Bohemian Rhapsody

[BliarOut]

If ever a song deserved it's own thread, this is it.
Did anyone see the documentary on this last night on BBC3? A whole hour on the song, how it was written, the recording of the video, the lot.

Did you know the vid only took four hours to film, start to finish. The bit with five sets of faces..... Someone just holding a lens by hand in front of the camera!! Where they all appear to fade to the back of the screen, feedback. The crew just pointed a camera at a monitor and the effect is visual noise. All very low tech.

One interesting part was they had a load of professors from Oxford dissecting the lyrics. The discussion was brief, but what does PH think they mean?


Is this the real life-
Is this just fantasy-
Caught in a landslide-
No escape from reality-
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see-
I'm just a poor boy,I need no sympathy-
Because I'm easy come,easy go,
A little high,little low,
Anyway the wind blows,doesn't really matter to me,
To me

Mama,just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head,
Pulled my trigger,now he's dead,
Mama,life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away-
Mama ooo,
Didn't mean to make you cry-
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow-
Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters-

Too late,my time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine-
Body's aching all the time,
Goodbye everybody-I've got to go-
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth-
Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows)
I don't want to die,
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all-

I see a little silhouetto of a man,
Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the Fandango-
Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me-
Galileo,Galileo,
Galileo Galileo
Galileo figaro-Magnifico-
But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me-
He's just a poor boy from a poor family-
Spare him his life from this monstrosity-
Easy come easy go-,will you let me go-
Bismillah! No-,we will not let you go-let him go-
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go let me go
No,no,no,no,no,no,no-
Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go-
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,for me,for me-

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye-
So you think you can love me and leave me to die-
Oh baby-Can't do this to me baby-
Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here-

Nothing really matters,
Anyone can see,
Nothing really matters-,nothing really matters to me,

Any way the wind blows....

[alexkp]

The lyrics are inspired nonsense IMHO. They sound great when accompanied by a very operatic piece of rock music. On the printed page they simply look somewhat odd and unsophisticated.

It is suprising how many of the great lyrics of our time look very uninspiring when simply written down. I guess is is because music is, in truth, an auditory medium and experience, rather than a written one.

Mozart on paper is not very inspiring....but performed by the London Symphony....well...wow.



As for the Bohemian Rhapsody video - it was really shot becuase Queen couldn't make a TOTP performance. It is very unsophisticated - I made a spoof version with some friends years ago when I was at University. It looked pretty much the same as the original.

I also made other spoof music videos.....my remake of "Justify My Love" passed into student legend, largely due to the gratuitous female student nudity in it...and nearly got me thrown out of Uni...but that's a different story...

>> Edited by alexkp on Tuesday 7th December 13:22

[titiany]

I agree. I think it's just drug-induced wobblox.

[swilly]

BliarOut said:

One interesting part was they had a load of professors from Oxford dissecting the lyrics. The discussion was brief, but what does PH think they mean?

Dont matter how many professors you get to dissect any song. You can only take out of the song what meaning was put into it by the writer.

BliarOut said:

Is this the real life- Is this just fantasy- Caught in a landslide- No escape from reality- Open your eyes Look up to the skies and see- I'm just a poor boy,I need no sympathy- Because I'm easy come,easy go, A little high,little low, Anyway the wind blows,doesn't really matter to me, To me Jack-o-lad dont give a monkeys about anything drifting through life Mama,just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger,now he's dead, Mama,life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away- Mama ooo, Didn't mean to make you cry- If I'm not back again this time tomorrow- Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters- Jack-o-lad gets carried away with foolish antics and kills a man and feels sorry for himslef Too late,my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine- Body's aching all the time, Goodbye everybody-I've got to go- Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth- Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows) I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all- Jack-o-lad gets caught and shits his pants I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the Fandango- Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me- Galileo,Galileo, Galileo Galileo Galileo figaro-Magnifico- But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me- He's just a poor boy from a poor family- Spare him his life from this monstrosity- Easy come easy go-,will you let me go- Bismillah! No-,we will not let you go-let him go- Bismillah! We will not let you go-let him go Bismillah! We will not let you go-let me go Will not let you go-let me go Will not let you go let me go No,no,no,no,no,no,no- Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go- Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,for me,for me- Jack-o-lad in court describing the theatre of a court case pleading for his life So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye- So you think you can love me and leave me to die- Oh baby-Can't do this to me baby- Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here- Jack-o-lad with one last fight for survival lets rip........ Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters-,nothing really matters to me, Any way the wind blows.... ......before accepting his fate and giving up

[ricardo g]

swilly said:

Dont matter how many professors you get to dissect any song. You can only take out of the song what meaning was put into it by the writer.

I often think this about all the weird and wonderful dissections of poems out there. Especially in school when look and writing about poetry. How do we know this is what the poet ment...? I do often wonder!

[minghis]

And I reckon that just about sums it up perfectly.
(Edited to sy I'm referring to swilly's post)

>> Edited by minghis on Tuesday 7th December 13:31

[JonRB]

I've always preferred the curried version:

Naan, just killed a man
Poppadom against his head
Had Lime Pickle Now He's Dead
Naan, Dinner's Just Begun
But Now I'm Gonna Crap it All Away
Nann, ohhhh ohhhhhh
Didn't mean to make you cry
Seen Nothing Yet Just See the Loo Tomorrow

Curry On, Curry On
Cause Nothing Really Madras

Too Late, My Dinner's Gone
Sends Shivers Down my Spine
Rectum Aching All the Time
Goodbye Onion Bhaji, I've got to go
Gotta Leave You All Behind And Use the Loo
Nann, Ohhhhh Ohhhhh
The Doopiaza is so Mild
I Sometimes Wish We'd Never Come Here at All

Guitar Solo

I See a Little Chicken Tikka on the Side
Rogan Josh, Rogan Josh, Pass the Chutney Made of
Mango
Vindaloo Does Nicely
Very Very Spicy
Meat
Byriani (Byriani)
Byriani (Byriani)
Byriani and a Nann
(A Vindaloo loo loo loo)
I've Eaten Balti, Somebody Help me
He's Eaten Balti, Get Him to the Lavetory
Stand you Well Back
Cause the Loo is Quarantined...
Here it Comes
There it Goes
Technicolour Yawn
I Chunder
NO!
It's Coming up Again
(There he Goes)
I ChundIts Coming back Again (There he Goes)
Coming Back Again (Up Again)
Here it Goes Again
(No, No, No, No, No, No NO)
On my Knees I'm on my Knees
On his Knees, Oh, There he Goes
This Vindaloo
It's About to Wreck my Guts
Poor Me.... Poor Me..... Poor Meeee....
Guitar Solo

So you Think you can Chunder and Feel Alright?
So you try to eat Curry and Drink Beer all Night?
Oh Maybe, But now you Puke Like a Baby
Just had to Come out
It Just had to Come Right out in Here

[alexkp]

That's very good.

Thanks for posting it.

[jconsta6]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Can someone PLEASE supply a "This thread is worthless without pics!!" smiley....

[JonRB]

[tonyhetherington]

edit....damn it, he beat me to it!





>> Edited by tonyhetherington on Tuesday 7th December 14:03

[jconsta6]

JonRB said:

Thanks!

Back to you alexp....

[Eric Mc]

No.1 29 years ago.

I remember when it was first released and how dramatic and wonderful it sounded. It's been somewhat dulled because of over repetition over the past three decades.

I'm obviously getting old.

[MilnerR]

I always thought it was written about Freddie's battle with HIV. Until I found out it was written years before he was diagnosed (although it may be about a friend, who knows) Now I don't have a clue what its about.

Bismillah is the opening line of the koran (means in the name of allah i think)
Scaramouch means a boastful coward or buffoon.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Scaramouch
Fandango is a type of spanish dance done in triple time.

Make of it what you will. Great song though!

[Eric Mc]

Bohenmian Raphsody was written in 1975. I don't think HIV or Aids had even been diagnosed as a disease at that time. It's therefore impossible that Queen could have chosen Aids as the subject matter of a song back then.

[MilnerR]

MilnerR said:

I always thought it was written about Freddie's battle with HIV. Until I found out it was written years before he was diagnosed

I know it couldn't be anything to do with it. Which is a shame because many of the lyrics would fit rather nicely with someone reflecting on a terminal disease.

[maddog-uk]

Actually on the program they said that the words were meaningless. But they launched them onto the world stage. It was a great program, for a great rock band.

[neil.b]

jconsta6 said:

JonRB said: Thanks! Back to you alexp....

Come on man, this could catapult you to PH Legend status, easily.

Up-load! Up-load! Up-load! Come on, everyone join in... Up-load! Up-load!.....

[Jinx]

Eric Mc said:

Bohenmian Raphsody was written in 1975. I don't think HIV or Aids had even been diagnosed as a disease at that time. It's therefore impossible that Queen could have chosen Aids as the subject matter of a song back then.

I thought it was the British xmas number one in 1974?

[BliarOut]

Upload, upload

Nope, Bohemian Rhapsody wasn't about AIDS but you could see how it could easily be applied....

I'm going slightly mad or days of our lives are an entirely different and poignant story