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FIFTY YEARS AGO we were humming along to the hits of 1976. Some have magnificently stood the test of time; others have not. Join us on Memory Lane as we review them on their golden anniversaries.
The year began in splendid fashion, with Queen’s stupendous Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of the charts. Rhapsody first hit the number one spot on 25th November 1975, and it stayed there for nine weeks, bridging the divide between the two years. It was finally knocked off its perch on 27th January by… sorry, no spoilers – watch this space.
Rhapsody was a unique piece of music: too long for a standard radio play, but released as a single nonetheless, and played by defiant radio DJs who had confidence that it would be a hit.
Some said that Rhapsody was inspired by 10cc’s One Night in Paris, but that was only ever an album track, so direct inspiration seems unlikely. That’s the way the croissant crumbles after all… Have a list to Paris and see what you think:
One Night in Paris
Back to Queen. What is it that makes the track such a favourite, one that appears at or near the “top singles of all” time polls? Is it the music – that dominant piano, the strident guitar, the powerful drums? Is it Freddie Mercury’s peerless voice soaring through the opening verses or ascending into rock mode later on; or was it the unprecedented harmonies? Or was it the sum, and more, of all those parts?
One measure of success for a single is that no one records a cover version. With Rhapsody, a few minor souls have tried (why? why?), but the original stands alone, head and shoulders above the pack.
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Sounds on Sunday
