Is Bohemian Rhapsody the greatest rock song ever? Perhaps. Was Freddie Mercury one of the most gifted popular vocalists ever? Also quite likely. I think I have effectively established that I am a very, very big Queen devotee and continue to be in awe of the band’s incredible virtuosity, range and ability to constantly reinvent rock music. So when the guys at Heathrow decided to pay a tribute to Freddie Mercury in their own unique way on what would have been his 72nd birthday, I was understandably tickled.
It is simply adorable! A bunch of guys working at Heathrow airport sporting cheerful yellow jackets and amusing borrowed facial decor went on to amaze and delight passengers by dancing to the classic Queen track.
He was born on 5 September 1946 and would have been 72 this year if his tumultuous life had not been tragically cut short by health complications resulting from AIDS. He died when he was just 45; but not before giving the world some of the most memorable and incomparable music to remember him by.
He was among the earliest celebrities to die of AIDS; which served to create awareness for the disease and spurred investment in its research. He was known to be bisexual at a time when this was still considered shocking, and did a tremendous amount for the mainstreaming and gaining acceptance for alternative lifestyles.
He was considered outré and outrageous in his lifetime: he cross dressed in his videos, wore some pretty extreme costumes to perform on stage. He was a genius and a trendsetter in many more ways than just in the musical sense.
Events marked his birthday on 5th September: Carnaby Street in London celebrated the Freddie for a Day event along with the Mercury Phoenix Trust. People were invited to dress like Freddie for a day to raise awareness and funds for the trust’s work; fighting AIDS worldwide.
Freddie’s story hits theatres on 24th October in the UK and 2nd November in the United States. Rami Malek essays the role of Farrokh Bulsara aka Freddie Mercury in the biographical film about the band; particularly Freddie's journey. Brian May and Roger Taylor (Queen’s lead guitarist and drummer), Bryan Singer, Graham King, Robert DeNiro and Jim Beach are producing the film.
Last year at the Green Day event, the entire audience erupted into song; matching the iconic track note for note. As one of the comments below the video says, If you can rock 65,000 people in a concert 27 years after your death and without being there, you are not just a singer, you are a legend.
So I want to change the answer to my previous question about whether Bohemian Rhapsody being the best rock song ever – my real answer is an unequivocal ‘Yes!’ to that question.
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