Did you know that Queen‘s transcendental hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody” originally had a different title? That’s what’s been revealed in unearthed hand-written notes as part of a collection of items belonging to late singer Freddie Mercury that are set to hit the Sotheby’s auction block in September.
What fans rarely get to see are the working stages of songs they know and love, which could be anything from alternative titles to different lyrics, arrangements and, really, any aspect of the writing and recording process. Sometimes, the world will get to hear early versions of songs released as demos or rough mixes that are usually tacked on to album re-releases and box sets.
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Sotheby’s tweeted a photo of one of three pages of handwritten “Bohemian Rhapsody” notes and the other two can be viewed here.
One of the pages shows that Mercury had jotted down notes on airline stationary, including lyrical snippets and a scratched out original title for the song — “Mongolian Rhapsody” — with “Mongolian” crossed out and, instead, “Bohemian” was written above it.
Fans will recognize a number of lyrical lines, written by Mercury and can also view a scattered arrangement of words and phrases that later fell into place as Queen shaped the legendary song.
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Fun Facts About “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Released on Halloween in 1975, the song went on to peak at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped several charts worldwide.
In July of 2019, the music video for the song surpassed one billion YouTube views.
In March of 2021, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” single was certified diamond by the RIAA.
In December of last year, the song eclipsed two billion Spotify streams.
Queen on Tour
Queen + Adam Lambert will embark on The Rhapsody Tour later this year with 14 dates on the books in October and early November. See all the upcoming tour dates here and head to this location to get tickets.