'Bohemian Rhapsody' Voted 'Best Vocal Performance in Rock History'
How many singers can get away with a six-minute song on the radio? If you can somehow come close to the captivating vocal mastery of Freddie Mercury, perhaps then you'd have a chance.
"Bohemian Rhapsody," the 1975 single by Queen that perhaps best represents the unparalleled power of its frontman's voice, unsurprisingly took home the title of Best Vocal Performance in Rock History, as voted on by Rolling Stonereaders, but the song came alarmingly close to never being released.
According to a 1985 interview, the late star said it was a battle to get "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the airwaves, both with stations and the band's label, EMI. "It had a very big risk factor. The radios didn't really like it initially because it was too long and the record companies said 'you can't market it that way,' and after me having virtually put the three songs together, they wanted me to sort of slice it up again, so I said 'no way'," Mercury recalled.
However, the singer, along with the support of his bandmates, remained steadfast. "They said 'nobody would play it, it's too long' and I just said it 'either goes out in its entirety or not at all.'"
"Only Freddie Mercury could effortlessly sell lyrics like "Scaramouch[e], Scaramouch[e]/Will you do the fandango?," Rolling Stone wrote in its awarding of the track. This was a whole other factor - ambiguous lyrics, some of which were seemingly nonsensical, paired an extended "operatic section," as Mercury referred to it, was a hard sell even for a band like Queen, which had several hits under its belt by 1975.
However, Mercury's conviction in his vocal prowess, along with his songwriting, made an apparent tale of murder, existentialism, and a battle with Beelzebub himself in search of the narrator's soul - not to mention namechecks of Galileo Galilei, Figaro, and Sacaramouche - a commercial hit that proved surprisingly radio-friendly. Perhaps more than friendly - an icon of communal commercial music that would have drivers and passengers headbanging for decades to come.
Spanning a vocal range of A#2 to A#5, Mercury's technical abilities as a singer, rumored to be enhanced by his iconic four extra teeth, carry a song that leads a listener to follow him through hell and back. His raw, emotional delivery of campy, quirky lyricism, like an opera in storytelling as well as vocally, makes the performance truly one of a kind. Supporting Mercury's leading performance are the additional vocals of his bandmates, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May, who were added in overdubbing, with Taylor providing many of the highest notes, creating a Phil Spector-inspired "Wall of Sound" effect that made the song sound huge, even when played on the oldest, crummiest of radios.
35 years on from his death, Freddie Mercury's absence casts a long shadow over modern music. Not just because of Queen's combined skills as songwriters and musicians, or his iconic look and command of concert crowds, Mercury's powerhouse performances as a singer remain inimitable, backed by not only remarkable talent, but also intelligence, creativity, and showmanship that can turn top-level vocals into singing that borders on the supernatural.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 7:40 PM.