preview

Bohemian Rhapsody Essay

Better Essays

Queen’s cult classic hit Bohemian Rhapsody debuted in 1975; this single exploded and had sold more than one million copies by the start of 1976. During a period when rock was ‘finding its roots’ Queen seized the opportunity to experiment with what could be accepted in mainstream music. Through thoughtful and decisive manipulation of musical elements such as tonality, harmony, form and lyrical undertones; Queen effectively conveys musical meaning and entertains listeners. Bohemian Rhapsody falls under a genre known as progressive rock. It’s a genre that is characterised by the unorthodox take on form which incorporates aspects of other genres and often supports aspects of a classical form.
This song is peculiar in that it has four sections, and lack of a chorus, these sections being; Intro (0:00-00:49), Ballad (00:49-3:02), Operatic verse (3:02-4:07), Hard Rock (4:07-4:54) and Outro (4:54-5:55). The title ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has particular significance when in relation to the musical experience of the listener. The word Bohemian in this context refers both to the lead vocals journey (as bohemianism focuses on the impact an …show more content…

He is begging to be acquitted of the charge as ‘the devil’ made him kill a man . At this point the song has modulated into Eb major. The texture is lightened again (similar to the beginning) to just the vocal lines supported by the occasional keyboard phrase as the two ‘voices’ fight for focus and the verdict for the case. The drums are quite interesting as they could be likened to the sound of a judge using a gavel in order to pronounce a final decision. The very use of an operatic section is quite odd for a typically song of the era but when suddenly introduced between two texturally thick sections, it is quite effective and aids the transition between the

Get Access