Single, October 1975
From the album A Night At The Opera (November 1975)

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”

Freddie Mercury brings opera to the masses in one of the most remarkable Number 1 singles ever. Hours of recording time, dozens of overdubs and the impressive vocal range of Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor made this epic six-minute single legendary, spending nine weeks at the top, thanks to one of the first “high-concept” music videos ever made.

The meaning of Mercury's lyrics remains unknown, but Brian May later said: "Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. I think he put a lot of himself into that song."

The single is unique in that it made the Number 1 spot in the UK twice: on its first release in 1975, and again in 1991 following the tragic death of Freddie Mercury. 2018 saw the track gain a whole new legion of fans as it gave its title to the biopic of Mercury, starring Rami Malek in an Oscar-winning performance as the singer.

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images