Y12 AS Pop Notes - Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) Analysis

Structure

Intro – verse 1 – chorus – verse 2 – chorus – guitar solo based on verse – opera – heavy rock – coda

Not the first time a multi-movement structure has been used in rock/pop music – perhaps the most well-known example at the time was the second side of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album. It then became a feature of many prog rock albums. The “suite” emulated classical structures by containing contrasting sections and unifying them with motives and key relationships. What is different here is that the sections are contained within a single song which became incredibly popular and the sections themselves are widely contrasting, showing off both the versatility of Queen’s compositional and performance skills and their wide range of influences.

Motivic Links

Certain lyrics occur in different sections, eg “any way the wind blows”. The “easy come, easy go” motive is in the intro, opera and coda sections.

Keys

Intro	Bb	I
Verse 1	Bb	I
Chorus	Eb	IV
Verse 2	Bb	I
Chorus	Eb	IV
Guitar solo	Bb	I
Opera	A-Eb	VII-IV
Heavy rock	Eb	IV
Coda	Eb-F	IV-V

The key structure is much more complicated than a normal pop song. The change from Bb to Eb from verse to chorus lifts the music as Freddie sings higher. The central section is in the distant key of A, reached by a Beethoven style dramatic key change from a Db chord to an A chord. The coda’s final change to F in the last few bars adds to the uplifting feeling.

Harmony

Appoggiaturas occur in both the piano accompaniment (6-5) and the melody (2-3). Chord changes are often classically functional – the verse is I-VI-II-V7, following the last part of the circle of 5ths. The chorus follows the same chord pattern but in Eb major – a harmonic sequence. The “easy come, easy go” motive is chromatic and leads to some more classical harmony in the opera section: “I see a little silhouette” uses a diminished 7^th chord based on A. The return to Eb major in the middle of the opera section is achieved by ending on an imperfect cadence at “Figaro” and then sliding down a semitone at “magnifico”. The overdubbed voices then sing a chord of Eb6. The bridge to the heavy metal section builds up suspense by a dominant pedal note (Bb7 chord) and crescendo. The harmony of the coda is greatly enriched by Freddie’s use of the piano to modulate -  C minor at “ooh yeah”, followed by Eb and then G minor. A series of chromatic slidings – Eb – Eb dim – Bb/D – Bb/Db – C7 - lead to the final F major ending. All the above demonstrate how advanced Queen’s harmonic language was compared to that of most popular groups, allowing them to create complicated but logical structures with a variety of chords and keys.

Melody

The melody of the ballad section is one of the great melodies of popular music, equalled by the melodic guitar solo based on the verse which follows. This melody has:

·         classical regular 2 bar phrasing

·         thematic development  - each phrase seems to grow out of and develop from the preceding one

·         a range which allows the feeling behind the lyrics to be expressed, becoming more intense and emotive as the pitch gets higher

·         motion which is mainly conjunct but contains larger rising thirds at crucial moments – “I’ve got to go”

The opera section makes use of the “easy come, easy go” motive and develops the semitonal idea – “Galileo” – augmenting it into a tone – “mamma mia mamma mia”. The use of a perfect 4^th – “Bismillah”, along with pounding tonic and dominant chords in Eb, convey the resoluteness of the court members.

The heavy rock section has a more limited melody, suiting the blues roots of this genre with a flattened 7^th.

Rhythm and Metre

Although the metre is 4/4 throughout, there is a great deal of rhythmic contrast within the song. The ballad has a smooth, flowing accompaniment. The melody here begins with an arresting Scotch snap (“Too late” and “Goodbye”), answered by a dotted rhythm (“time has come” and “got to go”). The melody here is on the beat, with little use of syncopation. The opera section uses strong crotchets (Bismillah) and excited quavers to characterise the court members. The heavy rock section uses a memorable driving guitar riff, along with heavily accented offbeat chords.

Texture and Instrumentation

There is great contrast between the piano based ballad section (following an a capella opening), the vocal layering of the operatic section and the guitar driven heavy rock section. The instruments enter one at a time – bass, drums then guitar. Where the piano is prevalent Brian May treats the guitar as an orchestral instrument, adding emotive single melodic lines and then taking over with a glorious, but still melodic solo, combining elements of rock (bends and vibrato) with more classical diatonic scales. The operatic section derives much of its power from the multilayered vocals, more complicated than any attempted before and at the very limit of the technology at the time. The piano part is more complicated than is usual for a pop song with the left hand crossing over the right at the beginning to play the appoggiaturas and double octaves in the coda.