What is the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen about?

Answer 1

I think it's the story of a man who believes at first that he committed the perfect crime. Freddy shoots and kills a man for an unknown reason. This probably happened before the "song" started. After committing the murder, Freddy enters a dreamlike ambience, as expressed by the light and whimisical beginning of the song. When he realizes what he's done, he enters a child like state, calling to his "mama" and feeling considering that life "had just begun". He tries to be heroic as he faces death. In my interpretation, Freddy dies (perhaps he killed himself from guilt of killing another man?). The vividness in tempo tempo and strong powerful chords suggests that Freddy is about to enter either Hell or purgatory. Freddy is described as a "silhuoetto of a man"... he's no longer a person, he's lacking something. Perhaps Freddy is present only in spirit, or perhaps he is dehumanized because of the horrendous actions he committed earlier. The thunderbolts and lightning suggest that he is in a tumultuous place, again reinforicing the ideas of Hell or Purgatory. He is placed infront of a jury, who are to decide his fate. At this point he is torn between a fate with Bimilliah (allah) or Beelzebub. I don't think he feels remorse for what he did though, and says that life "doesn't really matter". I think he's sentenced to hell, seeing as how he complains that people "spit in [his] eye"... which doesn't seem like something that would happen in heaven. But seeing as how Freddy didn't care at the beginning that he committed a crime, he doesn't really care that he's in hell either. It sorta ends on an existentialist chord that "nothing really matters", but returns to the beginning, when Freddy questioned whether this was the "real life" or just a "fantasy". This makes the listener wonder whether Freddy was imagining everything that had happened to him earlier, whether it was all a sick existential dream.

Answer 2

From the time "Bohemian Rhapsody" was released to the public, there has been speculation as to the meaning behind the song's lyrics. Some believe the lyrics were inspired by author Albert Camus, given the similarities to Camus's novel The Stranger. Still others believe the lyrics were only written to fit with the music, and have no meaning at all. As evidence, DJ Everett quoted Freddy Mercury (the guy who wrote the song) as claiming the lyrics were simply "random rhyming nonsense."

Mercury was famously evasive when asked about the song's meaning. Unlike the other members of Queen, who often talked about the inspiration behind the songs they had written, Mercury disliked too much analysis into his material, and preferred listeners to construct their own personal interpretations. Following the single's release, Mercury was quoted as saying, "It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them. Bohemian Rhapsody' didn't just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not?"

Answer 3

It's Freddie Mercury being Freddie Mercury. He thinks up something and puts his thoughts and feelings into it.

Answer 4

THE SONG IS ABOUT A MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER, CONFESSING HIS CRIME IN DETAIL TO HIS MOM. HINT: "MAMA .... I JUST KILLED A MAN. PUT A GUN AGAINST HIS HEAD, PULLED MY TRIGGER; NOW HE'S DEAD...."

Answer 5

http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3187