Queen continues to take a deep dive into their 1975 album, A Night at the Opera, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
In the latest episode of their Queen the Greatest YouTube series, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor look back at recording the album, which had them rejecting the typical genres, runtime and radio hooks of most rock music at the time.
“We wanted it to be eclectic,” says Taylor. “We wanted different styles. We had things like ‘Seaside Rendezvous.’ Lot of fun. But we also had this monumentally long song, ‘The Prophet’s Song.’ It was kinda fun. Brian had a field day on that one.”
Taylor notes that while the label may have had an issue with some of their longer songs, “We never thought about making singles.”
And the band certainly faced some backlash from their label, with execs rejecting the idea of “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single. But Taylor says, “It all made sensed to us. … I think we were right.”
May adds that it was quite “brave” of them to put out “Bohemian Rhapsody” as a single “when everyone’s telling you it’s going to fail.”
“The song, without a doubt, continues to resonate,” says May. “We go onstage and play it at the Albert Hall, with a full orchestra and 150-piece choir, and it’s fresh as a daisy. It’s new and exciting, and the reaction you get from people is just amazing. And that’s a classical audience. They just went berserk.”
He adds, “It will always be there, I think, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ It’s truly immortal and it’s a good feeling.”
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