Bohemian Rhapsody (Mercury)

How on earth do you review this?

I mean now, that is. Perhaps when this was released (thirty years ago this year) it was a lot easier, before it went mega, spent umpteen weeks at number one, before Freddie died and the song practically entered mythology. Millions of words have been written about, even TV programmes made about it (that BBC2/BBC4 show with Richard E. Grant that was shown over the Christmas). It's been deconstructed as poetry, as a pointer to Mercury's love life and goodness knows what else.

But what about it as a pop song - and especially as a pop single? And since we're looking at Queen's singles in chronological order, how does it fit into the grand cheme of things?

Well, first of all, you have to acknowledge its sheer uniqueness. Queen, and especially Freddie, weren't afraid to experiment with various musical sources and influences. But even by their standards, this stands out a mile. It's so long for a start; nearly six minutes' worth of music. And the opera bit, although only a minute or so long, is so attention-grabbing, so utterly unique that, even when you know it off by heart and regularly attempt to sing it drunk, hearing the original version is still a thrilling experience as the voices weave and dance around each other, ridiculous in the extreme.

Ahem. The song, for all its subsequent hugeness (it pushed the very limits of studio technology at the time; Brian May recalled that, as they recorded it, the tape got thinner and thinner until it was almost transparent), starts off very small indeed. Although the harmonies sound like the whole group, they are in fact just Freddie. Even from the off, this was unique. The confused, nightmare-esque lyrics ("Is this the real life/is this just fantasy/Caught in a landslide/No escape from reality") are well-served by the harmonies, which have an almost other-worldly quality to them, enhanced by the occasional wind sound effect.

Then that piano part kicks in and we're in fairly standard pop ballad country. And, even if this had been released on its own, it would've been a hit; it's a lovely ballad with one of Freddie's best piano parts. It's really quite sparse until the guitars kick in around the middle of verse two and then it's almost relentless towards the opera section. To lead us in, we have what is perhaps Brian's best guitar solo. He states that, rather than just play it straightonto record, he planned it out first, fearing that otherwise it would be horribly predictable. It was a tactic that worked, and we're guided inexorably into the most famous bit of all: the opera section.

To try and review this bit is horribly difficult. For what it is, mock opera of the most over-the-top kind, it works extraordinarily well. Again, we start small, lone voice and piano, until the first harmonies enter. Then the first "big" section ("Thunderbolt and lightning/Very, very frightening") comes in and from then on we have a contrast between the ever-more desperate pleas of the accused (?) and the refusals to "let him go". It builds up and up, with more and more overlaid vocals, stereo panning in extremis, timpani... the works. Then, with a final incredibly high falsetto from Roger (wonder if he'll be doing that when the new Queen tour begins), we come out the other side into...

Heavy metal. And what's weird is it seems so natural, as if opera should always lead into big, heavy rock. Although this sounds like Brian's section, the famous riff was actually written by Freddie. He sings double-tracked, but slightly out (deliberately, the show-off) lending a kind of roughness to this minute of the song. Thenightmare is in full swing, he's in denial, bitter at those who betrayed him, going to face whatever fate awaits him, though far from ready to do so.

Towards the end of this, we start to hear hints of the piano creeping back in (although, in fact it's been there all the time). It then slows right up, crashing chords and a big piano run (Freddie showing off again) leading us into the big finish.

And, at first, that what it sounds like: Brian's trumpet-like guitars answering one another, a call of victory - or defeat? Then suddenly, it's calm again, and we're going right down small. There's just voice, drums, piano and a plaintive guitar, as if a massive storm has passed over us and we're left with an eerie calm. Freddie's voice is now resigned to its fate and we end with a note of calm acceptance: "Anyway the wind blows".

What's it all about? Who knows? Freddie never let on, claiming all sorts of meaning and motives behind it. Roger reckons it's fairly easy to work out the meaning and Brian at least once reckoned he knew. Probably the only person who does is Mercury. And he's not telling. Probably it's just a mad pop song.

Mad, pretentious, over-the-top - and utterly fantastic. As a whole, despite all the different musical genres, ideas and moods that get thrown about, it's virtually seamless in its moves from one section to the next. It's a superb piece of musical craftmanship (which I think is the right word; this must have taken some meticulous planning), which fulfills every one of its ambitions. Even if the whole idea turns you right off, you have to sit back and admire the sheer gall of the man for creating it, if nothing else. No, it wasn't that influential. No, Queen never really rose to its heights again, at least not musically. But even just writing this has made me appreciate what makes Bohemian Rhapsody so special: perhaps no other pop song sets itself higher goals and fulfills them more completely, whilst displaying musicianship at its best. For this reason alone, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give it... 10

Sorry!

Video: Oh come, you know. With the four faces? The weird effects (which were apparently very cheap to make)? Apparently, Queen only made the video because they didn't want to go on Top of the Pops again. In fact, two cuts were made, identifiable by whether or not it features flames superimposed over the heads at the start. Both are available on the Greatest Video Hits 1 DVD, the "flames" version as an 'Easter Egg'.