
Today is the 27th anniversary of the legendary Freddie Mercury’s death. In his honor, here is a remarkable live recording of my favorite Queen song of all time (which was also our wedding song), Somebody to Love. Mercury wrote the song, along with a jaw-dropping number of other Queen hits, including Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Don’t Stop Me Now, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, and We Are the Champions.
I love lots of music and lots of musicians, but I have two favorite singers, Ella Fitzgerald and Freddie Mercury. I feel like if I could only hear one singer for the rest of my life, either one of those would get me through just fine.
“[Freddie Mercury is] the best virtuoso rock ‘n’ roll singer of all time. He could sing anything in any style. He could change his style from line to line and, God, that’s an art. And he was brilliant at it.” Roger Daltrey (The Who)
Though it’s really hard to fathom, Freddie never received formal music training. He did take piano lessons, but though he wrote very incredibly complex melodies and harmonies, he claimed he could barely read music. A natural talent, he wrote most of his songs on the piano and sang entirely instinctively.
AIDS has extinguished way too many stars, and Freddie Mercury was among the best and brightest. Though I haven’t seen it yet, I love that the new movie Bohemian Rhapsody is bringing the brilliant music of Queen to a whole new generation of fans.
And just because I can’t resist an opportunity to hear it again, here is the version that played at our wedding.
November 24, 2018 at 8:06 am
Freddie Mercury was (and still is) my ALL time favorite performer. Queen was the first album, I ever purchased as a child and remains my favorite to this day. this song brings so many memories flooding into my mind, thank you for that my dear friend. At a time when there is such anger and discord in this world we need more Freddie to ring through the streets. I will be playing this song on a loop till the words ring true. I hope you and Beloved had a wonderful Thanksgiving of joy and PIES don’t forget pie! Fondly, Mary
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November 24, 2018 at 11:07 am
Hi, honey bunch! Queen has always meant a great deal to me, too. I hope you and L had a great holiday, and I hope we can get together soon! Miss you! XO
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November 24, 2018 at 11:39 am
Love, love, LOVE Queen. And it is great that a new generation is finding their music. RIP Freddie.
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November 24, 2018 at 12:08 pm
We saw “The Movie” last weekend. I was 15 when Live Aid happened. Freddie was larger than life–the sort of star that a naive teenager like me thought had “it all”–I thought his life just had to be the epitome of perfection. To see, on the big screen, Freddie in his humanity, broke my heart. I cried throughout the movie and for about an hour afterwards. Queen will always be larger than life to me, but they were also “real”. Of course I know that now, at the ripe old age of 48. What a gift Freddie had! There will never be another like him.
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November 24, 2018 at 2:34 pm
How can it be 27 years already? Wow. I remember Freddie’s death hitting me hard in a way I had not expected since I (obviously) did not know him. His death was only the second time I saw my Dad cry. He was just so vital that it seemed impossible to believe his spark had been extinguished. Somebody to Love is one of my top ten songs of all time. It’s absolute perfection.
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November 24, 2018 at 5:28 pm
He really was an amazing artist. There will never be another!
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November 24, 2018 at 6:30 pm
The word unique gets bandied around a lot and often in pretty meaningless contexts. Freddie Mercury, however, truly was unique.
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November 24, 2018 at 11:28 pm
True, more’s the pity. Have you seen the movie yet? We’re dying to go.
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November 24, 2018 at 11:46 pm
Alas, no. I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends who’ve seen it – though they all agree the central performance is great. I’d like to see it for myself.
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November 24, 2018 at 11:02 pm
Hard to believe it is 27 years….wow. Your wedding song? How fantastic is that?! Fantastic post, Donna.
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November 24, 2018 at 11:29 pm
Thanks, hon!
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November 25, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Thanks for sharing! I wasn’t a big fan of Queen until the last few years, so the movie really brought them, especially Freddie, to life for me. I’ve seen it twice and loved it both times. It may not be historically accurate with everything, but it helped me see Freddie as the brilliant artist he was, so I’m calling it a win.
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