Instrumentally: The first portion of the song starts off acapella focusing only on the vocals giving the song a slow start followed by the start of the piano on the fifth measure (“open your eyes”). The vocals are set in four sets of harmonies put together as a barbershop effect (Geisler). The harmony of voices go back and forth from left to right (“little high, little low”), which gives the effect of the music swaying back and forth to represent the wind (“anyway the wind goes”). Freddie uses this technique of going back and forth shifting between tones throughout the song to represent conflict and the wind blowing. The beat of the piano is repetitive as Freddie sings the solo (“mama just killed a man”) or in other words starts his story. The piano remains stable throughout, but as the vocals build up and the first part of the story gets more emotional it gets louder with an offbeat of the drums and ending the section with a strong guitar solo. The guitar solo is virtuositic in a way that symbolizes a release of energy, but it is not completely a positive energy. It is a low yearning for more sound. The strings are bended downward and the tone does not sound happy, but more depressing.
The second portion of the song sounds completely different from the first. The piano is no longer repetitive, but a steady beat over and over builds up as the opera begins (“thunderbolts of lighting”) and continues throughout the entire second section. This section is the most extravagant with the repetition of words back and forth as there is a powerful conversation going on. The harmonizing vocals are much louder and more powerful with a steady drum, bass, and piano. Throughout this section the song goes back and forth between solo and opera of voices in a conflict with each other until the end of the section when it just breaks away and the electric guitar transitions the second section to the third. The importance of this section is that Freddie uses opera in a rock song, which is not common at all. It sounds different than the first section of mostly low acapella sounds. It shifts from being low and air blowing back and forth to rage and conflict between the opera singers and the solo singer. A shorter and stronger guitar solo comes in as it transitions to the third section of the song. The third section takes over the piano and fills the song with distortion and energy of the electric guitar and a continuous drumbeat. Vocally, Freddie’s voice is harsher compared to previous parts and with more force. Whatever energy was still yearning in the guitar solo is then resolved here with a continuous flow of positive energy and breaking away from whatever was stopping him. The song is then concluded with a draining of all instrumentation and back to the vocals of Freddie (“nothing really matters to me”).
The instrumentation of the song looks as if there are three separate songs put together to make one song. There is no steady chorus in this song and no entire verse is repeated twice, vocally or instrumentally. The introduction of harmony of voices in the beginning as well as the energy released by the end of the song, are completely separate but fit together very well. The tone of each section is different, but when put in the context of the meaning of the song than the reason why Freddie combines these three sections is understandable.
The lyrics of the song, however, demonstrate the meaning of the song and the social context behind Freddie’s motives. The first portion, he introduces the situation that he is faced with when he states, “Caught in a landslide.” He lets the listener know right from the beginning that he is caught with a problem that he has to face. He continues by “Look(ing) up to the skies” for some way out, but realizes that there is no sympathy for a boy like him. This represents the stigma behind him being a homosexual and being ridiculed by society. He makes the hint that he is stuck in this situation and he does not know what to do and looks to the stars (rather his faith) for an answer.
Freddie Mercury believed in Zoroastrianism, which was focused on the understanding of the cosmic order and individual choices between good and bad. It is not until he starts his solo that he starts to begin to make sense of his situation. “Mama, just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he’s dead. Mama, life has just begun, but now I’ve gone and thrown it all away.” This represents Freddie speaking to someone more authoritative than him. In the song he is addressing his mother, but it can be equally interpretive as society, due to societies stigma against homosexuals. He starts to refer to himself as dying “I don’t want to die,” the man that he used to be is leaving and he is now a new person. He is now a person who accepts his sexuality. He is saying goodbye to the old person hiding and the guitar solo at the end of the first section shows the beginning of this breakthrough.
However, in Zoroastrianism there are cosmic battles between the good and evil that go back and forth, which Freddie represents in the second portion of his song. The solo and opera vocals’ going back and forth portrays the conflict between the cosmos as Freddie looks up for help. The acceptance of his sexuality is at conflict within himself and society, as homosexuality was considered an outrage during the mid-70s when this song was released (“Spare him his life from this monstrosity”). Once the battle is over, Freddie breaks through this conflict and accepts his sexuality through the last portion of the song. He makes known that it does not matter what others think and what they do to him and concludes with “nothing really matters to me.”
This detailed analysis of the song could be interpreted in many different ways as Freddie only confessed to the song being personal. Yet within all this randomness there is a definitive story. This idea is also shown in Schubert’s “Impromptu” which strays away from the normative structure of ending on a major note, but rather ends on a minor note. The concern with why Schubert used the narrative structure he did becomes a big subject as people looked to other reasons for his motives. Social contexts started to be questionable as people reasoned he was infected with syphilis and a homosexual male. Freddie Mercury, in connection, has been questioned about why he chooses the words he did in his song and what innuendos were used when he wrote the lyrics that he did. Freddie never actually came out and said he was a homosexual, but it was portrayed in the lyrics of his songs. In a society that homosexuality was a disgrace it was a way to express his feelings through his lyrics and the complexity of the instrumental structure, demonstrated during the cosmic battles. Even the title of the song Bohemian Rhapsody means freethinking and unconventional, which is what this song is. The bohemians were out to express themselves despite all the social conflicts involved and that is what Freddie is portraying in his music. He is breaking away from the social norms and letting his music express how he feels. He shows his conflict with society and the inner conflict within himself, which is symbolized through his faith and cosmetology.
