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There are hundreds of music genres, hundreds of thousands of bands, and millions of songs that exist in the world today, and these numbers are constantly growing. In this vast sea of music, some songs that are truly iconic, whether it be for their intriguing lyrics, their amazing melody, for shedding light on issues in society, or for a plethora of other reasons, rise above the rest. This article will discuss one such example; Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. 

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Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975 on Queen’s ‘A Night at the Opera’ album and was written by Freddy Mercury, the band’s lead vocalist. Bohemian Rhapsody was seen as being groundbreaking when it was released, due to the song’s unique composition style and vast variety in sound throughout the song, as well as its intriguing lyrics. The song features four specific sections that are classified by the style of music used; the beginning ballad, the opera-themed middle, the driving hard rock following the operatic segment, and the outro, which is also ballad-like. This level of variation within a song displayed the musical talent that Queen possessed and showed off Freddy Mercury’s creative genius. 

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The lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody are also quite interesting. On the surface, the song appears to be about a poor young boy who kills someone and then has to deal with the consequences of this act. The main themes of the song include regret, guilt, grief, and anger. However, Freddy Mercury was infamously quiet with regards to the meaning of the song, leaving it up for interpretation and leading many to believe that the story of the boy was a metaphor symbolizing something else. One theory that I found particularly interesting was that the song represents Mercury’s discovery of his bisexuality, when he previously believed he was gay. The killing of the man and subsequent remorse symbolizes Mercury disposing of his old sexuality and the feelings of guilt and confusion that surrounded that action. Regardless of whether or not this was the true meaning of the song, the fact that the lyrics are open to interpretation allows people to resonate with the song by making up a meaning of the song that relates to their own lives. 

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In conclusion, Bohemian Rhapsody became hugely popular, topping the charts in many countries all over the world. With its innovative sound of blended genres that attracted a wide audience and its sophisticated and mysterious lyrics, Bohemian Rhapsody is a timeless song that will be cherished and remembered by the music community for a long time.