A Brief Analysis of Bohemian Rhapsody
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- čas přidán 4. 02. 2019
- I pick apart the amazing key changes, chords progressions, line clichés, chromaticism and more that make Queen's magnificent Bohemian Rhapsody.
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Sources:
Brian May looking at the stems for Bohemian Rhapsody: • Inside The Rhapsody (B...
INSIDER on Bohemian Rhapsody: • Why 'Bohemian Rhapsody...
Interview with Freddie: • Video
Interview with Queen: • Video - Hudba
If this is a brief analysis, I can’t even imagine what an in depth one would be
The truth is this looks at what happens and mainly in the harmony. Imagine if we looked at what everything they did meant aswell as all the things they did
Oh, trust me, even a bachelor's degree-level of music theory, involving the chord analysis of this song, would make you question your love of music.
I study music at the university, currently passing my master degree and this analysis would give me headache (to be fair, I’m not that good at this). But when we have to analyse a part of a song (could be from middle-age to contemporary music), we usually have 4 hours
Bricky C what’s amazing is that Freddie Mercury did all of this instinctually without in depth music study.
@@seangriffiths8036 That's because most composers probably do not write music solely from a theoretical standpoint. The analysis comes later. Brian Wilson put it very well this way: "music comes from the heart." He said the music seems to come through him unconsciously. I've been lucky enough to experience that too. It's like the songs are channeled or they write themselves. The theory may come in later when a song is polished but some songs are "born" whole and fully formed.
19:12 "The last note breaks free."
But did it _want_ to break free?
God knows it wanted to break free
I guess it was under pressure..
God knows.
This time for real tho.
Life still goes on though
What key is Bohemian Rhapsody in?
Freddie Mercury: yes.
cringe
1st section: Bb, and then Eb 2nd section: Starts in A, goes back to Eb, goes to F# for a sec, back to Eb, Final Section starts in Eb mixolydian(or Bb), and finally ends definitively in Eb
So that would make it Jazz
@@Musicman1506_ Maybe? But this song isn't only a rock song either.
@@damsapollo the fact that it isn't really a rock or jazz song makes it about as rock and roll as it gets. Subverting expectations, one legend at a time.
I truly wish I understood what any of what you said means.
Lmao my superior basic music theory knowledge grants me access to sort of not really understanding what he said
Start reading about musical theory, and if you're already a musician, play the song a few times and analyze what happens in it. You'll find this analysis pretty accurate.
Me hardly understanding this video really makes me want to learn music theory.
Patrick Ahearne same and I’m supposed to be doing gcse music
@@theyellowentity9668 mood
Freddy Mercury jumping from one key to another in Bohemian Rhapsody: *Parkour!*
This made me giggle!
Musical parkour is a brilliant description what this song does. But Freddie put the work in beforehand as he had musical training in voice and piano. He loved opera but, he had pop and rock sensibilities too. Genius.
@@BigHenFor Good say!
The part with the final note (“...blows”) breaking free from the motif gave me goosebumps. Awesome analysis.
That bit has always given me goosebumps! Glad I got my point across 🙂
Bohemian Rhapsody guitar solo was written by Brian May
Same!! When he said that the note breaks free I just listened to it and suddenly I had tears in my eyes.
Rover Waters It wasn’t, it was written by Freddie. Brian May has said this himself. Bohemian Rhapsody was done entirely by Freddie Mercury
@@DavidBennettPiano Really awesome analysis. Understanding these songs make them even more enjoyable. How can one access those multitracks you worked with?
Creative people create. The rest of us try to figure it out.
Right!
Tis the circle of life
Very good way of saying that !
figures
Creative people try to figure it out by creating
I've always loved this song on a visceral level, but seeing and hearing this analysis now makes me think of it as a jaw-dropping work of genius. ...
Totally agree.
This song unlike any other has hit the charts now on 3 occasions, initial release, Wayne's World and now the movie. Factor in Freddie's vocals and this little tidbit of information; artists who have covered this and other Queen tracks cannot produce the same results, they can't hit the notes the way Freddie did. It's time for Stairway to heaven to move aside, there's a new old number 1 song of all time,; Bohemian Rhapsody.
@@carlgustov7728 sorry Carl as much as I love BR STH isn't going anywhere. It got there first nothing will ever change that!
@@carlgustov7728 I am a HUGE Led Zeppelin fan. I'm going to admit 1 thing: "Stairway" is not my favorite Zep tune. (I see the pichforks coming"). "Since I've Been Loving You","Tea For One", "How Many More Times","Ten Years Gone"and more deserved more airplay then they got. "Stairway" was burned out by overplay.
@@carlgustov7728 naw, sff has to take the cake
Never stop doing what you're doing
Agreed
Literally shed a tear when that bohemian motif resolved. Thank you.
Victor Kholod me too!
Me too ...
20 minutes
"Brief"
That's Queen for ya
What about 40 minutes?
czcams.com/video/77HwUMh13dM/video.html
what did you expect 6 minutes? 1 minute per minute? that s the length of the song alone!
@@SalvatoriusMyspace I expected about 10-15 mins.
I just realized that this song loosely matches the 5 stages of grief.
That's a pretty cool observation 🙂
Man I don't think I've ever seen someone who can mix music theory and musicology better than u do
Ju Seg music theory and musicology are one in the same
In this one, yeah, but there's a bunch of videos in which he speaks about the historical side of a song or its influence (what i meant by musicology), and then he gets more into the analysis of tonalities, chords, modes etc... (what i meant by music theory) !
Dawson Skinner Well, I’m currently passing my master degree in musicology and I can tell you one thing : musicology and music theory are two differents things
@@zGrego Whats the difference ?
@@sun4502 music theory is the math and mechanics of notes, harmony, rhythm etc... Musicology is the historic, cultural and contextual analysis of music making.
16:11 so even legends have voice cracks lol
Easily the best voice crack I've ever heard!
How dare he show the flaws of Freddie, doesn't he know he's the one and only god?
Yes, but when put back in the mix with the other track(s) on the same note, the 'crack' is hidden - effectively on the cutting room floor.
His voice didn't crack. He just invented Björk.
@@pepijndeputter8892 It's not just the flaws of Freddie, it's the pain of Freddie.
He recorded it like that on purpose to give those verses more power. Brian May has discussed it before.
"We are slowly modulating to Eb..."
Me: Freddie you clever girl
waitt hol up
I know bohemian Rhapsody so well the chord progressions feel so natural, this analysis makes me realise how truly genius it is
I'm pretty sure your analysis totally nailed it, all of this makes perfect sens !!
Thank you! I spent so long on this video that I was going mad! I'm glad you like it. A true testament to how good Bohemian Rhapsody really is is that, even after listening to it hundreds of times to write and edit this video, I only found myself more and more impressed and amazed at what a wonderful and beautiful song it is!
Also.... thank GOD this wasn't taken down for copyright!
@@DavidBennettPiano I hope it will stay on the internet indeed ! That's one of the best composition ever, so clever and musical at the same time ! I really like how they used functionnal harmony, usually I hate cadences but here they are put at good use ! Very cool vidéo also, the editing and fades between your voice and the music are just perfect
@@DavidBennettPiano You were going mad? Perhaps you were going _slightly_ mad?
I lost track at 2:30
@@DavidBennettPiano where did you get the stems from?
Man, if you keep on making videos of this high quality, you can expect this channel to blow up in the near future. Came for the Radiohead stuff, but I'm here to stay. Awesome work!
Thank you so much for the support! I would have burnt out already if it wasn't for all you wonderful subscribers!
Agree the quality is top! But can it blow up, I mean how many people know music theory that well and are interested in it? 😂 I just wrote my high school finals in music (year 13 here) and I'm struggling to understand everything with the chords and so on 😁
Not sure if it'll blow up, it's pretty heavy on the music theory which makes it suitable just for a niche market. Nonetheless, it is very high quality content indeed.
Omg he has Radiohead stuff!?! I gotta watch that next. This was incredible
It’s a bloody masterpiece darling
lol
17:54 "ending with the most melancholic of chords: the minor version of the fourth chord" guess I've never seen a better definition to my beloved chord ♥️
Magnific analysis. I admire this song even more now
All people who understand music: Yes, yes, hmmm, ahhh, agree.
Me: The f*ck is he talking about?!?
My favourite song in the world and I love watching things like this.
Just increases my appreciation for Freddie's brilliance! Even if I know idea what's going on.
From the first time I ever heard it, it was obvious that this was a very complicated operatic rock song, but now I have seen it broken down in this way, it seems clear to me that not only was Freddy a great songwriter and a great showman, he was truly a musical GENIUS, and maybe because this song was written and performed by a rock group - Queen, that nobody realized that Freddy Mercury actually belongs up there with all the Masters, such as Beethoven and Brahms. This is really truly amazing stuff! BTW, I am in no way minimizing what the rest of the band did. All of them are brilliant musicians, without which this could not have been created.
damned right
You are correct, all of Freddie's song are quite complex, even the songs that sounds simple.
Queen isn’t a rock band
Yeah, gotta appreciate Brian may, the shit he wrote for guitar was so perfect
I love this type of analysis. Was a bit hard to understand at times though, because I don’t have background in theoretical music!
but I have a theoretical degree in music!
I’ve never really been a music person. I don’t play any instruments and I can’t read sheet music, but I will say I listen to music a lot. I’m really grateful for your channel and content. You explain music in a very digestive manner and I’m able to learn things about songs that give me a greater sense of wonder and amazement. I would’ve never understood the musical crazy genius of Freddy Mercury without seeing this video. Thanks for helping us non-music people out by explaining the musical frameworks and artistic composition of music in an way that’s easy to understand. Love your content and I can’t wait to see what musical greatness is in store for you! You’d be a great musical professor! :)
I think that it's really cool that even though you don't play an instrument or whatever, you still enjoy watching videos like this ! I'm a music teacher/performer and if it wasn't for people such as yourself us musicians and teachers would be out of work. Thank you for your pursuit of your love of music ! I'll be producing some educational videos on my own channel soon, reading what you wrote here is inspiring, thank you ! Archangel
Michael
is anyone else just here because they like bohemian rhapsody
like i have no idea what he’s talking about but i still watched it lmao 😂😂
guccigucci 78 🎹🎹🎹👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
:)
In music school, these kind of videos are very helpful for me
Everything he said could have been complete bullshit and we'd have nary a clue
I'm here for both lol
Just, WOW, is all I can say. The most concise and clear breakdown which really shows why this song stands the test of time. Thanks, really.
This is the most underrated video ever
Wow i finished the video! eventhough i didnt understand it.
Its equally as impressive that Mercurys lyrics blend perfectly to what is going on in the music. Eg the 'easy come easy go, little high little low' matches the music beautifully. The song is full of it front to back, and it really allows the chords and melodies to sing 100 times louder than they would without the lyrics.
Thanks again for another great video
I’ve taken multiple music theory college courses and my brain still hurts from this
I have no idea what any of this means but it’s so beautiful the way he breaks it down so seamlessly, it makes me appreciate this song and music even more.
Treasure Hollis thank you!
Everyone:
David Bennet: We need more glitter words
In an industry where songs come and go with great rapidity, most people in 1975 saw this as a novelty song that would eventually fizzle out and get buried under the weight of other modern compositions, but here we are in 2020 still talking about Bohemian Rhapsody!
and 2023 ✌🏼😊
Do what you want to do with my music but never make it boring……
I think you're missing something vitally important here: many of those "functional" chords has at least one extra note in it, transforming it into something special and delightful!! Take for example the "F7" which starts bar 9 (at the middle of 4:12)... it is NOT just a plain old F7 chord - there is an extra note there that i can't pinpoint, which makes it more mystical than just a bargain-basement F7 - YET, it still functions in that role even though technically its something different. I call this GENIUS!!! Freddy Mercury was sooo gifted in so many ways - one of them being that he could take the ordinary and make it special, almost effortlessly.
I’m so glad I found your channel. You are absolutely brilliant!
Jeff Lowey thanks!!
Everyone who hasn't listened to the instrumental tracking session for Bohemian Rhapsody needs to do so. Just Freddie on piano, John on bass and Roger on drums, without the vocals as a reference point for all the weird rhythmic emphases in the operatic section, and all the uneven stopping and starting. Really a credit to John and Roger as players in addition to Freddie as a composer.
14:38 How dare you interrupt my eminent head banging!
But on another note, great analysis! Looking forward to learning everything about this song. I've already analyzed the heck out of the lyrics, but great job with this musical analysis!
Don’t worry there’s 14:43
Is your headbanging really eminent? Are you an award winning air guitarist whose headbanging is admired by all, or did you mean 'imminent'?
@@emdiar6588 mine is Eminem
Good to know I wasn't the only one that felt it.
@@sourgrapesandparmesaninact2566 mine is remnant.
From the days of yor.
I really appreciate this great analysis! Your "what if" alterations of chords to the common expected resolutions really show the impact of the chords used in the song. There are so many interesting things going on!
Me, an idiot: what is perfect cadence?
Why am I watching this? lol
BrianaLynn7 it’s ok. He doesn’t know what a perfect cadence is either.
V -> I
@@schaerfentiefe1967 exactly!
v to i
A key contains a collection of notes. Each of those notes have a chord based upon them, and we typically refer to them using roman numerals. So in the key of C for example, C would be I, D would be ii, E would be iii, and so on. Well a perfect cadence is the V chord (known as the dominant) resolving to a I chord (the tonic). I don't know that this explanation will help at all, if you don't know music theory it probably won't, but I tried. xD
I think that Freddy did the chord progressions not understanding what musically was being created , I think he just played what felt right ,to his genius ear , this song goes through so many keys , I think this is why it does go through so many keys , sometimes you just have to trust in your ear and not music theory when creating a ding , let someone else figure out all the music theory
If that were true there would not be sheet music.
@@allanlolly6828 other people could write the sheet music or freddie mercury could have written it after composing the song
I had no idea the song even has a key change its so smooth i never even tried to analyze it. And i agree, the last part is the most amazing especially the little details
That was brilliantly pieced together. A phenomenal analysis. I’d LOVE to hear your in depth analysis of this.
16:13 - Freddie Mercury pulling off a Björk.
Nice breakdown. Reminds me of chord structures that ELO used a lot. Would love to have you breakdown an ELO song. Thanks again for your thoughtful insight on pop music.
Honestly your channel needs so much more attention. Keep up the good work man, this stuff is amazing!
that was an incredibly interesting analysis !! even if it sounds weird to hear your special examples because we are so used to hear this song, they were in fact very informativ ! Thank you so much for your work, you definitely deserve more suscribers !! cheers from France :) Louis
You've done a wonderful job of opening up this song and showing us into Freddie's brain. I have studied some basic music theory, so I get what you are saying, and it is fascinating.
How about a breakdown of The March Of The Black Queen, it’s lesser known, but I think it’s even more deserving of a breakdown than Bohemian Rhapsody!
Yes, this one is nice as well. Did you ever think it's a BDSM song? 😁
It really has a lot of weird polyrythms going on
The Prophet's Song has a really good operatic sectioOOOoN
This was awesome to watch! I've arranged 'Boh Rap' for 12 guitars recently and it's an absolute joy to see Freddie's genius real close up! Great great video! Thank you
Your channel is definitely my go-to for analysis of songs and learning theory. Absolutely class. Keep up the good work mate
I’m absolitely impressed; this is a perfect piece of music, a masterpiece that will remain in the mind and heart of music lovers the sane as the great music of such Mozart or Beethoven (great music is timeless)
Whoa, incredible analysis! This is always a song I wanted to pick apart musically myself, but never had the time. Thanks for all your hard work, keep it up!
your videos are RIDICULOUSLY good, i've enjoyed every single one of them!! (also the 'perfect cadence' font made me lol)
This has to be one of the most complex pop music arrangements ever. Those guys were geniuses.
Pop???
Freddie Mercury was a goddamn genius
7:35 I love the amount of smiles in the graph thingy or whatever
My God this is a wonderful break down of my FAVORITE SONG EVER!! I could hear 3 hours of an analysis of this song. Freddie is a Legend.
You know a song is dense when a brief analysis of it takes 20 mins
You are very intelligent and I enjoyed watching your dissection of one of my favorite songs. You did not let your musical knowledge take away the passion and love that this song is. Good job.
Young man, you are a wonder. Keep doing what you're doing. Subscribed.
Thank you!
I've been playing this for years but your video gave it a completely new dimension for me...thank you!
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos, especially this one. It has given me an even greater appreciation of the song. Thank you!
Your understanding is “off the charts,” but what also impresses me are the video aspects you employ: separating aural sections, showing the written score, etc.
So impressive. And, I imagine, exhausting for you.
Greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!
(This is eye-opening and mind-expanding!)
Absolutely excellent analysis! I love that you cite potential points of disagreement like between Bb6 vs. inverted Gm7 voicing.. musical analysis has so much to do with perception, but you build cases for your opinions.. much respect!
Paul Talbot thanks for the comment 🙂👍🏻
OoC, how did you manage to get a hold of the original multitracks?
you can download them, just look up Bohemian Rhapsody STEMs
They first leaked on-line about 11 years ago. Unlike videogame stems, which only contain already-mixed separate instruments (e.g. bass or piano), these are the contents of each of the 24 tracks they used in Wales and England in 1975. So you can hear, for instance, the bass signal coming from the amp, the bass signal coming from DI, the bass signal coming from the speaker...
Masterpiece! Both this song and your video! Thanks a ton for that. It feels great understanding how this musical beauty works. Keep the good stuff comin!
I know nothing about music theory, but this was really pleasant and enterteining! Nice job!
One of the best video I've seen since several month !
An amazing piece of music and a great analysis. Thank you :D
Yesss, I've been waiting for something Queen-related from you!
I've watched plenty of your videos as they show up on my recommended and i've enjoyed them all, but this one earned you a subscription. Excellent video.
You, sir, just made the world a more interesting place! I love it.
Amazing job David! I've always loved your videos because your explanations are very clear and concise. You've done it again with this complex piece of music. I have a feeling this video will blow up and help your channel grow, which is what it deserves! Cheers and keep it up!
What a brilliant analysis. Makes me appreciate a great song even more. Thank you.
Dude, you're videos are brilliant. Thanks so much for sharing them with us!
Now that explains why everything feels like it's everywhere. It's a Rhapsody. Thank you for the break down of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Wow! It shows the greatness of this song and you did it as well as can be!
Thanks for this, it helps young composers to find interesting ways of transmitting emotions into music
Loved your analysis. Thanks for sharing.
This is such a well-produced and truly thorough and clear video Conceiving, planning, making, and editing this video could not have been easy. I appreciate all of the hard work David put into this video and his others.
I'm catching up on your older videos since I discovered your channel, and this one is amazing!
this is now my favorite video on the internet even tho i only understood like 1/5 of it
Spot on. A very impressive analysis. Cheers to your hard work. You are ready to move on.
Love David's videos. This one is tremendous. Giving this song the treatment it deserves. Keep up the good work.
This was amazing. Thank you for dissecting a song that I've loved for years and continue to love. And now that I know what's going on, I can appreciate it all the more.
Really well done, as always! I can't wait for this video to blow up.
Bohemian rhapsody it's storytelling at it finest, and your analisys went absolutely great! Cheers from Argentina, keep it up!
David your explanation of the chords and notes in your videos are terrific. I love not only seeing but also hearing the notes and chords. It has helped me become a better musician. You are a gifted young man. Thank you.
Wow, grate job David, I loved this analysis!
Excellent work, sir. Incredible.
These videos are brilliant mate.
Stunning analysis. Well done 🙏🏻
Never stop doing what you're doing
I'm pretty sure your analysis totally nailed it, all of this makes perfect sens !!
I just love it! You are great, man! Thank you so much!
I feel like all you where doing was drooling over how amazing this song is
I loved this video
always love how passionate you sound when you talk about music
Great stuff, man. Love the videos you make.
I haven't analyzed anything since college (1976) but you are so clear and precise (and my understanding of chord progressions in Musical Theater scores since then) I was able to airplay your chords as you highlighted them and WOW! Thank you for the work/time you spent on this... Amazing!
These videos definitly help me to understand music theory. Thanks!
This analysis was a masterpiece.
i love this song so much, one time at a school dance the dj put it on and everyone, every single person there was singing the song it was amazing freddie mercury we love u
dude!! been digging your work lately, this is really amazing stuff and such important analysis. Thankyou. I'm playing bass in a Queen Tribute currently and you really helped to clarify a few ideas that I hadn't thought of such as the Bohemian Motif, Plagal Cadence, Melacholic Minor 4's. Great job!