `` Brian could get down quite low, Freddie had a powerful voice through the middle, and I was good at the high stuff. '' The band wanted to create `` a wall of sound, that starts down and goes all the way up ''. The band used the bell effect for lyrics `` Magnifico '' and `` Let me go ''. Also, on `` Let him go '', Taylor singing the top section carries his note on further after the rest of the `` choir '' have stopped singing. Lyrical references in this passage include Scaramouche, the fandango, Galileo Galilei, Figaro, Beelzebub and Bismillah, as rival factions fight over the narrator 's soul. The section concludes with a full choral treatment of the lyric `` Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me ! '', on a block B ♭ major chord. Roger Taylor tops the final chord with a falsetto B ♭ in the fifth octave ( B ♭ 5 ). Using the 24 - track technology available at the time, the `` opera '' section took about three weeks to finish. Producer Roy Thomas Baker said `` Every time Freddie came up with another ' Galileo ', I would add another piece of tape to the reel. '' Baker recalls that they kept wearing out the tape, which meant having to do transfers. Rock ( 4 : 07 -- 4 : 54 ) The operatic section leads into a rock interlude with a guitar riff written by Mercury. At 4 : 15, a quadruple - tracked Mercury ( in stereo, the four parts are panned two on the left and two on the right ) sings angry lyrics addressed to an unspecified `` you '', accusing them of betrayal and abuse and insisting `` ca n't do this to me, baby ''. Three ascending guitar runs follow. Mercury then plays a similar B ♭ run on the piano, as the song builds up to the finale with a ritardando. Outro ( 4 : 54 -- 5 : 55 ) After Mercury plays ascending octaves of notes from the B ♭ mixolydian mode ( composed of the notes from the E ♭ scale ), the song then returns to the tempo and form of the introduction, initially in E ♭ major, before quickly modulating to C minor, only to soon go through an abrupt short series of modulations, bringing it back to C minor again in time for the final `` nothing really matters '' section. A guitar accompanies the chorus `` ooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah. '' A double - tracked twin guitar melody is played through an amplifier designed by John Deacon, affectionately nicknamed the `` Deacy Amp ''. Mercury 's line `` Nothing really matters... '' appears again, `` cradled by light piano arpeggios suggesting both resignation ( minor tonalities ) and a new sense of freedom in the wide vocal span ''. After the line `` nothing really matters '' is repeated multiple times, the song finally concludes in the key of E ♭ major, but then changes again to F major just before it ends. The final line, `` Any way the wind blows '', is followed by the quiet sound of a large tam - tam that finally expels the tension built up throughout the song. Context The New York Times commented that `` the song 's most distinct feature is the fatalistic lyrics ''. Mercury refused to explain his composition other than saying it was about relationships ; the band is still protective of the song 's secret. Brian May supports suggestions that the song contained veiled references to Mercury 's personal traumas. He recalls `` Freddie was a very complex person : flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song. '' May, though, says the band had agreed that the core of a lyric was a private issue for the composer. In a BBC Three documentary about the making of `` Bohemian Rhapsody '', Roger Taylor maintains that the true meaning of the song is `` fairly self - explanatory with just a bit of nonsense in the middle ''. It 's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them... `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' did n't just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue - in - cheek and mock opera. Why not ? -- Freddie Mercury When the band released a Greatest Hits cassette in Iran, a leaflet in Persian was included with translation and explanations ( refers to a book published in Iran called The March of the Black Queen by Sarah Sefati and Farhad Arkani, which included the whole biography of the band and complete lyrics with Persian translation ( 2000 ) ). In the explanation, Queen states that `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' is about a young man who has accidentally killed someone and, like Faust, sold his soul to the devil. On the night before his execution, he calls for God saying, `` Bismillah '' ( In the name of God in Arabic ), and with the help of angels, regains his soul from Shaitan ( The devil in Arabic ). Despite this, critics, both journalistic and academic, have speculated over the meaning behind the song 's lyrics. Some believe the lyrics describe a suicidal murderer haunted by demons or depict events just preceding an execution. The latter explanation points to Albert Camus 's novel The Stranger, in which a young man confesses to an impulsive murder and has an epiphany before he is executed, as probable inspiration. Others believe the lyrics were only written to fit with the music, and have no meaning ; Kenny Everett quoted Mercury as claiming the lyrics were simply `` random rhyming nonsense ''. Still, others interpreted them as Mercury 's way of dealing with personal issues. Music scholar Sheila Whiteley observes that Mercury reached a turning point in his personal life in the year he wrote `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. He had been living with Mary Austin for seven years but had just embarked on his first love affair with a man. She suggests that the song provides an insight into Mercury 's emotional state at the time, `` living with Mary ( ' Mamma ', as in Mother Mary ) and wanting to break away ( ' Mamma Mia let me go ' ) ''. Release When the band wanted to release the single in 1975, various executives suggested to them that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit. The song was played to other musicians who commented the band had no hope of it ever being played on radio. According to producer Roy Thomas Baker, he and the band bypassed this corporate decision by playing the song for Capital Radio DJ Kenny Everett : `` we had a reel - to - reel copy but we told him he could only have it if he promised not to play it. ' I wo n't play it, ' he said, winking... '' Their plan worked -- Everett teased his listeners by playing only parts of the song. Audience demand intensified when Everett played the full song on his show 14 times in two days. Hordes of fans attempted to buy the single the following Monday, only to be told by record stores that it had not yet been released. The same weekend, Paul Drew, who ran the RKO stations in the States, heard the track on Everett 's show in London. Drew managed to get a copy of the tape and started to play it in the States, which forced the hand of Queen 's US label, Elektra. In an interview with Sound on Sound, Baker reflects that `` it was a strange situation where radio on both sides of the Atlantic was breaking a record that the record companies said would never get airplay ! '' Eventually the unedited single was released, with `` I 'm in Love with My Car '' as the B - side. Following Everett 's escapade in October 1975, Eric Hall, a well known record plugger, gave a copy to David `` Diddy '' Hamilton to play on his weekday Radio One show. Eric stated `` Monster, Monster ! This could be a hit ! '' The song became the 1975 UK Christmas number one, holding the top position for nine weeks. `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was the first song ever to get to number one in the UK twice with the same version, and is also the only single to have been Christmas number one twice with the same version. The second was upon its re-release ( as a double A-side single with `` These Are the Days of Our Lives '' ) in 1991 following Mercury 's death, staying at number one for five weeks. In the United States, the single was also a success, although to a lesser extent than in the UK. The single, released in December 1975, reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of one million copies. A re-release in 1992 ( popularized by the song 's appearance in the hit film Wayne 's World ) reached number two. In a retrospective interview, Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone explains the song 's relatively poor performance in the US charts by saying that it 's `` the quintessential example of the kind of thing that does n't exactly go over well in America ''. Its chart run of 24 weeks, however, placed it at number 18 on Billboard 's year - end chart, higher than some number ones of the year. In its 1992 chart resurgence, it lasted 17 weeks on the chart and peaked at number two, with a year - end chart position of 39. It was certified gold by the RIAA a second time on 8 August 2005 for digital download sales over 100,000, and quadruple platinum on 23 April 2014 for combined digital sales and streams. It has sold 4.4 million digital copies in the US as of September 2017. With the Canadian record - buying public, the single fared better, reaching number one in the RPM national singles chart for the week ending 1 May 1976. Promotional video Though some artists had made video clips to accompany songs ( including Queen themselves ; for example, `` Keep Yourself Alive '', `` Seven Seas of Rhye '', `` Killer Queen '' and `` Liar '' already had `` pop promos '', as they were known at the time ), it was only after the success of `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' that it became regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists ' single releases. These videos could then be shown on television shows, 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, rather than dancers such as Pan 's People. According to May, the video was produced so that the band could avoid miming on Top of the Pops, since they would have looked off miming to such a complex song. He also said that the band knew they would be set to appear at Dundee 's Caird Hall on tour and unable to appear on the programme anyway. The video has been hailed as launching the MTV age. The band used Trillion, a subsidiary of Trident Studios, their former management Company and recording studio. They hired one of their trucks and got it to Elstree Studios, where the band were rehearsing for their tour. The video was directed by Bruce Gowers, who had directed a video of the band 's 1974 performance at the Rainbow Theatre in London, and was recorded by cameraman Barry Dodd and assistant director / floor manager Jim McCutcheon. The video was recorded in just four hours on 10 November 1975, at a cost of £ 4,500. The director said that the band was involved in the discussion of the video and the end result, and `` was a co-operative to that extent, but there was only one leader. '' The video opens with a shot of the four band members in near darkness as they sing the a cappella part. The lights fade up, and the shots cross-fade into close - ups of Freddie. The composition of the shot is the same as Mick Rock 's cover photograph for their second album Queen II. The photo, inspired by a photograph of actress Marlene Dietrich, was the band 's favourite image of themselves. The video then fades into them playing their instruments. In the opera section of the video, the scene reverts to the Queen II standing positions, after which they perform once again on stage during the hard rock segment. In the closing seconds of the video Roger Taylor is depicted stripped to the waist, striking the tam tam in the manner of the trademark of the Rank Organisation 's Gongman, familiar in the UK as the opening of all Rank film productions. All of the special effects were achieved during the recording, rather than editing. The visual effect of Mercury 's face cascading away ( during the echoed line `` go '' ) was accomplished by pointing the camera at a monitor, giving visual feedback, a glare analogous to audio feedback. The honeycomb illusion was created using a shaped lens. The video was edited within five hours because it was due to be broadcast the same week in which it was taped. The video was sent to the BBC as soon as it was completed and aired for the first time on Top of the Pops in November 1975. After a few weeks at number one, an edit of the video was created. The most obvious difference is the flames superimposed over the introduction as well as several alternate camera angles. Critical reaction, acclaim and legacy The Queen Extravaganza performing the song at the Fox Theatre, Detroit in 2012 Although the song has become one of the most revered in popular music history, some initial critical reaction was poor. Melody Maker said that Queen `` contrived to approximate the demented fury of the Balham Amateur Operatic Society performing The Pirates of Penzance ''. The newspaper 's critic Allan Jones heard only a `` superficially impressive pastiche '' of operatic styles. However, there has been a positive reception from other musicians, including from Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, who called it in 1976 `` the most competitive thing that 's come along in ages '' and `` a fulfillment and an answer to a teenage prayer -- of artistic music ''. Greg Lake, whose song `` I Believe in Father Christmas '' was kept from number one in the UK by `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' when it was released in 1975, acknowledged that he was `` beaten by one of the greatest records ever made '', describing it as `` a once - in - a-lifetime recording ''. Addressing the song 's enduring popularity, author and music lecturer Dr. Jochen Eisentraut wrote in 2012 : `` A year before punk made it unfashionable, progressive rock had an astounding success with the theoretically over-length ( nearly 6 - minute ) single ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' which bore many of the hallmarks of the ' prog ' genre ''. He said it was `` unique at this point to hear a hit single in this style '', it was `` more accessible than other music of the genre '' and was `` able to communicate beyond the usual confines of the style ''. Author and progressive rock historian Stephen Lambe called it a `` remarkable '' single and said it `` provides a neat but coincidental bridge between prog in its prime and the move to more aggressive songwriting '', suggesting the song `` feels like a grotesque ( although probably unintentional ) parody of progressive rock ''. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide described it as `` either a prog - rock benchmark or the most convoluted novelty song ever recorded ''. Writing for the BBC, the Chicago Tribune 's music critic Greg Kot called it a `` prog - rock pocket operetta '' and said the song 's `` reign as a work of wigged - out genius rather than a dated gimmick testifies to its go - for - broke attitude -- one that has resonated across generations ''. In 2009, The Guardian 's music critic, Tom Service, examined the song 's relationship with the traditions of classical music, describing its popularity as `` one of the strangest musical phenomena out there '' : The precedents of Bohemian Rhapsody are as much in the 19th - century classical traditions of rhapsodic, quasi-improvisational reveries -- like, say, the piano works of Schumann or Chopin or the tone - poems of Strauss or Liszt -- as they are in prog - rock or the contemporary pop of 1975. That 's because the song manages a sleight of musical hand that only a handful of real master - musicians have managed : the illusion that its huge variety of styles -- from intro, to ballad, to operatic excess, to hard - rock, to reflective coda -- are unified into a single statement, a drama that somehow makes sense. It 's a classic example of the unity in diversity that high - minded musical commentators have heard in the symphonies of Beethoven or the operas of Mozart. And that 's exactly what the piece is : a miniature operatic - rhapsodic - symphonic - tone - poem. Comparison was also made between the song and Led Zeppelin 's 1971 epic `` Stairway to Heaven '' by music writers Pete Prown and HP Newquist. They observed both songs were `` a slow, introspective beginning and gradual climb to a raging metal jam and back again '', with the notable distinction being `` while Zeppelin meshed folk influences with heavy metal, Queen opted for the light grandeur of the operetta as part of its hard rock ''. They said `` for sheer cleverness alone, not to mention May 's riveting electric work, ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' rightfully became one of the top singles of 1975 and established Queen in the elite of seventies rock bands ''. The song has won numerous awards, and has been covered and parodied by many artists. In 1977 `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices. In 1977, only two years after its release, the British Phonographic Industry named `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' as the best British single of the period 1952 -- 77. It is a regular entry in greatest - songs polls, and it was named by the Guinness Book of Records in 2002 as the top British single of all time. The song is also listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Robbie Williams on stage in Poland in 2015 performing the song with the Queen image in the background The song also came in tenth in a BBC World Service poll to find the world 's favourite song. In 2000 it came second to `` Imagine '' by John Lennon in a Channel 4 television poll of The 100 Best Number 1s. It has been in the top 5 of the Dutch annual `` Top 100 Aller Tijden '' ( `` All - Time Top 100 ( Singles ) '' ) since 1977, reaching number one on eight occasions, more than any other artist. In 1999, the annual `` Top 2000 '' poll commenced to find the best songs ever made, and `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' has been ranked number one in all but three years ( 2005, 2010 and 2014 when it was number two ). In a 2012 readers poll conducted by Rolling Stone, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was voted the best vocal performance in rock history. In 2004 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. As of 2004, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' is the second most played song on British radio, in clubs and on jukeboxes collectively, after Procol Harum 's `` A Whiter Shade of Pale ''. On 30 September 2007 on the Radio 1 Chart Show, for BBC Radio 1 's 40th birthday, it was revealed that `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was the most played song since Radio 1 's launch. In 2004, BBC Three featured the song as part of their The Story of... series of documentaries dedicated to specific songs. First broadcast in December 2004, the programme charted the history of the song, discussed its credentials, and took Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen back to one of the studios in which it was recorded. In 2012, the song topped an ITV poll in the UK to find `` The Nation 's Favourite Number One '' over 60 years of music, ahead of Michael Jackson 's `` Billie Jean '' ( No. 2 ), Adele 's `` Someone like You '' ( No. 3 ), Oasis ' `` Do n't Look Back in Anger '' ( No. 4 ) and The Beatles ' `` Hey Jude '' ( No. 5 ). The song was also ranked # 5 in RadioMafia 's list of `` Top 500 Songs ''. The song was also included in the music video games Guitar Hero : Warriors of Rock and Rock Band 3. The song was featured in the second trailer and the ending of the 2016 film Suicide Squad, and appears on the soundtrack album for the film, covered by American band Panic ! at the Disco. Wayne 's World The song enjoyed renewed popularity in 1992 due to its inclusion in the soundtrack to the film Wayne 's World. `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was re-released as a double A-side cassette single with `` The Show Must Go On '' in January 1992 to commemorate the death of Freddie Mercury, with proceeds going to the Magic Johnson Foundation for AIDS research. Following the release of the film and soundtrack album in February, `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart after 16 years, reaching number two. The film 's director, Penelope Spheeris, was hesitant to use the song, as it did not entirely fit with the lead characters, who were fans of less flamboyant hard rock and heavy metal. Mike Myers insisted that the song fit the scene. According to music scholar Theodore Gracyk, by 1992, when the film was released, even `` classic rock '' stations had stopped playing the almost - six - minute song. Gracyk suggests that beginning the tape in the middle of the song after `` the lyrics which provide the song 's narrative... forces the film 's audience to respond to its presence in the scene without the ' commentary ' of the lyrics ''. Helped by the song, the soundtrack album of the film was a major hit. In connection with this, a new video was released, intercutting excerpts from the film with footage from the original Queen video, along with some live footage of the band. Myers was horrified that the record company had mixed clips from Wayne 's World with Queen 's original video, fearing that this would upset the band. He said, `` they 've just whizzed on a Picasso. '' He asked the record company to tell Queen that the video was not his idea, and that he apologised to them. The band, though, sent a reply simply saying, `` Thank you for using our song. '' This shocked Myers, who said it should be more like him telling Queen, `` Thank you for even letting me touch the hem of your garments ! '' The Wayne 's World video version of `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' won Queen its only MTV Video Music Award for `` Best Video from a Film ''. When remaining members Brian May and Roger Taylor took the stage to accept the award, Brian May was overcome with emotion and said that `` Freddie would be tickled. '' In the final scene of said video, a pose of the band from the video from the original `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' clip morphs into an identically posed 1985 photo, first featured in the `` One Vision '' video. The song was also featured in the movie Loaded Weapon 1 in a scene parodying Wayne 's World. In sporting culture the Sydney FC supporters group The Cove have adopted the song as an unofficial victory anthem after significant wins. 40th Anniversary To mark the 40th anniversary of `` Bohemian Rhapsody '', the song was released on a limited edition 12 '' vinyl with the original B - side `` I 'm In Love With My Car '' on 27 November 2015 for Record Store Day 2015. Queen also released A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith 75, on CD, DVD & Blu - ray. This includes the first live `` professionally '' recorded performance of `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. However, the very first recording and live performance of Bohemian Rhapsody was the performance on 14th of November 1975 in Liverpool. Live performances This Section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2017 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' live at Milton Keynes Bowl ( 1982 ) In live performances, the operatic segment would be played from tape as it was too complicated for the band to perform live. As the heavy rock segment followed, the band would return to the stage. Problems playing this file ? See media help. The a cappella opening was too complex to perform live, so Mercury tried various ways of introducing the song. When the song `` Mustapha '' became a live favourite, Mercury would often sub in that song 's a cappella opening, which was easier to reproduce live as it was only one voice. During the Hot Space Tour, and occasionally at other times, Mercury would do a piano improvisation ( generally the introduction to `` Death on Two Legs '' ) that ended with the first notes of the song. Often, the preceding song would end, and Mercury would sit at the piano, say a quick word and start playing the ballad section. From left to right : Deacon, Taylor and May in concert in Hanover in 1979. Behind the drum kit is the tam - tam used at the end of `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Initially following the song 's release, the operatic middle section proved a problem for the band. Because of extensive multi-tracking, it could not be performed on stage. The band did not have enough of a break between the Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera tours to find a way to make it work live, so they split the song into three sections that were played throughout the night. The opening and closing ballads were played as part of a medley, with `` Killer Queen '' and `` March of the Black Queen '' taking the place of the operatic and hard rock sections. In 1976 concerts where the same medley was played, the operatic section from the album would be played from tape as the introduction to the setlist. During this playback, Mercury would appear briefly to sing live for the line, `` I see a little sillhouetto of a man ''. As the song segued into the hard rock section, the band would emerge on the smoke filled stage -- the playback would end at this point, and the hard rock section would be performed live ( without the final ballad section, which appeared later in the set ). Starting with the A Day at the Races Tour in 1977, the band adopted their lasting way of playing the song live. The opening ballad would be played on stage, and after Brian May 's guitar solo, the lights would go down, the band would leave the stage, and the operatic section would be played from tape, while coloured stage lights provided a light show based around the voices of the opera section. A blast of pyrotechnics after Roger Taylor 's high note on the final `` for me '' would announce the band 's return for the hard rock section and closing ballad. Queen played the song in this form all through the Magic Tour of 1986. This style was also used for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with Elton John singing the opening ballad and then after the taped operatic section, Axl Rose singing the hard rock section. John and Rose sang the closing ballad part together in a duet. `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was performed by Queen + Paul Rodgers throughout their tours, accompanied by a video of Mercury. Footage from the Live at Wembley ' 86 was used for the 2005 / 6 tour, and the 1981 Montreal performance used for the Rock the Cosmos Tour. As with the Queen tours, the band went backstage for the operatic section, which was accompanied by a video tribute to Freddie Mercury. When the hard rock section began, the lights came back up to the full band on stage, including Rodgers, who took over lead vocals. Rodgers duetted with the recording of Mercury for the `` outro '' section, allowing the audience to sing the final `` Nothing really matters to me '', while the taped Mercury took a bow for the crowd. Rodgers would then repeat the line, and the final line ( `` Any way the wind blows '' ) was delivered with one last shot of Mercury smiling at the audience. Commenting upon this staging, Brian May says that they `` had to rise to the challenge of getting Freddie in there in a way which gave him his rightful place, but without demeaning Paul in any way. It also kept us live and ' present ', although conscious and proud of our past, as we logically should be. '' `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' was performed by Queen + Adam Lambert on Queen & Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live, with a different live version which has never been done before -- the opening ballad was shared between Lambert & Mercury, then after May 's guitar solo, instead of the normal light show while the opera section was played from a tape, the band stayed on and performed `` Killer Queen '' instead. At the end of `` Killer Queen '', the band performed the rock and outro sections of `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1975 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) Chart ( 1976 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 8 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) Canada ( RPM ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 7 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Norway ( VG - lista ) Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 18 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) US Billboard Hot 100 9 Chart ( 1992 ) Peak position Australia ( ARIA ) 5 Canada ( Canadian Hot 100 ) 18 France ( SNEP ) 15 US Billboard Hot 100 Year - end charts Chart ( 1975 ) Position UK Singles ( BMRB ) 22 Chart ( 1976 ) Position Canada RPM Top 100 6 UK Singles ( BMRB ) 35 US Billboard Hot 100 18 Chart ( 1991 ) Position UK Singles ( Gallup ) Chart ( 1992 ) Position UK Singles ( Gallup ) 15 US Billboard Hot 100 39 Decade - end charts Chart ( 1970 -- 79 ) Position UK Singles ( OCC ) 7 Chart ( 1990 -- 99 ) Position UK Singles 23 Sales and certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Italy ( FIMI ) 2 × Platinum 100,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) 4 × Platinum 2,540,604 United States ( RIAA ) ( physical ) Gold 1,000,000 United States ( RIAA ) ( digital ) 4 × Platinum 4,445,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on - demand audio and / or video song streams in addition to downloads. Queen comments on the record I 'm going to shatter some illusions, it was just one of those pieces I wrote for the album : just writing my batch of songs. In its early stages I almost rejected it, but then it grew. We started deciding on a single about halfway through. There were a few contenders -- we were thinking of `` The Prophet 's Song '' at one point -- but then `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' seemed the one. There was a time when the others wanted to chop it around a bit, but I refused. If it was going to be released, it would be in its entirety. We knew it was very risky, but we had so much confidence in that song -- I did anyway. I felt, underneath it all, that if it was successful it would earn a lot of respect. People were all going, You 're joking, they 'll never play it, you 'll only hear the first few bars and then they 'll fade it out. We had numerous rows. EMI were shocked -- a six - minute single ? You must be joking ! The same in America -- oh, you just got away with it in Britain. -- Freddie Mercury, 1976 When we finished the album, the Night at the Opera album, that was the track on it that we thought we were gon na release as a single in the UK first. And when we released it in Britain we did n't necessarily think it 'd be released in America, cause we know even over here, you know, the AM tastes are even more ( hesitates ) stricter. Anyway we did have thoughts about even in the UK, perhaps editing it down at all, but we listened to it over and over again and there was no way we could edit it. We tried a few ideas, but if you edited it, you always lost some part of the song, so we had to leave it all in. And luckily it took off anyway. -- John Deacon, 1977 The vocal harmonies was something we wanted to do from the beginning, as we are always keen to do that kind of thing. We wanted to be a group that could do the heaviness of hard rock, but also have harmonies swooping around all over the place. We thought there was some real power and emotion in that combination. The guitar solo was pretty much off the cuff, except I think I had plenty of time to think about that one. I remember playing along with it in the studio for a while when other things were being done. I knew what kind of melody I wanted to play. -- Brian May, 1982 Personnel Freddie Mercury -- lead and backing vocals, piano, operatic vocals ( middle register ) Brian May -- electric guitar, operatic vocals ( low register ) Roger Taylor -- drums, timpani, gong, operatic vocals ( high register ) John Deacon -- bass guitar See also List of Bohemian Rhapsody cover versions List of best - selling singles List of best - selling singles in the United Kingdom List of best - selling singles in the United States Notes Jump up ^ Horton, Matthew ( 24 June 2015 ). `` Queen : 20 Things You Probably Never Knew About ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' ''. NME. Retrieved 24 August 2015. ^ Jump up to : Service, Tom ( 8 December 2009 ). `` Bohemian Rhapsody : Mamma, we 've killed a song ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 August 2015. ^ Jump up to : Eisentraut, Jochen ( 2012 ). The Accessibility of Music : Participation, Reception, and Contact. Cambridge University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978 - 1107024830. progressive rock had an astounding success with the theoretically over-length ( nearly 6 minute ) single ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' which bore many of the hallmarks of the ' prog ' genre ^ Jump up to : Cunningham 1995. Jump up ^ Hodkinson 2004, p. 194. Jump up ^ Dadds, Kimberley ( 19 July 2007 ). `` The UK 's longest - running chart toppers ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 September 2015. Jump up ^ Corn 2005, p. 24. Jump up ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/every-official-christmas-number-1-ever-__3618/ Jump up ^ Heatley 2008, p. 109. Jump up ^ Sutherland, Mark ( 30 October 2015 ). `` Party On : Queen 's Brian May Remembers ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' on 40th Anniversary ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 January 2016. ^ Jump up to : The Recording Academy 2004. ^ Jump up to : `` Queen 's Bohemian Rhapsody voted the Nation 's Favourite Number 1 Single ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2012 ^ Jump up to : BBC 2004b. ^ Jump up to : Chiu 2005. ^ Jump up to : Whiteley 2006, p. 252. Jump up ^ Peraino 2005, p. 230. Jump up ^ McAlpine, Fraser ( 10 October 2015 ). `` 10 Things You May Not Know About Queen 's ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' ''. BBC America. Jump up ^ Smith, Chris ( 2011 ), `` Interview '', Queen : Days of our Lives ( documentary ), BBC ^ Jump up to : Hodkinson 2004, p. 192. Jump up ^ Classic Albums 2006. ^ Jump up to : Kot, Greg ( 24 August 2015 ). `` The strangest rock classic ever ? ''. BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2015. The prog - rock pocket operetta has sold more than 6 million copies worldwide Jump up ^ Breithaupt, Don ; Breithaupt, Jeff ( 2000 ), Night Moves : Pop Music in the Late ' 70s, St. Martin 's Press, p. 67, ISBN 978 - 0 - 312 - 19821 - 3 Jump up ^ Fowles, Paul ( 2009 ). A Concise History of Rock Music. Mel Bay Publications, Inc. p. 243. ISBN 978 - 0786666430. Bohemian Rhapsody could easily have been dismissed as a fitting farewell to the dying genre of symphonic rock, had it not been for the fact that it was this record alone that elevated a previously middle - ranking commercial rock band to superstar status Jump up ^ de Haan, Jan - Jaap. `` Queen : A Night At The Opera ''. Dutch Progressive Rock Page. Retrieved 8 September 2015. If you have to explain the concept of symphonic rock to anyone completely unfamiliar with Genesis, Pink Floyd or Marillion ( yes, these people exist ), you have to mention just one song : Bohemian Rhapsody ^ Jump up to : Pete Prown ; HP Newquist ( 1997 ). Legends of Rock Guitar : The Essential Reference of Rock 's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 106. ISBN 978 - 0793540426. ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' was akin to Led Zeppelin 's ' Stairway to Heaven. ' But while Zeppelin meshed folk influences with heavy metal, Queen opted for the light grandeur of the operetta as part of its hard rock Jump up ^ `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Queensongs.info. Jump up ^ Cateforis, Theo ( 2012 ). The Rock History Reader. Routledge. p. 159. ISBN 978 - 0415892131. Jump up ^ Macan, Edward ( 1997 ). Rocking the Classics : English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. p. 193. ISBN 978 - 0195098884. Jump up ^ John Covach ; Graeme M. Boone, eds. ( 1997 ). Understanding Rock : Essays in Musical Analysis. Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978 - 0195100051. Jump up ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. `` Queen biography ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 23 August 2015. Jump up ^ McLeod, Ken ( May 2001 ). `` Bohemian Rhapsodies : Operatic Influences on Rock Music ''. Popular Music. Cambridge University Press. 20 ( 2 ) : 189 -- 203. JSTOR 853651. doi : 10.1017 / s0261143001001404. ^ Jump up to : Whiteley 2006, p. 253. ^ Jump up to : Black 2002. Jump up ^ Davis 1993, p. 20. Jump up ^ BBC 2004a. Jump up ^ `` Bohemian rhapsody celebrates 40 YEARS : 19 things you did n't know about the queen anthem ''. Express Online. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 28. Jump up ^ Jones, Lesley - Ann ( 2012 ). Freddie Mercury : The Definitive Biography. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 151. ISBN 978 - 1 - 44473 - 369 - 3. Jump up ^ BBC 2005. ^ Jump up to : `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Gold & Platinum Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 November 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Singles ''. Billboard ( `` Billboard 's Talent in Action '' supplement ). 25 December 1976. p. 6. ^ Jump up to : `` Nielsen SoundScan charts -- Digital Songs -- Week Ending : 09 / 14 / 2017 '' ( PDF ). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` RPM Top Singles ''. RPM. 25 ( 5 ). 1 May 1976. Retrieved 15 November 2015. Jump up ^ Muikku, Jari ( 1990 ). `` On the role and tasks of a record producer ''. Popular Music and Society. 14 ( 1 ) : 25 -- 33. doi : 10.1080 / 03007769008591381. ^ Jump up to : Lambe, Stephen ( 2013 ). Citizens of Hope and Glory : The Story of Progressive Rock ( Second ed. ). The Hill, Stroud : Amberley Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 9781445607375. Retrieved 19 November 2014. Jump up ^ Cromelin, Richard ( 7 August 1976 ). `` Pet Sounds & The California Consciousness ''. Sounds. Jump up ^ Mulholland, Garry ( 19 December 2014 ). `` The Making Of... Greg Lake 's I Believe In Father Christmas ''. Uncut. Retrieved 17 August 2015. Jump up ^ Nathan Brackett ; Christian Hoard, eds. ( 2004 ). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster Ltd. p. 668. ISBN 978 - 0743201698. ^ Jump up to : Gracyk 2007, p. 63. Jump up ^ `` The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll ''. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 July 2011. Jump up ^ BBC 2002. Jump up ^ Radio Veronica. Jump up ^ Top 2000 Lijst radio2.nl. Retrieved 18 January 2015 Jump up ^ `` 1. Queen, ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' -- Readers ' Poll : The Best Vocal Performances in Rock History ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jump up ^ ClashMusic.com 2009. Jump up ^ Radiomafian Top 500 ( v. 1995 ) ( in Finnish ). yle.fi. Accessed on 26 July 2013. Jump up ^ Kaufman, Gil ( 17 June 2016 ). `` ' Suicide Squad ' Soundtrack : Skrillex & Rick Ross, Panic ! at the Disco Cover ' Bohemian Rhapsody ' & More ''. Billboard. Retrieved 22 June 2016. Jump up ^ Gracyk 2007, p. 64. Jump up ^ Gracyk 2007, p. 65. Jump up ^ Made in Heaven video documentary `` Champions of the World. '' Jump up ^ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jump up ^ `` First Performance of Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Jump up ^ `` QUEEN LIVE - information on concerts ; reviews, pictures, and more ''. www.queenlive.ca. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 26. Jump up ^ http://jonh-ingham.blogspot.ca/2007/02/queen-riot-at-opera.html%7CArticle by John Ingham, published 29 November 1975 Accessed 4 December 2014 Jump up ^ Daily Telegraph 2008. Jump up ^ December 1975 / 7501 / `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Jump up ^ `` Musicline.de -- Queen Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. VG - lista. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Swiss Singles Chart. ^ Jump up to : `` Queen -- Chart history '' Billboard Hot 100 for Queen. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Queen -- Chart history '' Canadian Hot 100 for Queen. Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Jump up ^ `` 1975 Best Sellers : Singles ''. Record Mirror and Disc. London, England : Spotlight Publications. 10 January 1976. p. 12. Jump up ^ Lyttle, Brendan ( 8 January 1977 ). `` Top 200 singles of ' 76 ''. RPM. Vol. 26 no. 14 -- 15. Retrieved 3 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Top 50 Singles of 1976 ''. Music Week. London, England : Spotlight Publications. 25 December 1976. p. 25. Jump up ^ Hunter, Nigel, ed. ( 1977 ). `` Top 100 Singles 1976 ''. BPI Year Book 1977 ( 2nd ed. ). London, England : The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 216 -- 18. ISBN 0 - 906154 - 00 - 6. Jump up ^ `` 1991 Top 100 Singles ''. Music Week. 11 January 1992. p. 20. Jump up ^ `` Top Singles ''. Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 8. Jump up ^ `` Hot 100 Singles ''. Billboard ( `` 1992 : The Year in Music '' supplement ). 26 December 1992. p. YE - 20. Jump up ^ `` Top 20 Singles of the Seventies ''. Music Week 1959 -- 2009 : Anniversary Special. London, England : United Business Media : 18. 7 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` Italian single certifications -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( in Italian ). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 25 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` British single certifications -- Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody ''. British Phonographic Industry. Enter Bohemian Rhapsody in the search field and then press Enter. Jump up ^ Copsey, Rob ( 19 September 2017 ). `` The UK 's Official Chart ' millionaires ' revealed ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards ''. Recording Industry Association of America. 9 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013. Jump up ^ Freddie Mercury Interview, January 1976, Sounds References Hodkinson, Mark ( 2004 ). Queen : The Early Years. Music Sales Ltd. ISBN 1 - 84449 - 012 - 2. Pope, Rob ( 2002 ). The English Studies Book : An Introduction to Language, Literature and Culture. Routledge. ISBN 0 - 415 - 25709 - 3. `` Smashed Hits : What is a Bohemian Rhapsody ? ''. BBC News. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2017. Corn, John ( 2005 ). Britain Since 1948. Folens Publishers. ISBN 1 - 84303 - 985 - 0. Heatley, Michael ( 2008 ). Massive Music Moments. Collins and Brown. ISBN 1 - 84340 - 493 - 1. Directed by Carl Johnston ( 4 December 2004 ). The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody ( Television production ). BBC. Peraino, Judith ( 2005 ). Listening to the Sirens : Musical Technologies of Queer Identity from Homer to Hedwig. University of California Press. ISBN 0 - 520 - 21587 - 7. Chiu, David ( 27 December 2005 ). `` Unconventional Queen Hit Still Rocks After 30 Years ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2010. Allen, Nick ( 3 December 2009 ). `` Muppets ' Bohemian Rhapsody takes YouTube by storm ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 April 2010. Davis, Andy ( 1993 ). `` Queen 's Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Record Collector ( 167 ) : 20. Black, Johnny ( 2002 ). `` The Greatest Songs Ever ! Bohemian Rhapsody ''. Blender. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010. `` Queen album brings rock to Iran ''. BBC News. 24 August 2004. Retrieved 12 April 2010. Gracyk, Theodore ( 2007 ). Listening to Popular Music : Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Led Zeppelin. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0 - 472 - 06983 - 7. `` Grammy Hall of Fame Award ''. Grammy.com. 2004. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2010. `` Most Played Song On British Radio ''. ClashMusic.com. 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2010. Cunningham, Mark ( October 1995 ). `` An Invitation to the Opera ''. Sound on Sound. Retrieved 12 April 2010. Directed by Matthew Longfellow ( 21 March 2006 ). A Making of ' A Night at the Opera ' ( DVD ). Classic Albums. `` 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''. Rolling Stone. 2004. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2010. `` Irish song voted world 's favourite ''. BBC News. 20 December 2002. Retrieved 12 April 2010. `` Top 100 Aller Tijden ''. Radio Veronica. Retrieved 12 April 2010. Buckley, Peter ( 2003 ). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 1 - 85828 - 457 - 0. Whiteley, Sheila ( 2006 ). Queering the Popular Pitch. Routledge. ISBN 0 - 415 - 97805 - X. `` Press Release : Queen + The Muppets Single ''. BrianMay.com. 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2010. `` Bohemian Rhapsody ''. BBC Radio 2. April 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2010. `` Queen : inducted in 2001 ''. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 April 2010. Chael, David ( 13 October 2008 ). `` Review : Queen and Paul Rodgers on tour ''. The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010. `` Bohemian Rhapsody Chart Entries ''. Tsort.info. Retrieved 20 April 2010. External links Original music video Preceded by `` D.I.V.O.R.C.E. '' by Billy Connolly UK Singles Chart number - one single 29 November 1975 -- 30 January 1976 Succeeded by `` Mamma Mia '' by ABBA Preceded by `` Do n't Let the Sun Go Down on Me '' by George Michael and Elton John UK Singles Chart number - one single 15 December 1991 -- 18 January 1992 Succeeded by `` Goodnight Girl '' by Wet Wet Wet Preceded by `` Imagine '' by John Lennon Irish Singles Chart number - one single 18 December 1975 -- 30 January 1976 Succeeded by `` Mamma Mia '' by ABBA Preceded by `` Convoy '' by CW McCall Australian Kent Music Report number - one single 22 March -- 4 April 1976 Succeeded by `` Fernando '' by ABBA Preceded by `` Lonely Night ( Angel Face ) '' by Captain & Tennille Canadian RPM number - one single 1 -- 8 May 1976 Succeeded by `` Boogie Fever '' by The Sylvers Queen Brian May Roger Taylor Freddie Mercury John Deacon Studio albums Queen Queen II Sheer Heart Attack A Night at the Opera A Day at the Races News of the World Jazz The Game Hot Space The Works A Kind of Magic The Miracle Innuendo Made in Heaven Live albums Live Killers Live Magic At the Beeb Live at Wembley ' 86 Queen on Fire -- Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody : Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow ' 74 A Night at the Odeon -- Hammersmith 1975 On Air Soundtracks Flash Gordon Compilations Greatest Hits Greatest Hits II Classic Queen The 12 '' Collection Queen Rocks Greatest Hits III Stone Cold Classics The A -- Z of Queen, Volume 1 Absolute Greatest Deep Cuts ( Volume 1, 2, 3 ) Icon Queen Forever On Air Additional albums The Cosmos Rocks ( with Paul Rodgers ) Five Live ( with George Michael ) Box sets The Complete Works CD Single Box Box of Tricks Ultimate Queen The Crown Jewels The Platinum Collection The Singles Collection ( Volume 1, 2, 3, 4 ) On Air Videography We Will Rock You Live in Rio The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Greatest Video Hits 1 Queen at Wembley Queen Rocks Greatest Video Hits 2 We Are the Champions : Final Live in Japan Queen on Fire -- Live at the Bowl Queen Rock Montreal Hungarian Rhapsody : Queen Live in Budapest Live at the Rainbow ' 74 A Night at the Odeon -- Hammersmith 1975 Tours Queen I Tour Queen II Tour Sheer Heart Attack Tour A Night at the Opera Tour Summer Gigs 1976 A Day at the Races Tour News of the World Tour Jazz Tour Crazy Tour The Game Tour Hot Space Tour The Works Tour The Magic Tour Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour ( with Paul Rodgers ) Rock the Cosmos Tour ( with Paul Rodgers ) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2012 ( with Adam Lambert ) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014 -- 2015 ( with Adam Lambert ) Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour ( with Adam Lambert ) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017 -- 2018 ( with Adam Lambert ) Related Discography Awards Live performances Songs The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody Queen + Paul Rodgers Queen + Adam Lambert Queen & Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live Highlander Flash Gordon Larry Lurex Mike Grose Smile The Cross The Brian May Band One Night of Queen Queen : The eYe We Will Rock You We Will Rock You : 10th Anniversary Tour Queen at the Ballet Deacy Amp The Official International Queen Fan Club Mercury Phoenix Trust Queen Extravaganza Tour Mountain Studios Red Special Spike Edney Jim Beach John Reid List of `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' cover versions SingStar Queen Dragon Attack : A Tribute to Queen Stone Cold Queen : A Tribute Killer Queen : A Tribute to Queen A Night at the Hip Hopera Bohemian Rhapsody ( film ) Reinhold Mack Book Category Portal Queen singles discography Queen `` Keep Yourself Alive '' `` Liar '' Queen II `` Seven Seas of Rhye '' Sheer Heart Attack `` Killer Queen '' / `` Flick of the Wrist '' `` Now I 'm Here '' `` Lily of the Valley '' `` Stone Cold Crazy '' A Night at the Opera `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' `` You 're My Best Friend '' `` Love of My Life '' A Day at the Races `` Somebody to Love '' `` Tie Your Mother Down '' `` Teo Torriatte ( Let Us Cling Together ) '' `` Long Away '' `` Good Old - Fashioned Lover Boy '' News of the World `` We Are the Champions '' / `` We Will Rock You '' `` Spread Your Wings '' `` It 's Late '' Jazz `` Bicycle Race '' / `` Fat Bottomed Girls '' `` Do n't Stop Me Now '' `` Jealousy '' `` Mustapha '' Live Killers `` Love of My Life '' ( Live ) `` We Will Rock You '' ( Live ) The Game `` Crazy Little Thing Called Love '' `` Save Me '' `` Play the Game '' `` Another One Bites the Dust '' `` Need Your Loving Tonight '' Flash Gordon `` Flash '' Hot Space `` Under Pressure '' ( with David Bowie ) `` Body Language '' `` Las Palabras de Amor '' `` Calling All Girls '' `` Staying Power '' `` Back Chat '' The Works `` Radio Ga Ga '' `` I Want to Break Free '' `` It 's a Hard Life '' `` Hammer to Fall '' A Kind of Magic `` One Vision '' `` A Kind of Magic '' `` Princes of the Universe '' `` Friends Will Be Friends '' `` Pain Is So Close to Pleasure '' `` Who Wants to Live Forever '' `` One Year of Love '' The Miracle `` I Want It All '' `` Breakthru '' `` The Invisible Man '' `` Scandal '' `` The Miracle '' Innuendo `` Innuendo '' `` I 'm Going Slightly Mad '' `` Headlong '' `` I Ca n't Live with You '' `` The Show Must Go On '' `` These Are the Days of Our Lives '' Made in Heaven `` Heaven for Everyone '' `` A Winter 's Tale '' `` I Was Born to Love You '' `` Too Much Love Will Kill You '' `` Let Me Live '' `` You Do n't Fool Me '' Queen Rocks `` No - One but You ( Only the Good Die Young ) '' / `` Tie Your Mother Down '' Greatest Hits III `` Under Pressure ( Rah Mix ) '' Non-album singles `` Thank God It 's Christmas '' `` Another One Bites the Dust ( Small Soldiers Remix ) '' `` We Will Rock You '' ( with Five ) `` We Are the Champions '' ( with Robbie Williams ) `` Flash ( Vanguard Mix ) '' `` Another One Bites the Dust ( The Miami Project Remixes ) '' `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( with The Muppets ) Other songs `` See What a Fool I 've Been '' `` Death on Two Legs '' `` Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon '' `` I 'm in Love with My Car '' `` ' 39 '' `` Sweet Lady '' `` Seaside Rendezvous '' `` The Prophet 's Song '' `` Good Company '' `` Sheer Heart Attack '' `` Is This the World We Created... ? '' `` Ride the Wild Wind '' `` Delilah '' `` Made In Heaven '' `` Mother Love '' `` Let Me in Your Heart Again '' `` Love Kills '' `` There Must Be More To Life Than This '' Book Category Portal Template WikiProject UK Christmas number - one singles in the 1970s `` I Hear You Knocking '' ( Dave Edmunds, 1970 ) `` Ernie ( The Fastest Milkman in the West ) '' ( Benny Hill, 1971 ) `` Long Haired Lover from Liverpool '' ( Jimmy Osmond, 1972 ) `` Merry Xmas Everybody '' ( Slade, 1973 ) `` Lonely This Christmas '' ( Mud, 1974 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( Queen, 1975 ) `` When a Child Is Born '' ( Johnny Mathis, 1976 ) `` Mull of Kintyre '' ( Wings, 1977 ) `` Mary 's Boy Child '' ( Boney M., 1978 ) `` Another Brick in the Wall '' ( Pink Floyd, 1979 ) Complete list 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s UK Christmas number - one singles in the 1990s `` Saviour 's Day '' ( Cliff Richard, 1990 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' / `` These Are the Days of Our Lives '' ( Queen, 1991 ) `` I Will Always Love You '' ( Whitney Houston, 1992 ) `` Mr Blobby '' ( Mr Blobby, 1993 ) `` Stay Another Day '' ( East 17, 1994 ) `` Earth Song '' ( Michael Jackson, 1995 ) `` 2 Become 1 '' ( Spice Girls, 1996 ) `` Too Much '' ( Spice Girls, 1997 ) `` Goodbye '' ( Spice Girls, 1998 ) `` I Have a Dream '' / `` Seasons in the Sun '' ( Westlife, 1999 ) Complete list 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Faust Characters Inspiration Johann Georg Faust Johann Fust Simon Magus Theophilus of Adana Legend Erdgeist Faust Mephistopheles Pan Twardowski Comics Doctor Faustus Felix Faust Mephisto Mys - Tech Sebastian Faust Seminal works Historia von D. Johann Fausten ( 1587 chapbook ) Cenodoxus ( 1602, play ) Doctor Faustus ( 1604 play ) Goethe 's Faust ( 1808 play ) Faust, Part One Faust, Part Two Related Deal with the Devil in popular culture Works based on Faust G vs E Vi veri universum vivus vici Stingy Jack Films Faust and Marguerite ( 1900 ) The Damnation of Faust ( 1903 ) Faust and Marguerite ( 1904 ) The Student of Prague ( 1913 ) The Student of Prague ( 1926 ) Faust ( 1926 ) The Devil and Daniel Webster ( 1941 ) Alias Nick Beal ( 1949 ) Beauty and the Devil ( 1950 ) Marguerite de la nuit ( 1955 ) Damn Yankees ( 1958 ) Faust ( 1960 ) Bedazzled ( 1967 ) Doctor Faustus ( 1967 ) El extraño caso del doctor Fausto ( 1969 ) Mephisto ( 1981 ) Doctor Faustus ( 1982 ) Faust ( 1994 ) The Master and Margarita ( 1994 ) Bedazzled ( 2000 ) Faust : Love of the Damned ( 2001 ) Fausto 5.0 ( 2001 ) I Was a Teenage Faust ( 2002 ) Shortcut to Happiness ( 2003 ) Faust ( 2011 ) Plays Gretchen ( 1879 ) Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter ? ( 1955 ) The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon ( 1965 ) Temptation ( 1986 ) Operas Faust ( 1816, Spohr ) La damnation de Faust ( 1846, Berlioz ) Faust ( 1859, Gounod ) Mefistofele ( 1868, Boito ) Faust and Marguerite ( 1855, Lutz ) Faust up to Date ( 1888, Lutz ) Doktor Faust ( 1916 -- 25, Busoni ) Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights ( 1938 ) The Rake 's Progress ( 1951, Stravinsky ) Reuben, Reuben ( 1955 ) Historia von D. Johann Fausten ( 1994 ) Faustus, the Last Night ( 2006 ) Classical music Gretchen am Spinnrade ( 1814, Schubert ) Faust Overture ( 1840, Wagner ) Grande sonate ' Les quatre âges ' 2nd movement `` Quasi-Faust '' ( 1847, Alkan ) Scenes from Goethe 's Faust ( 1853, Schumann ) Part II of Symphony No. 8 ( 1906 -- 07, Mahler ) Faust Symphony ( 1854 -- 57, Liszt ) Mephisto Waltzes ( Liszt ) Gothic Symphony ( Brian ) Bagatelle sans tonalité ( Liszt ) Other music Albums Epica Saga Epica The Black Halo Beethoven 's Last Night The Black Rider Songs `` Mephisto Polka '' ( 1859 -- 85 ) `` Cross Road Blues '' ( 1936 ) `` Sympathy for the Devil '' ( 1968 ) `` Friend of the Devil '' ( 1970 ) `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' ( 1975 ) `` The Devil Went Down to Georgia '' ( 1979 ) `` Faustian Echoes '' ( 2012 ) `` The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles '' ( 2015 ) Television Episodes `` The Devil 's Hands Are Idle Playthings '' ( 2003 ) Other The Devil and Daniel Mouse ( 1978 ) Musicals Damn Yankees ( 1955 ) Randy Newman 's Faust ( 1993 ) Success ! ( 1993 ) Faust ( 2003 ) Prose `` Bearskin '' `` Daniel and the Devil '' Melmoth the Wanderer ( 1820 ) `` The Devil and Tom Walker '' ( 1824 ) St. John 's Eve ( 1830 ) Auriol ( 1844 ) Chasse - galerie ( 1892 ) The Sorrows of Satan ( 1896 ) Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician ( 1898 ) The Master and Margarita ( 1929 -- 40 ) Mephisto ( 1936 ) The Devil and Daniel Webster ( 1937 ) None but Lucifer ( 1939 ) Doktor Faustus ( 1947 ) The Devil in Velvet ( 1951 ) The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant ( 1954 ) Gimmicks Three ( 1956 ) The Devil to Pay in the Backlands ( 1956 ) That Hell - Bound Train ( 1958 ) For a Breath I Tarry ( 1966 ) The Damnation Game ( 1986 ) Eric ( 1990 ) The Devil 's Own Work ( 1991 ) Jack Faust ( 1997 ) Johannes Cabal the Necromancer ( 2009 ) Ballet Faust Art Faust Gods ' Man Poems Manfred Video games Knights Contract Comics Ghost Rider Faust Soul Cartel Anime & manga Faust Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bohemian_Rhapsody&oldid=803764064 '' Categories : Christmas number - one singles in the United Kingdom 1975 singles 1975 songs 1976 singles 1991 singles 1992 singles Brit Award for British Single British hard rock songs Dutch Top 40 number - one singles Elektra Records singles EMI Records singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Hard rock ballads Hollywood Records singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles The Muppets songs Music based on the Faust legend Music medleys Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Never Shout Never songs Number - one singles in Australia Number - one singles in New Zealand Number - one singles in Spain Panic ! at the Disco songs Parlophone singles Progressive pop songs British progressive rock songs Queen ( band ) songs RPM Top Singles number - one singles Songs about death Songs about crime Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker Songs written by Freddie Mercury Symphonic rock songs UK Singles Chart number - one singles Hidden categories : CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Use dmy dates from April 2016 Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Articles needing additional references from January 2017 All articles needing additional references Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Germany Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Canada Singlechart usages for France All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2011 Certification Table Entry usages for Italy Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom Talk Contents About Wikipedia Alemannisch Asturianu Azərbaycanca Български Bosanski Català Čeština Chavacano de Zamboanga Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Võro 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 4 October 2017, at 13 : 44. 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Question: when was bohemian rhapsody released as a single
Answer: 31 October 1975