Freddie Mercury’s lyrics will be the subject of a new book coming out in the fall of 2026.
A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury, being released by Harper Collins, is described as “the definitive creative record of one of the greatest songwriters of all time.” It features unseen material the Queen frontman left his good friend Mary Austin when he passed away in 1991.
According to the description, the book features material from Mercury’s notebooks, some of which has never been published before. That includes some of his earliest works, doodles and songs that have never been recorded, as well as alternative lyrics and abandoned verses to Queen’s iconic tune “Bohemian Rhapsody” and multiple drafts of “Don’t Stop me Now.”
The book also contains some previously unseen illustrated photographs taken from Mercury’s personal collection, with Austin also contributing stories, memories and anecdotes about the singer.
A Life in Lyrics: The Official Creative Legacy of Freddy Mercury is scheduled to be released on Sept. 1, four days ahead of what would have been Mercury’s 80th birthday.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
