Bohemian Rhapsody Puts Queen Back in the Spotlight

Written by Jon Williams

Now going into its third weekend in theaters, moviegoers still can’t stop talking about Bohemian Rhapsody. The film has made over $110 million at the box office to date, already making it one of the biggest musical biopics of all time. Detailing the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen from the band’s formation in 1970 through their astonishing 1985 Live Aid performance, the movie has spurred a resurgence of interest in Queen’s timeless music.

Band members Brian May and Roger Taylor were performing together in the band Smile until Mercury joined them in 1970, when they took the name Queen. When bassist John Deacon joined in 1971, the lineup was complete. In 1973, they released their eponymous debut album, Queen, which drew some critical acclaim but otherwise garnered little attention. That started to change with the follow-up, 1974’s Queen II, which contained their first U.K. hit, “Seven Seas of Rhye,” a finished version of an instrumental track from the first album. That album’s cover art would become perhaps the most iconic image associated with the band. Their second album of 1974, Sheer Heart Attack, and its lead single “Killer Queen” helped to establish their classic sound, and brought them success in North America as well.

From there it was a rocket ship to the top as Queen produced one radio smash after another. Their fourth album, 1975’s A Night at the Opera, was the most expensive ever produced at the time. It contained the epic six-minute style mishmash “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which gave the movie its name. Their next album, the sequel A Day at the Races, spawned the hit “Somebody to Love.” And then came 1977’s News of the World, and with it, perhaps their most well-known, biggest hit: the anthem “We Will Rock You” and the accompanying ballad “We Are the Champions.” But the hits didn’t stop there—far from it. The 1978 album Jazz included such songs as “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Bicycle Race,” and “Don’t Stop Me Now,” while 1980’s The Game brought “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” Then they showed off their versatility by finishing off 1980 with the soundtrack for the sci-fi movie Flash Gordon.

One of Queen’s big hits happened spontaneously, as David Bowie came into their studio to sing backup on a track—that performance was nixed, but while he was there, they wrote and recorded “Under Pressure.” That appears on their 1982 album Hot Space. The different sound on the album was a source of contention between Mercury and the rest of the band, and they took a break from performing live while they worked on a new album and pursued side projects. They came back with The Works in 1984, containing “Radio Ga Ga” and “I Want to Break Free.” In July of 1985 came their celebrated performance at the benefit concert Live Aid, which ranked in a 2005 poll as the greatest rock performance of all time. Energized, they recorded the 1986 album A Kind of Magic. That was followed by their final tour with Mercury, where they played to record crowds. In 1989 they released The Miracle, and followed it in 1991 with Innuendo. Mercury, who had been ill for some time, passed away later that year. Nevertheless, the band had enough leftover material, including songs recorded during previous album sessions, for Made in Heaven, released in 1995.

The movie’s popularity has brought Queen’s music back to the forefront—the soundtrack is at #3 on the current Billboard albums chart, the highest position for the band in 38 years, since The Game hit #1 in 1980. It has also brought the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” back into the Hot 100, making it just the second song to chart in three different decades (in addition to its original 1976 release, it also charted in 1992 due to its inclusion in the movie Wayne’s World). It speaks to the fact that Queen’s music is timeless, and your patrons will be looking for it now as they learn about the band and its amazing lead singer due to the incredibly popular movie. Use the links above to find their studio albums, and SmartBrowse the band’s name on our website to find their acclaimed live albums and video of their performances. And for patrons who want to dig more into their history, check out the audiobook Queen Unseen by Peter Hince.