10. Bohemian Rhapsody
It’s easy to see why ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is the UK’s third best-selling single of all time. The utterly unique song was written by Freddie Mercury in 1975 and featured on Queen’s fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera. The song was, and still is, unlike anything people had ever heard before, and the numerous sections of which the six-minute track is split into ensures that the listener is hooked from start to end.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ begins with slow, captivating harmonies which leads onto Freddie’s powerful ballad with touching lyrics of a son confessing to his mother; “Goodbye, everybody, I’ve got to go / gotta leave you all behind and face the truth / Mama, ooh, I don’t wanna die / I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all”.
This is closely followed by the intense, dramatic guitar solo executed by Brian May, which is enough to set nerves tingling.
The track suddenly shifts into the unpredicted, stimulating section of opera before launching into the aggressive, hard rock interlude with angry lyrics and manic energy.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is fascinating due to its many twists and turns and is a thoroughly enjoyable, thought provoking and expressive piece which never seems to get old.