Freddie Mercury - Still a legend
Since it’s too long ago that I updated this blog I decided to write about a special musician today because on this exact day 26 years ago, a legend died. Freddie Mercury. I was only one year old when one of the best singer in the world left this world and I’m still sad about the fact that I could never enjoy his voice live. He was one of the best singer in the world – and he will always be. He not only was a legend but also an icon. Maybe Queen wouldn’t have become so famous without him as a singer.
Today I bet everyone knows at least one Queen song. Although I was shocked when I was at a concert two weeks ago where “Bohemian Rhapsody” was played as the intro of the concert and the majority of the mainly teenage people in the crowd just looked confused at the few people (including me and my friends) who were singing along to the song. Well, that’s just the only thing you can do when this song is on, right? Singing and dancing along! Everyone should do that! The world would be a better place. I still have hope that even these young people who were so confused because they didn’t know this song will figure out what a masterpiece this song is and how great Queen are!
What would Freddie Mercury and Queen do today?
Sometimes I wonder what Queen and Freddie would be like today if Freddie wouldn’t have died so long ago. He would be 71 years old now. Would they still tour? Would they still be these legends like the Rolling Stones are? You can ask these questions about every band who lost their singer too soon. Speaking of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana or Chester Bennington and Linkin Park. We’ll see how Linkin Park will be remembered twenty years from now because Chester was an iconic artist as well.
But Brian May and Roger Tayler decided to tour again with changing tour musicians and singer. Recently they toured with Adam Lambert. Of course you can discuss whether Adam Lambert can sing a Freddie Mercury song or not but at least Queen didn’t stop. I love that Brian May and Roger Taylor didn’t stop making music after Freddie’s passing. And of course Brian May even produced the “We Will Rock You”-musical which I saw a few years ago – but I didn’t like it very much.
It’s interesting to see that Queen are still legends for many known musicians. For instance, I saw Sum 41 doing a cover of “We Will Rock You” in a punkrock style. When I was in Berlin and saw my favorite band Beatsteaks they did a cover of “I Want To Break Free”. And I bet Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters is always the happiest guy on earth when he can sing the cover of “Under Pressure” on stage and does this typical interaction of singing exercises with the audience that Freddie always did. So Queen and Freddie are everywhere.
What let Freddie become a legend?
Of course it was his iconic voice. I go out on a limb when I say that no one who covers a Queen song will come near this great voice Freddie had.
At the age of 12 Freddie began singing in front of students in school, when he was still in Zanzibar where he was born in 1946 as Farrokh Bulsara. 1964 he moved to London with his family and attended the Ealing College to study art. Maybe he needed some time until he would become a rock star because first he only painted his favorite music heroes such as Jimi Hendrix or Paul McCartney. But in 1968 he met Brian May and Roger Taylor who were playing in a band called Smile. Freddie became their roadie and started singing in other bands. When Smile broke up 1970, he and the others formed a new band: Queen.
By the way, at that time he still called himself Farrokh Bulsara. But since the 1970s he changed his name to Mercury and later to Freddie Mercury. And in 1975 they released what I would consider the BEST SONG IN THE WORLD. “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Queen’s first number one hit.
Freddie was an artist who loved his job. He lived for the music and I think the fact that he kept working on new songs although he was already struggling with his disease, shows that he was totally passionate about it. Along the lines of “The Show Must Go On”…
“The Miracle” of 1989 and “Innuendo” of 1991 where the last albums Queen released while Freddie was still alive. In 1990 there were rumors about him having AIDS. In February 1990 was the last public appearance at the Brit Awards with Queen. His last words to the public where “Thank you and good night”.
So today 26 years ago, on November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. Only one day prior he released a statement where he informed the press about his disease. He always tried to hide his disease and only his closest friends knew about it.
Freddie Mercury was a humble person. He bequeathed all of his wealth and his house in Kensington to his long time friend Mary Austin so she could live there with her kids. Freddie and Mary dated back in the 1970s and even lived together for seven years. Although they broke up they still stayed very close friends and she even toured with the band in the 1980s. Freddie wrote a lot of songs about her and once said that she was probably the person he should have married. She was also the only person he introduced to his parents at home in London. The most famous song he wrote about her was “Love Of My Life”. What a lovely story! And after Freddie’s death Mary Austin founded the “Mercury Phoenix Trust” to fight against HIV and AIDS.
Today Queen songs are hymns and Freddie Mercury will always be remembered as one of the best and eccentrically singer in the world – although he should have been very shy behind the spotlight.
For me personally Queen are a very special band. Every time I hear a song of Queen I’m happy. There is a TV station that broadcasts a lot of concerts every year on New Years Eve and as the same procedure as every year, they broadcast a Queen concert. So I watched Queen concerts on New Years Eve when I was younger and I still watch Queen concerts on New Years Eve today. I’m so sad that I will never ever see Queen and Freddie Mercury live. But at least we still have the songs to listen to.
“When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance” (Freddie Mercury)
Well, you are, Freddie. RIP Freddie Mercury. 1946-1991.
