I saw this tour live from the orchestra pit in 1976. We were so close we could touch the stage. Freddie gave me a long stem rose at the end of the night and called me darling. When they played this song they had a smoke machine going and we lit up joints during as we were concealed in the smoky haze, lol. The rose crumbled to dust eventually but I took lots of pictures of the concert and will always have my memory. We also got to shake Brian May’s hand and he let us each request a song. I chose “Keep Yourself Alive” and my best friend chose “Liar”, which they played. My best friend got Roger Taylor’s drumsticks. ✌️♥️🎶

This song changed rock as we knew it.

It’s almost a national anthem, pretty much everyone in the Uk knows all the words, the chords and the solos off by heart

The most epic song ever! Freddie owned the stage! He had four extra teeth, but he never had them extracted because he was concerned that it might affect his performance.

I am 57 years old and I like this channel and the reactions. But I have to say you will never Know the feeling we had in the 70s 80s 90s, every week we had a new masterpiece and we only had the radio to hear them, so we recorded them on cassettes tapes. It sound very old but ¡¡what a wonderful feeling ¡¡

I remember when this was first released. We had never heard anything like it before. Had to listen a few times to appreciate it. This song is a masterpiece! ✌️♥️

This song will still be heard even when I am an old grandfather and shall always be a timeless masterpiece.

Damn but that man could sing like no other.

This has been described as rock opera...Hard to believe anyone could assemble a song like this, but here it is... Incredible!!!

This a masterpiece !! Freddie Mercury’s unbelievable vocals are unmatched ! You will never see anything like this again !

I've been showing my 2 year old son this video the past few weeks. To say he's enthralled would be an understatement

After this song came out, Queen became known as one the the biggest bands in the world, and their live show was spectacular. Freddie Mercury's stage presence was incredible, so that every person in the audience felt that he was singing directly to them. I was lucky enough to see them in concert twice in the late 70s and early 80s, and both shows were among the best I had ever attended. Sadly, Freddie Mercury's death effected bass player John Deacon especially badly, to where he gave up music. John was the writer of some of Queen's biggest hits, and he was an extremely talented writer, player and in fact, he was an electrical engineer, and he even designed a custom amplifier for guitarist Brian May, which he used on nearly every Queen album, and he even uses today.

"oh, wow", that's exactly how I feel after every listen. The song, on the surface, is about a man who has killed and now must face the consequences. He confesses to his mother, then is judged by the court, defies it and then concludes that it was all for nothing, at least that's a way you could interpret it. The deeper meaning is that the man Freddie killed was the old him, and that for the longest time he had been living a life that wasn't really his own. It could be interpreted as a coming out song. The characters in the operatic section fight for his soul. Like a story, the song ends back where it started. Musically there is a beautiful slowing down of the tempo, even though the music lacks satisfaction until at long last the gong sounds.

I was born in 1975, the same year this song came out, and to the best of my knowledge, did not hear Bohemian Rhapsody for the first time until 1992, when the Wayne's World movie came out. It was a big movie and Bohemian Rhapsody was prominently featured in it. The song became a big hit again on MTV, Muchmusic, and radio.

The video movie of this is why MTV and VH1 were created! Keep going!

This was a true rhapsody and Freddy put three songs he wrote together and created this GOAT!!

Queen has so many fantastic songs that it scares me to think about how I might never have explored them if they had never released Bohemian Rhapsody! Great reaction!

Watching the two of you grow musically over the last year has been heart warming. Two young passionate intelligent people letting the music, not preconceived notions carry them to a higher stronger awareness has been a joy for me.

Without a doubt, one of the greatest piece of music history ever.

You should watch the Muppets version of this which they did with Queen's approval and original backing track. A total hoot!

Yes, Lex described the effect of hearing this song when it first came out perfectly.

This is one of the high points of 70's rock....it has EVERYTHING you can want. Not much else to say. Genius.

It is one of the rare music videos that expands and adds to the layers of the song rather than being a background distraction!

The greatest rock song that has ever been made.PERIOD.

Timeless classic no doubt...but a special mention to the guys who produced the song and video. They deserve a massive amount of praise as well, incredible when released and still a masterpiece today.

There’s this great documentary called “inside the rhapsody” in which the guitarist Brian May and the drummer Roger Taylor go through how the track and music video were put together. I recommend you guys check it out if you’re interested in learning more about the song

Lex is such a character giving her view she also has a great spirit

It's the story of what a person goes through after taking someone's life, from the realization his own life is over, to feeling badly for his mother, his friends, to accepting his fate having to die saying good-bye. Then at times being pissed off at the world, not wanting to die, to wishing he'd never been born at all, wanting to be set free and the world says NO! And, in the beginning and in the end, "nothing really matters at all", "anyway the wind blows". No one asks to be who/what they are! It's a whole and complete story!

This was a song that the music execs did not want to be released as a single. They thought they it was too long to be a single. The band kept pushing and eventually got it released as a single. The execs were blown away by the reaction the song got and to this day is still listed in the top 5 songs of theirs.

This is definitely in the top 5 greatest songs ever composed. It truly takes you on a journey. You really should do, Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon for another side to their unique sound.

This song is basically a modern version of what in Opera is called a "tragedy". The protagonist in the story has killed a man, and he now laments the sorrow he's brought on his mother "Didn't mean to make you cry", and ponders his fate with regret "I don't wanna die... I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all". Then the more traditional opera part is where he begs for forgiveness, saying "Will you let me go?", to which the reply is "No! We will not let you go!". Then he tells his Mother to let him go, as Beelzebub (Satan) has "a Devil put aside for me" (as his personal torturer). And the song ends with him resigned to his fate... "Nothing really matters to me".

This composition is a timeless masterpiece. A century will pass and it will still be listened to and praised. Thanks.

Song was released in the mid 70s, before music videos had gained momentum in the 80s. I was a child when it came out, and it was very different from the other music of that time. They were ahead of themselves.

Their best look. Yes Lexi, it's a RnR Masterpiece for the ages. Almost perfection.

One ”Bohemian Rhapsody” a day is the remedy to a sane life ❤

"... definitely something to it." she said with confidence.😂

There simply is nothing better. Not enough to adjectives to describe how incredible this is. Still have my original copy of this on vinyl from 1975.

Brad, you are SO RIGHT! So much of the music you've been sampling has enormous replay value! You can't really appreciate a song without hearing it many times. I hope you guys are creating a playlist (or several!) of some of your favorites. I've listened to much of this music over the years (60s, 70s, 80s etc). And I can tell you, the nostalgia vibe is very strong in many cases. A girl I knew, a car I was driving, a movie that included a song, meeting future wife, kids, trying to learn the song on guitar, the death of significant people in my life... ...and on and on... A song comes on the radio, and I'm right there again! Priceless!

Lex, when this came on TV there were no videos back then. The accompanying video for their 1975 single, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is generally recognised as the first ever promotional music video, kick-starting and setting the gold-standard for the genre for decades to come.

Lee Michaels "Do You Know What I Mean"...Nuff Said.

I was maybe six so most of what I heard was new to me 😂 There was so much different music around. The 70's were crazy. We had glamrock, disco, punk competing for most impressive look 😂

Queen used to put on their earlier albums "No Synthesizers!" because they were that musically gifted and to stop critics who praised their Synthesizers work when they didn't use one, not until their later works. You should check out Killer Queen, the band's first big hit

I have two granddaughters. My 12 year old one heard this song about a month ago when her mom played it and she went crazy for it. I have a short video of her singing along to this song as she is listening to it at home. This is a kid who is coming into her teens and listening to todays pop music. But, then she hears the great Bohemian Rhapsody and she is loving it. Great music lives on over generations and with Queen, their creative and unique music, their great music will live on.

Masterpiece, Genius, Brilliant...Freddie....We love & miss you baby....thank you for everything.

I remember the first time this appeared on Top of the Pops, it was just astonishing, we had never seen or heard anything like it. I was at the record store at 9 the next day and there was a queue of people buying this, and at college everyone was talking about it. It was number one for weeks in the UK. The only other appearances on TOTP I can remember having the same "Did you SEE..." impact were David Bowie's "Starman" and Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".

Love this song with earphones in especially! You can really hear all of the nuances of the song and their voices bouncing back and forth- just awesome!

and NO AUTO TONE!!! NO COMPUTERS!!! pure TALENT back in the day when you stayed in the studio until you got it right!!

Loved in the movie "Whats next Freddie?" This is where the operetta comes in "Oh"

And all 4 guys actually playing the instruments n singing!! No synthesizer!! No auto tune!! Just amazing talent!! Def watch the live aid performance!! Thanks for the revisit!!

By the way the intro, outtro, and everything inbetween is great the way it is. If it ain't broke... Love you two ummm three.

God what a performance. I cry every time I watch this video because we no longer have this great musician. R.I.P. Freddy we miss you and your awesome voice.

Right! What a Masterpiece.

The very first concert of my life was seeing Queen. It was their Night at the Opera tour and Bohemian Rhapsody was a new song. I feel privileged now to have actually seen them live and to have seen them do this song lived.

The album was called "Queen A Night At The Opera" It came out in 1975. I saw them live in 1977 in Columbus ,Ohio with 4 of my friends on their "Day At the Races Album Tour".This song was in the playlist I was 16 yrs old, the ticket was about $7.50 Main floor 15th row Baby..!!!

This song was big when it came out but even bigger when it re-released in the 90's for the Wayne's World movie and a video on MTV which made this song what it is today, that and The late great Freddie Mercury!

I saw this tour at the Beacon theater in NYC 76 .We had gotten 6th row center seats & were waiting for Queen to come on when i noticed the whole 7th row was empty. The theater was sold out & electric . Awhile later i noticed they were escorting people into the 7th row music big shots etc. A few minutes later my friend elbowed me on my side & said " Turn around" ! ...(me) "What" ?? (friend ) " turn around " so i turned around & Elton John & Billie Jean King were sitting right behind me . I looked at him with my mouth hanging open ,he had big white glasses on, an off white kasmir coat with a fox collar & Billie Jean had her head on his shoulder . He just smiled at me & said " how are you"? With that the lights went out & Queen hit the stage . What a night !!!!

It was truly groundbreaking at the time (Still is) . Nobody looked like Freddie or sounded like Queen, and it changed music forever!

Loved this song when it first came out still love it today will never tire of it ❤️

This whole album "A Night at the Opera", is nothing short of a masterpiece. It was one of the first albums I bought with my own money as an 11 year-old back in 1975.

How can this be your first hearing? Never goes away. Getting over played everywhere.

Two small corrections: Freddie Mercury's nostrils aren't "British skinny". He was born in Zanzibar, and his family were Parsi-Indian (i.e. from Iran via India, so he was an immigrant). And, back in the day, watching videos was not the common way people listened to music. Radio, record player or cassette player - that's what was used.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a a three act play set to music. The title of the album is "A Night at the Opera " the first act: Moma my life is over I just shot a man. Second act is the court case: let him go. No we will not let him go. The third act is jail: just gotta get outta here. The ending is a broken spirit who goes anyway the wind blows.

This is a frigging OPERA. All the changes and drama. The chorus and solos. A Crazy Opera that ROCKS. (a three penny opera)

I don’t care what anybody says. This is one of the greatest rock songs of all time if not the greatest! AND one of the greatest rock bands of all time!

You should react to Queen’s Live Aid set It’s amazing!

This was the first music video and it set a huge bar.

One of those songs/experiences that you remember exactly where you were when you first heard/saw it.

I totally agree with Lex, a true masterpiece

Queen's record label didn't want to release this as a single. At 6 minutes long they believed that radio stations wouldn't play it. The band gave an acetate disc of the song to the famous BBC DJ Kenny Everett and he played it 6 times on the same night. So many phoned the BBC asking how they could buy the single that EMI were forced into releasing it as a single.

Have you guys done Queen "Somebody to love" Live 1981 in Montreal? EPIC perfomance!

True expression without music industry interference ??? I'm Going Slightly Mad. (ALL FREDDIE) 😍😍😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Not sure what's better, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or Lex's freckled cheekbones.

What a song

Incredible song that had us scratching our heads when it came out, it was that radically different. For more legendary Queen try Ogre Battle, a killer track from Queen 2. Enjoy! 🎶🎸🎤🎹🎶

Any fan watching these reactions only to see how startled each one's expression. Long Live the band ❤

It was astronomical, it was groundbreaking, unreal, sad, amazing..

The 'special' effects may look a little bit dated, but nothing can ever take away from the sheer magnificence on display here. Thankfully George Lucas wasn't involved or we'd likely have had 7 updated versions by now.

We weren't really shocked by the music when it came out years ago, because everyone was incredibly talented then. And we just expected great music from them.

I was seven when I saw this on ‘top of the pops’ in the UK. I sat cross-legged in front of the TV. Totally transfixed. It was the first record I ever bought with my birthday money. Still does the same for me now.

07:30 - "Can you imagine this just coming on to the TV". Ha, ha... Music videos did exist at that time, but most of us simply hanged out and listened to LP's. Video was a rare thing in the late 70'th

In an interview Roger got annoyed because people kept questioning if their harmonies were real or not. Roger completely lost his falsetto in 1982, from that point on, Freddie did all of the high harmonies on the albums. Freddie did the high and lower notes and Roger the high notes. Some struggle either way but Freddie was able to perform lower, middle and higher notes. He really was a LEGEND!

Most of us heard the song years before the video. I always thought the song was about him being poor and robbing someone where he shot him in the head without thinking. Ran home to tell his mother sorry I messed up my life and the cops would be there soon to take him away and put him to death. Not knowing any happiness he wished he was never born at all. Then when it goes into old Opera its him on trial asking for forgiveness from the judge and prosecution. In the end they say they will not let him go and he will pay for what he did. At that point he says I just got to get right out of here. Breaks free and maybe makes it to the hallway where it slows down and he is singing nothing really matters and is put to death. ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS.

It seriously can never get better than this...

Freddie never told what this masterpiece was about but the common thought is that Freddie is killing his identity up to that point and becoming a new person. Leaving the traditions and expectations of his mother and his family behind. Not coming out, he never did that (officially) but being his true self. However, Queen always wanted their fans to make a song mean whatever they thought it did. This is the most downloaded single in the world. The beginning is only Freddie's voice, layered to make it sound like more vocalists. The song is iconic as is the video. Truly amazing and all in Freddie's head. He had it all planned out. Knew every section. Brian did have input on his solo but other than that a fully Freddie epic. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Freddie was of Iranian decent. When he was born it was still Persia. Farrokh Bulsara is his real name.

Now you need to hear the Greenday concert audience singing Bohemian Rhapsody

This is essentially the first music video. Before this video, artists did make promotional videos but they were only used to promote the song and artist to record distributors and were not shown to the public. They were very basic videos, showing the artist's performance as they stood before the camera miming their studio recording. To promote their song to the public, artists would appear live on TV shows and lip-synch to their records on shows like Top Of The Pops (a British TV show which gave a rundown of the latest music chart hits while featuring in-studio performances from popular music artists). To have a rock music hit in Britain at the time, an artist had to appear on Top of the Pops performing their song. Bohemian Rhapsody was being released in the U.K on October 31, 1975, but Queen was heading out on their "A Night At The Opera" world tour on November 14, 1975. They were not going to be available to promote the song or appear on Top of the Pops. In addition, the operatic potion of BohRap is way too complex to mimed realistically. In the studio recording, the choir effect was created by having Brian, Freddie, and Roger repeatedly sing their vocal parts, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. There is no way to recreate the illusion of a choir with just 3 guys lip-synching on TV. So, the band came up with the idea of creating a special video that could be used as a performance on Top of the Pops and other shows to promote their song to the public that would be more exciting than just four guys miming their song. They knew exactly the mood and image that they wanted the video to present. It was shot at the studio where they were rehearsing for their concert tour. They dressed in their concert costumes and staged the performance as though they were in front of an audience, They hired the same director that they used to videotape their 1974 Rainbow Theatre concert and a cameraman, Barry Dodd, who normally worked on movie productions. (it turns out, Barry knew some simple, non-technical camera tricks that produced those stunning special effects.) The whole video was shot in about 4 hours. It became the first record to be pushed into the forefront by virtue of a video. Queen was certainly the first band to create a 'concept' video. The video captured the musical imagery perfectly. You cannot hear that music without seeing the visuals in your mind's eye. it was only after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that it became a regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists' single releases. This single video ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music. Suddenly videos could then be shown on television shows around the world, such as the BBC's Top of the Pops, without the need for the artist to appear in person. A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals. Basically, this video launched the MTV age.

You're right, you two. When that came out people were totally blown away. Shellshocked.

Weren't they wonderful? Millions of people have the same reaction to this song. You two have to check out the crowd singing this before a Greenday concert. Freddie must have come down for a look-see, hearing this! lol kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mcCedbGm1tfeZZs.html

ive loved this song since it came out in the 70s.....i will always love Freddie Mercury, i was lucky to see his last ever gig at Knebworth in the UK in Aug 86. Just one of a kind and a genuine talent - excceptional

Top 3 of the best songs ever written in modern history, produced and performed

0:06, love how the captions say "Today we're revisiting Queens but hit me in rap city" lmao

I never got into music videos. I was a child of the seventies. I never knew what the musicians and singers I loved looked like. I loved Queen for the music.

This song gets better every time I listen. Freddie has a great voice, such an entertainer.

Brad and Lex, Y'all should react to the Greenday preshoow at Wemblee Arena in England where the ENTIRE crowd sings along to this song Perfectly. Greenday say they heard the commotion and came out on stage, awestruck, to watch. It is Brilliant.

I was 9 when this came out in 75 , its still my favourite.

It's a Rhapsody, which is a musical piece that has no repeating parts. What a journey Freddie took us on. Fyi all the voices in the opening section were all Freddie

After all these years the original still makes me smile

I love seeing people react to this the first time. The beauty of this song is it will invoke different reactions and interpretations depending on the listener. It’s a true work of art. I heard this on the radio as a kid in 1975…. Lifelong fan to this day. I never, ever tire of their music. Know every song, off every album, hit or not. They cover every genre, sometimes on a single album, or like this, in a single song. They influenced me early, they are the reason I studied musical theater, performance and teaching (vocal coach). Freddie was not just one in a million, that number is immeasurable. Been watching a lot of your reactions tonight and I’m just thrilled by how genuinely you listening to music. Thank you!

Brad asks if this is from a musical. It IS a musical. Or really a mini opera. It tells a tragic story about a young man who murders somebody and knows he has to go to prison. He's lamenting that his life is over and he's hurt his mother by his deed. There is a dramatized trial using stereotypes of Italian opera, then some some defiant playing as the band rocks out and finally lament again as he feigns that he doesn't care what happens to him. This is one of those songs that I can remember hearing for the first time. I was driving and it came on the radio and I had to pull over and listen to it. It just blew me away.