June 06, 2006

Bohemian Rhapsody. Considered by many to be one of greatest singles ever. It was one of the first to utilize a promotional music video[YouTube video] and it reached the Top Hits List not once, but twice. What about this amazingly complex piece of music has captivated so many people and continues to today?
posted by VertexOfLife 18 years ago
  • Heh - I love the De Danann 'Hibernian Rhapsody' version. It gets quite wild. One can hear the first bit of it here (wma sample).
  • *puts hands over ears, rocks back and forth*
  • It's funny!!1
  • It's the greatest song ever. : D
  • IT'S ROCK!!! IT'S OPERA!!! OMG!!! AND IT WAS THE BEST PART OF WAYNE'S WORLD!!!
  • great links - Freddie rocked, what a voice ouch, the singing in the political one is rather painful - only just redeemed by screaming Powell and the "ballots put aside for me" :)
  • What about this amazingly complex piece of music has captivated so many people and continues to today? I've really no earthly idea.
  • The Flaming Lips played a cover of this at the Sasquatch music festival this year, and they projected the words on a screen and encouraged people to sing along. The singability of this song is part of its charm, plus that it makes you sing impossible notes. Beelzebub hath a devil set aside for me... for meee.... for MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
  • I can sing every note in this piece. ph33r m3. ("Bohemian Rhapsody" made a surprise appearance on a post-meetup drive a few months ago)
  • You've made me hate this song.
  • I hate that i can still sing every word of this song including harmonies!!! As ever a child of the seventies - and they hadn't perfected marketing then - makes me shudder
  • Bicycle!
  • "Beezlebub has the Devil for a sideboard!" The promotional video came about because they couldn't get to the studio to do a live Top of the Pops appearance, so they knocked up a performance film and mixed in some video effects, and sent that instead.
  • i can't believe it's my duty to crank up the Pacer and shout PARTY ON DUDES!!!!
  • From the wiki: "...The final line, "any way the wind blows," is followed by the barely audible sound of a gong..." Barely audible? Only if you cranked up the preceeding 5 minutes? Sheesh. Ah, but the musical mapping of the tune was amazing to see. I had forgotten what it was like to take a tune apart and find the cadences, the key changes, the whole musical form. Wow. Reminds me of late nights studying music theory in college. This receives the Ball Point Head Brilliant Post© Award. Nicely done!
  • So...will Scaramouch do the fandango?
  • No, but he can kick his can all over the place.
  • That Wiki article makes no mantion of the Highlander soundtrack!
  • I read the links and then spent my whole shower singing that really freaking depressing song from Highlander. Damn, I love that horribly dated movie.
  • The only answer Possible: Freddie Mercury's huge musical talent and commanding performance style.