Legendary rockers Queen certainly have their share of memorable songs, but perhaps none of their efforts is more widely celebrated than “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The song, released in 1975, was the lead single from their album “A Night at the Opera.” It has made countless “best of” lists and has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity more than once since its release. The song notably got an extended life after it was used in the famous car scene in “Wayne’s World” in 1992, and its often regarded was Queen’s signature song.
With all that being said, former Queen roadie Peter Hince, author of “Queen Uncovered,” recently revealed to Greatest Hits Radio that late singer Freddie Mercury actually preferred “Somebody To Love” over “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“I think part of [it’s appeal] is in the fact that it took so long to do and it was this real labour of love for Fred…Freddie actually said ‘Somebody To Love’ was a better piece of songwriting than Bo Rap,” Hince said. “He felt that as a pure piece of songwriting it was better.”
Hince also talked about the enduring popularity of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and how he first was introduced to the song.
“The band were recording ‘Night At The Opera,’ and we were going around all these different studios in London and doing bits in each place so I was hearing bits and pieces of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ but I didn’t hear the whole thing for quite some time,” Hince recalled. “I remember hearing the opera bit and thinking it’s going to be an introduction tape for the live show – I had no idea it was a song!”
“Nothing really had been done like it before and probably nothing since – with all the technology now it is easier to get certain studio effects whereas with Queen it was all about spending enormous amounts of time and being incredibly innovative.”
