The Story Behind the Song: The History of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

The sessions that produced Queen's epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" have taken on their own legendary status. What started as an ambitious idea in the head of singer Freddie Mercury became one of rock and roll's most iconic songs. But it wasn't easy. Together, Queen spent as much time arranging, re-arranging, adding, subtracting, and adding some more to “Bohemian Rhapsody” as most bands of the time spent on entire albums. The initial multi-tracked a capella choir was followed by a solo from Brian May, a minute-long opera section, a heavy metal passage and finally, a reprise of the core melody.