Bohemian Rhapsody, meaning of

what is the meaning of the Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody? I have not a clue.

Try this (although I'd advise you to have a stiff drink ready):

http://www.divinesongs.com/Bohemian/bohemianrhapsody1.htm

My point here is that people can, and will, read whatever they want into song lyrics. Perhaps you could do as I do and view it, simply, as a remarkable pop song reflecting Freddie Mercury's love of opera.

well i just read it and, yeah, i'll just think of it the way you do!

In Queen's official biography "As It Began", Freddie has never divulged the meaning of this song except to say that it's about "relationships".

I honestly feel that it is based on his mothers rejection due to his Homosexuality, and he plays it out like he has been sentinced to death (how ironic).

What an awsome line-up on this one. After we are the champions, no other song from these guru's of pop-rock hit the mark as well.

Perhaps there is no meaning other than his ability to hit the mark on the lyrics and topic of a subject of self realization and self importance on a more grandiose scale?

Mercury once said that "Bo Rhap" was based on personal relationships.

Geeter, I'm in total agreement with your assessment.

Let's break it down:

Is this the real life-

Is this just fantasy-

Caught in a landslide-

No escape from reality-

Open your eyes

Look up to the skies and see-

I?m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy-

Because I?m easy come, easy go,

A little high, little low,

Anyway the wind blows, doesn?t really matter to me,

To me

Is this the real life? I believe he's asking himself if he's living the real life by hiding his homosexuality from his mother. He wants his mother to realize without him saying so. "Open your eyes," I believe he's wishing his mother would "see." He's caught in a landslide because he can't be truly himself until he makes his mother aware.

"Mama, just killed a man,

Put a gun against his head,

Pulled my trigger, now he?s dead,

Mama, life had just begun,

But now I?ve gone and thrown it all away-

Mama ooo,

Didn?t mean to make you cry-

If I?m not back again this time tomorrow-

Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters-"

Mama just killed a man. She killed what he thought she had always expected of him, ie, being heterosexual. Pulled his "trigger" or, hurt him in such a way that it "killed" an inner part of him. The part he always acted or was assumed, heterosexual, was now "dead."

"Too late, my time has come,

Sends shivers down my spine-

Body?s aching all the time,

Goodbye everybody-I?ve got to go-

Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth-

Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows)

I don?t want to die,

I sometimes wish I?d never been born at all"

Basically, this verse IMO is his resentment and the pondering if he should have ever told his mother the truth, but, "too late." He "doesn't want to die," the part of him his mother loved before finding out he was homosexual.

The rest is, IMO, a conclusion and his pent up disappointment of having to "appear" a certain way and finally, it didn't really matter but oh how it did. Any way the wind blows is a quote which, I ask myself, if he truly accepted it in his heart. The passion of Bo Rhap makes me think he wishes he had "never died."

This is only my opinion but the words and situation are similar to many homosexual testimonies to heterosexual parents.

One thing's for certain, Queen was genius.

Zoroastrianism.

So I finally finished the Mojo article on this song. Here's their take:

Freddie Mercury had an unusual childhood. He was born in what was then called Zanzibar, went to school in India, then moved to England with his parents, who were followers of a religion called -

Zoroastrianism.

If the song does have deep meaning, and this is by no means a sure thing, it is probably about this religion. Words like "Bismillah" actually meant something to Freddie.

It turns out Zoroastrianism is a radical form of Islam - not a popular thing in most parts of the world these days - but as we know, Mercury was a peaceful, tollerant man.

Note that while many rock stars had to seek out Yogis and Gurus to find enlightenment and write weird songs, Mercury lived it. He was uniquely qualified to write "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Zoroastrianism, on which for example Mozart's magic flute is based, predates Islam by at least 1000 years (the LATEST that Zoroaster lived was about 600 B.C.). It is one of the oldest extant world religions, while Islam is one of the youngest.

Nor is it even similar. Zoroastrianism is a dualist religion, whereby good and evil are part of the same force (see Star Wars for the idea in modern fiction), Islam is a good God against whom his creatures rebelled.

Regardless of what the the song means, am I the only person here who doesn't like it?

I dont think its a straight out bad song, but I do believe its very gimmicky. So I've never regarded it as anything more than a novelty song; its use of operatic forms just sounds comical to me.

I grew to hate it when it was the Number 1 record here in the UK for week after week after week. You couldn't turn the radio on without hearing it and it drove me nuts.

For me, Seven Seas of Rhye is a much better Queen song.

I like it, not my favorite by Queen, but its good. I like the guitar solo, and the part when he starts singing "so you think you can stone me and spit in my eye."

That homosexual stuff seems like its what the songs about. I didn't know Freddy Mercury was gay, I thought he was just flamboyant.