New clip from Queen biopic shows Freddie Mercury directing the recording of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

’Bohemian Rhapsody’ is, if we’re being objectively honest about it, the best song ever written.

We’ve all heard it a million times, and perhaps sometimes you can feel like you’re bored of it and when that opening ‘is this the real life’ line comes in you think, “Oh God, I just can’t be bothered to listen to this again”.

But, Every Single Time, you get to the operatic section and you are forced to concede that, yes, this is the greatest song ever written. It’s basically about six different songs, all amazing, put together in a way that could only have come from the mind of a genius. There is no other word for it: I can’t even conceive of how you’d even attempt to write a song like that, let alone pull it off. 

Somehow, it’s not even that really long, clocking in at under six minutes (although industry experts at the time thought that it would never get on the radio because of its length). None of it is unnecessary, even single note is considered. The production, the arrangment, the lyrics, the playing - all of it is utterly astonishing. According to Brian May, the song “was all in Freddie’s mind” before they started recording it.

Which is why this new clip from the upcoming biopic of the same name is so intriguing, as it shows Freddie, the mastermind behind the song, played by Rami Malek, directing Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) in the vocal booth, as he compiles the famous operatic section, on which Taylor sang multi-tracked falsetto vocals.

It then segues into the band performing it live on stage with Freddie in his famous harlequin catsuit, with Malek giving it his all.

Check it out right here:

The film also stars Joe Mazzello, Gwilym Lee and Mike Myers (who looks completely unrecognisable in a previous trailer) and, as has been well documented, underwent a long and painful production process; however, it’s all done now, with a 24 October release date in place for the UK.

The OST for the film has also been announced, with a press release explaining that:

“The key task for the team behind the “Bohemian Rhapsody” soundtrack was sourcing the most suitable versions of the band’s songs, especially live performances, to fit the screenplay’s career-spanning narrative. Their brief was not merely to produce a greatest hits playlist package but a soundtrack album to stand on its own merits, underscoring key moments in the screenplay. May, Taylor, and their co-producers worked with the filmmakers to find the best versions of each track to heighten the dramatic power of each scene.”

Amongst many treats for fans, it will also feature the first audio only release of the five tracks from Queen’s famous performance at Live Aid in 1985.

The full track listing for Bohemian Rhapsody, the original soundtrack is:

1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare 0:25

2. Somebody To Love 4:56

3. Doing All Right… revisited (Performed by Smile) 3:17

4. Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow) 3:56

5. Killer Queen 2:59

6. Fat Bottomed Girls (Live In Paris) 4:38

7. Bohemian Rhapsody 5:55

8. Now I’m Here (Live At Hammersmith Odeon) 4:26

9. Crazy Little Thing Called Love 2:43

10. Love Of My Life (Rock In Rio) 4:29

11. We Will Rock You (Movie Mix) 2:09

12. Another One Bites The Dust 3:35

13. I Want To Break Free 3:43

14. Under Pressure (Performed by Queen & David Bowie) 4:04

15. Who Wants To Live Forever 5:15

16. Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid) 2:28

17. Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid) 4:06

18. Ay-Oh (Live Aid) 0:41

19. Hammer To Fall (Live Aid) 4:04

20. We Are The Champions (Live Aid) 3:57

21. Don’t Stop Me Now… revisited 3:38

22. The Show Must Go On 4:32

Bohemian Rhapsody is in UK cinemas 24 October

(Image: 20th Century Fox)