MUSIC

Freddie Mercury Thought This Queen Song Was Better Than 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

November 6th, 2023

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is not only widely considered the best Queen song, but some think it's the best song of all time. However, there was a song Freddie Mercury thought was "better" in terms of being "a pure piece of songwriting."

In a new interview, former roadie and author of Queen Uncovered Peter Hince recalled his time with the band while they were recording "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Mercury's views on the iconic song.

“The band were recording Night At The Opera and we were going around all these different studios in London and doing bits in each place so I was hearing bits and pieces of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ but I didn’t hear the whole thing for quite some time. I remember hearing the opera bit and thinking it’s going to be an introduction tape for the live show – I had no idea it was a song!” he remembered.

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“The video is arguably what helped it become so huge in Britain…and the other thing is that, sadly, Freddie isn’t around anymore and it’s one of his legacies that piece of music so is still something people find very emotional."

“Also, nothing really had been done like it before and probably nothing since – with all the technology now it is easier to get certain studio effects whereas with Queen it was all about spending enormous amounts of time and being incredibly innovative," Hince continued, "So I think part of [it’s appeal] is in the fact that it took so long to do and it was this real labour of love for Fred."

Then he dropped the bomb: "Freddie actually said ‘Somebody To Love’ was a better piece of songwriting than Bo Rap. He felt that as a pure piece of songwriting it was better."

Mercury may no longer be with us, but Queen is still touring with Adam Lambert on vocals.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

Suggested Reading

Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words

Freddie rarely talked about himself to others, and so the relatively few interviews he did agree to—carefully compiled for this book, and some of them unpublished until now—provide an intriguing insight into a man who outwardly exuded confidence and arrogance, but behind the public perception, spent...

Somebody to Love: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Freddie Mercury

For the first time, the final years of one of the world's most captivating rock showman are laid bare. Including interviews from Freddie Mercury's closest friends in the last years of his life, along with personal photographs, Somebody to Love is an authoritative biography of the great man. Here ar...

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