This was 1975 almost 50 years ago. The singer, pianist is Freddie Mercury. He composed both the music and the lyrics and has a vocal range between 3 and 4 octaves, as does their drummer, Roger Taylor, the blond guy doing the highest notes. His degree is biology, and he wrote A Kind of Magic, Radio Gaga etc.. Their bassist, John Deacon has advanced degrees in electronics, created a unique amp, and also created hit songs like Another One Bites the Dust, I Want to Break Free, Your My Best Friend etc. The very talented, iconic guitarist is Sir Brian May, phd in astronomy and astrophysics. He wrote We Will Rock You, Fat Bottomed Girls White Queen, I Want It All, etc. They each are in the Song Writers Hall of fame and the group is considered to be an all time top band. Michael Jackson was a big fan of Freddie and Queen, and Freddie and MJ wrote some songs together. Freddie also wrote We Are The Champions and a lot of the 200+ songs in their discography. Freddie died in 1991, but his music lives on as Queen is still touring with Adam Lambert and will be in the US this fall
Love the reaction. New sub. You should watch the movie Rhapsody. It will give you some background on Freddie and how Queen became the most ground breaking band in history.
Thats not smoke from cigarettes, its just used for effect ! Freddie Mercury had the most amazing voice range, look out for his video singing opera with the Spanish opera singer to the song " Barcelona, Barcelona " !!! Spine tingling. His range perfectly encompasses opera as well as rock etc. Taken too soon !
Now if you want to see their popularity and Fredie's control over an audience do the full 25 minute Queen Live Aid Concert session...I was in the stadium in Phili and we actually had more people in attendance then you will see in the UK stadium where they preformed and were right with the fans in England. Best 25 mins of the ENTIRE day and evening.....
@marycarver1542 QUEEN was 20 years worth of togetherness/greatness. LIVE AID 1985. Freddie died 6 years later. To me the only 'closeness' or 'soon after' from Live Aid is their last public performance in 1986. He didn't even have his diagnoses confirmed privately until a Year AFTER that last performance.
A live performance gem by Queen is “Somebody to Love” live 1981 in Montreal. It was Freddie’s homage to Aretha Franklin. “Under Pressure” also live in Montreal will leave you gobsmacked. Of course, Live Aid, a charity concert for Africa had dozens of performers but they and the public agreed that Queen stole the show. Still considered the best live performance EVER!
Music aside, this is one of the most ground breaking video clips of all time. This was really pushing the limits of the time. Queen were ahead of the norm in every way.
👏👏👏 Let me introduce you the Queen: Freddie Mercury the lead singer and pianist, Brian May the guitarist, John Deacon the bassist and Roger Taylor the drummer, they all were highly graduated. Queen is the most versatile rock band, they wrote their own stuff in several genres from rock to jazz, to pop, etc. about 200 songs. Freddie never took singing lessons, but his powerful and emotional performances are still legendary.
As an older gay man who remembers attitudes from the past, I've spent the last few years really appreciating how a modern audience sees through the once repressive traits of an individual or group of people and go right to the talent. What was once rejected is now seen as swag and stage presence and Queen certainly have that it abundance. And as for Freddie himself - a never to be seen again triumph of the human race RIP
Tragically, we were all products of our parent’s attitudes back then. I am always heartened to see that children today just don’t understand the sort of prejudice that we grew up with (at least in England - I fear many parts of the US still have a long way to go). Freddy was a pioneer and a genius and the world would be all the poorer without the creativity and artistry that our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters have always given us.
@@Cleow33 Well said Claire - I remember the words of Thatcher and the police chief of Liverpool in the press growing up. As soon as they thought HIV & AIDS were a gay only disease the public health campaign suddenly dropped off the funding chart and an epidemic was born. Attitudes have taken 4 decades to change - I suspect they haven't, they've just replaced with new people with better attitudes. As they seemed to change simultaneously with racial and other anti-minority attitudes at the same time. As a Generation X member, I do think the 90s and those of us who spoke out or stood up for what is right, allowed our children that space for expression - the space we weren't allowed for ourselves. However, with recent political changes both here and in America, I suspect the 'good old days' aren't that far away again. Moving to Europe soon, I'm not waiting for the exodus.
The song was released in 1975. So almost 50 years ago. MTV videos didn't come about until the early 80's and this was one of the first videos published.
Very true. Lots of videos were created before MTV aired. But MTV was the first to mass broadcast them. I watched a lot of the performances prior to MTV on American Bandstand, Soul Train, Austin City Limits, etc. I'm not quite old enough to remember the Ed Sullivan show. But I saw the black and white vids of the Beetles.
@@joeschmoe665 Okay, Thanks for letting me know. I have only heard of American Bandstand but have never seen it. I saw beatle vids in the 90s that were in colour. love those and haha I watched MTV until i was around 15 or so but they didnt play very many music videos so stopped watching.
A whole bunch of songs you’ve heard before are Queen. We are the champions. We will rock you. Another one bites the dust. Etc etc etc …. Try them all boss 🔥🔥🔥🙏
If you would like another few thousand Subs, do Queen Exclusively and all us Queenie’s will be here with you😊 there are many of us💕 Loved your reaction Please do Live Aid and you will see what they are really about. This was the very first music video ever..
You'll be interesting to watch seeing Somebody to Love LIVE at Montreal 1981. And Stone Cold Crazy at the Rainbow 1974. And You Take My Breath Away LIVE at Hyde Park 1976 (crowd of 150,000)
Please let yourself go down the Queen rabbit hole. Their catalog is huge, and fabulous! Queen is one of the best bands in history, and you won't believe how many of their songs you know, without knowing they were Queen songs!
I'm Gen X (54) and just found the rabbit hole! I'm amazed. How did I not listen to this group when I was a teen? I listened to everyone except Queen. I missed out!
The operatic section was multi-dubbed so many times that the metal oxide on the tape they recorded it on started to wear off...pretty special effect I'd say, considering what came out of it...
"I won't be a rock star. I'll be a legend" ~Freddie Mercury~ 1970s. I was at the Queen concert in Montreal, Nov 24, 1981. Celebrated my 24th B-Day at it. It was with out a doubt one of the best concerts I ever attended. Sadly, Freddie also passed on my B-day, Nov 24, 1991. I light a candle every year and play the Queen song, Who Wants to Live Forever in memory of Freddie.
I love watching y’all react to Bohemian Rhapsody! I’m 71 years old and have seen and heard this music all my life. What a beautiful soundtrack to my life. Thanks darlin’ 👵🏼💜☮️
Oh yes !!! My favourite band, class!! You have to check out Queens Live Aid performance, its quite long but it is regularly voted the best live performance of all time. Freddie was the ultimate front man, set the standard for others. No one could get a crowd going like Mr Mercury !! So many great tunes, quite a few of which you will probably know but won't realise it. Bo Rap (as has been said) was recorded in the early 70s and the harmonic voices were done before computers, they used an 8 track tape recording setup and just recorded the band doing harmonies over and over and layered them over the top of each other, so innovative. The success of this track had a lot to do with a DJ called Kenny Everett who played it over and over on his show on Radio 1 one day, he locked the door so his bosses couldn't get in to stop him 🤣
Queen created this as a promotional video even before there was an MTV or vh1 channel to watch it on, so you're correct they were always ahead of their time. I enjoyed your reaction and I really hope you'll explore more of Queen's extensive catalog of music, I'll guarantee you know a few of their most popular songs but it's the hidden gems that will make you a fan forever. There's a lot of us Queen fans 👑 looking for new reactions so your comment section is about to blow up with suggestions. Enjoy yourself!
Yes, it was sort of a promo video, although it was Freddy's brainchild , he said it was 3 songs he couldn't finish so he decided to mash em all together, and he knew in his own mind it would one day grab ahold. He had big big dreams and visions and knew precisely what he wanted. He was a perfectionist. Yup that is him doing multi-layered vocals on top of one another. Anywhere from 8 to 16 tracks of background vocals to make it full. He was a fanatic when it came to their engineering . He was at the sound//mixing board constantly perfecting this and that wanting a very very particular sound. ANd 99% of the time he got his way, the other guys confessed. They said they'd argue occasionally but Freddy in the end got his way because he knew and they all agreed what was needed to make it magic. And look how they all turned out after all. Freddy and Queen are absolute master musicians.
@@Melissa02891 Absolutely Melissa. I have heard every song they have written and performed and I STILL to this day cry over some of them and find new things//aspects ( as a lifelong musician) myself , to appreciate in them. Their workmanship. talent. ambition, quality of performance,, professionalism, stage presence,,,, all of it. I love them more all the time because I'm constantly discovering new things about them and their music. Freddy especially. My ex wife didn't care for them too much but then her taste in music was a bit odd if I may say so. My son loves em though. Smart smart boy . haha I can't even fathom the ass kicking quality and superb music they would have put out had Freddy lived on. wow Just imagine the songs we could have treated ourselves to. People always say this about different things like music, food books, etc,,, but Freddy Mercury and Queen in general literally transformed the music industry. They are far beyond legendary and Iconic. He/they were on a whole different plane of existence. An entirely higher caliber and league of superb quality on all levels. Those 4 were born to meet up and form a band. Most assuredly. Can you imagine life without Bohemian Rhapsody? hahahah or Time Waits for No one. or We will rock you. or God forbid,, life without "" FAT BOTTOM GIRLS/ hahahahahhaha no thanks
Great reaction. This is a video but Queen is known for being one of the greatest live bands of all time. I'd suggest listening to the live version of Somebody to Love from Montreal and Queen's 20 minute set at Live Aid. Both are regarded as greatest live performances. You might be surprised to know that lead singer Freddie Mercury is the only one singing at the beginning of this video. His voice was mult-tracked. On the other hand, Queen is the only band ever who had all 4 members write number 1 hits. The only one who didnt sing much was bassist, Jon Deacon. Brian May on guitar and especially Roger Taylor on drums were very good singers in their own right.
You know Queen...We Will Rock You...Another One Bites The Dust...We Are The Champions...Dont Stop Me Now....Somebody To Love...these are their most recognized hits...hundreds more.
This is such an iconic song but an iconic band. Queen covered all genres, never a group to stay in a box. Pure talent from each member and each member wrote number 1 songs as well. All college grads with Brian (guitar) earning a PhD in Astrophysics as well as recently being knighted by King Charles for his contributions to music and his work in preserving wildlife in the UK. Queen has a catalog of about 200 songs and all of them are excellent. This song was recorded on 16 track tape and multi-tracked to produce the sound of the choir of voices. It was done by laying vocal track after vocal track after vocal track then transferring that over to another tape to lay more vocal tracks. Not like today where you can lay the track once and then layer it on a computer. No autotune back then either so those are real vocals and real instrumental sounds requiring hours and hours in the studio. Some of the panning was done by splitting the stereo and then running it across from one side to the other. Thank you for your reaction, your smile throughout really was quite telling. I absolutely love this song and nearly 50 years later, it is still covered by so many artists. Freddie Mercury is the lead singer of the band and you are right, his range was amazing and his voice outstanding and unlike anyone else in rock or music for that matter. This was 1974 when this was recorded and the video made.
Congratulations you just watched the very first music video ever made. The 4 members of Queen were all multitalented musicians and no one sang like Freddie Mercury. Queen were ahead of their time. ❤RIP Freddie
@@d4got10one Uhm I’m talking about it being the very first rock music video. It was the first to be played on modern rock shows and spawned the creation of the channels MTV and VH1 both of which originally showed rock music videos. The band Queen made the video because the song took 6 studios to record. It was quite complicated to play live. So they shot a 24 minute short movie showing them performing the song. Other rock bands then saw it’s success and created their own. But Freddie Mercury was careful in creating videos that didn’t interfere with each listener’s own interpretation of the song. Most Queen videos were of the band performing. A few later had some added production material and ideas added to increase the video play.
Far from the first - read this, hun, and educate yourself: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video Not to discredit the fantastic BoRhap video, of course - just to widen your horizon. You're welcome.
@@MetteC5 The information I got was from the documentary of Queen where a man named Paul Giambatti said that the Bo Rap video was made and played on the BBC music show and others and that the success of it inspired others and led to the creation of the music channels. But if you have a different opinion that’s fine. Before there had been some films of other artists including the Beatles who were influential to Queen members. But thanks for reading teach! Enjoy the music! 😂
Ok...to catch a glimpse of the way Freddie could hold a MASSIVE CROWD in the palm of his hand, & to give you a look at his stage presence, you MUST check out their 20 minute set at LIVE AID!!! There were LOTS of awesome groups there, but Queen COMPLETELY KILLED IT!!!
When I first heard this, I was about 13, 14 years old. I was so amazed/confused that I had to call the DJ at the radio station and ask WTF??? And that was 30 years ago. Been a Queen fan since.
@@katehaynes5735 You must be around my age, b/c I was 13 in 1976 when I believe this was released. It's the reason I started listening to more of their music. I can honestly say, their first 8 albums were _ALL_ like greatest hits comps. Not one bad song on any. I'm even a fan of their album cover art. I've used the inside cover (centerfold, so to speak) of their News of the World album as my wallpaper for years and I have a framed picture copy of it hanging on my wall. Greatest band ever, IMO.😃
Keeep Smiling Retro and bro When i first heard this song as a kid in the 90s it gave me nightmares of pigs attacking the car while my mom was driving us to the store. YES scared the hell out of me like Ren's Hi Ren and i hated it until i got older then I loved it
I find it weird that there are adult humans in the world who have never heard this song. This was, if not the first, one of the first music videos ever and it is my earliest memory seeing the four faces, lit from above, then disappearing off to the right of the screen. I would have been 3 years old at the time. So much creativity mixing ballad with an operatic feel and then rock. So proud, they are one of our greatest exports/ gifts to the world. (I know Freddy was Indian/Zanzibar roots) Great to know that young people are discovering Queen (my 14year old daughter is a big fan and Freddy will live on through them. Suggest you watch the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
When I was a child I took all this fantastic music for granted, now I miss and pine for the creativity, thought it would be around for ever, I was wrong.
The one and only Freddie Mercury on piano/lead vocalist, Dr. Brian May (astrophysics, trivia- his guitar body is made from the old fireplace mantelpiece from his boyhood home), Roger Taylor on drums/vocals (it was him doing the super high falsetto) and John Deacon on bass/vocals. To say that they were a hit would be SUCH an understatement. They were ahead of their time in both music and videography. They ended up being able to influence virtually every band that came after them and even some of their contemporaries because of how truly cutting edge they were. They were also highly controversial in their time when it became known that Freddie was gay (he eventually died of AIDS before effective treatment was found). Gotta remember that being gay in the 70s wasn't nearly as widely accepted as it is now, but the fans didn't really care because it was all about the incredible music, not their private lives
This was my first time sitting in with you, thank you for allowing me to do that! I subscribed and left a big like for you! I enjoyed your reaction to this song!
Queen was a big deal. And almost no one knows the story of the lead guitarist, Brian May. Yes, this guy who co-founded Queen with Freddie Mercury was recently Knighted by King Charles. And he is a well-known Astrophysicist and was appointed the Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University in 2007.
Loved your reaction : ) They are pretty wonderful aren't they? Freddie Mercury was born Faruk Balsara in Zanzibar E Africa of a Parsi-Indian family. He was very cultured and well read amazingly talented and a fantastic front man with audiences eating out of his hand. He died way too early at the age of forty five from complications of AIDS. What a waste. RIP Freddie.
Queen was easily one of the most magical groups in history. I remember when they first came on the scene in the nineteen-nineties. I am now 77 and still get the good chills when I hear and see them perform. Written by Freddie. The fabulous guitar player also has a degree in Astrophysics. So sad that Freddie Mercury died way too early of AIDS. Such geniuses, all of them. Thank you for an excellent reaction.
So happy you liked this! Queen is known for hits like “We are the Champions”, “We will Rock You” and “Another one Bites the Dust” The music of my era❤😊
Check out crowd sings bohemian rhapsody at greenday concert. Music was playing waiting for the group to get on stage and the whole audience started singing it. I think Freddie approved because near the end, the clouds parted and the sun came out.
you remarked on the voices, the really amazing thing is that, apart from one section where drummer Roger Taylor sings a high note, all the other voices belong to lead singer Freddie Mercury, he recorded each one separately and then they were overlayed onto the track!
That guitar that Brian May is playing is an icon in its own right. It's usually called The Red Special and was built by Brian and his father when he was a teenager. Because the wood for the neck came from a fireplace mantel, it's also sometimes referred to as Fireplace. He has used it throughout his career, along with a few replicas on occasion. Look up the Red Special, it's a great story.
This band has two of the most well known tunes that so many have heard. We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. You would probably love their tune Fat Bottom Girls. Bohemian Rhapsody was a number one song twice ,17 years apart. This one in 1975/76 then in 1992 for the movie Wayne's World.
I discovered Queen when I watched Wayne’s World - and I wasn’t a young person! Took me a few years to figure out their other songs - a couple were very popular when my sin played soccer in the 80s! Wish I could play a DVD in my car but they took out the players before 2017 when I bought my car! How stupid!
This was the first proper music video. Also, there was no auto tune ! This was voted one of the best songs ever. Only song to be number one in the UK charts over 4 separate years. Also Queen played live to the largest paying audiences in Rio (Brazil) where they played for 2 nights and had between 250,000 to 500,000 attending. Even though it was a non English speaking country, the fans could sing the songs. Look up the video for “Love of my life” in Rio. Truly amazing.
You just stepped into one of the most musicallicly gifted groups thay ever crossed paths who always 110% devotion to their live performances. And. Freddie is defenity a GOAT-candidate as bothsinger and performer with a stage presence and crowd connection up par with Michael Jacksom and Elvis. He died young also.
It's hard for me to think anyone wouldn't know this song or Queen. Freddy Mercury is a LEGEND. His voice is so amazing and controlled. I hope you'll listen to more Queen music. There's quite a variety of songs. And you'd be amazed by watching the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody". His story is incredible and tragic.
Queen fan here.. (also a REN fan)!! I subscribed with hopes you will follow the Queen rabbit hole - which is very, very deep and amazing! You’ll be amazed at how many Queen songs you know… trust me!! I’m a 70+ yr old Gma.. loving the old and the new!!!! PS…. This video wasn’t made 14 yrs ago… it was made 50 yrs ago… and there are more current videos the band members have made that will help you understand how they made this ground-breaking video (it was one of the very first).. if you’re interested!
At first I said, " How can he not have heard Queen and one of the most famous songs in the world?". But, I never listen to Rap or Hip Hop, contemporary jazz, most country so now I understand. How ABOUT LISTENING to Suite: Judy Blue Eyes? It was C, S & N'
That video actually wrote the book, cut the path, for modern videos, did things that had never been imagined before. But that was Freddy ❣️ and Queen ❤ BTW, that was a concert in Montreal, Canada. But they did a bigger one in San Paolo, Brazil, for about 130,000. And a bigger one again called The Live Aid Concert...but that one is about history, you might be bored...lmao, check it out❣️❣️
You had me subscribed with that smile while Freddie was still on keyboard at first. Please do their full Live Aid 20+ min reaction. Talk about blown away. I remember watching live on TV in 1985
Heh, me and my friend, Covent Garden wine bar in the late 80s'. This comes one. I go IN TO IT. My BFF, the barstaff, the next tables, all watch me mime. I was fantastic, even if I do say so myself... They will never forget it, that's for sure...
Queen guitarist Brian May has a PhD in Astrophysics and built his own guitar from a 200 year old mantle. John Deacon (bassist) was an electronics engineer. Freddy Mercury was born on island of Zanzibar in East Africa as Farrokh Bulsara.
They stacked there vocals, and almost broke the tape they stacked so hard lol and it was 47 years ago, this was released in 1975, this is taken from a break down of how this song was made.... The rich sound of the harmonies was created by Mercury, May, and Taylor, each singing every note in the chord and stacking the performances; there were as many as 180 overdubs. For this to work and stay intelligible the timing of each vocal delivery had to be exact regarding rhythm, pitch, and vocal inflection. As they were working with 24-track analog tape, the three needed to overdub themselves many times and bounce these down to successive sub-mixes.
You witnessed the start of the video clip era, not just live performance. His camera man was the genius behind the honeycomb effect. Freddie Mercury is a name you should become familiar with. Lead singer and writer and composer. Sadly gone, but never forgotten. You'd enjoy 'Fat bottom girls'.
