Claim: Bohemian Rhapsody sold more than million copies by the end of January 1976.

`` 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 states : `` 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 .