Draft of Queen hit song shows Freddie Mercury originally called it Mongolian Rhapsody
- Early scribblings by the singer showing the crossed out title are among the 15,000 items from his estate that are being auctioned in London
- Mercury has never explained the meaning of Bohemian Rhapsody’s title, saying listeners should ‘make up their own minds’
Long before Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” became one of the most streamed songs in the world, Freddie Mercury, the band’s lead singer, considered a different title for the six-minute rock opera.
Scribblings of Mercury’s early creative musings show that the lead singer had initially considered calling the band’s most popular recording “Mongolian Rhapsody”, The New York Times reported.
The title can be seen written and crossed out on note paper from a defunct British airline, British Midland. Above the crossed-out word, Mercury wrote, “Bohemian”.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was released in 1975 and was officially certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2021.
Mercury has never explained the meaning of the title. Jim Jenkins, a biographer for Queen, told The Times that Mercury “never liked to explain” his lyrics or song titles.
According to The Telegraph, Mercury said of “Bohemian Rhapsody”: “It’s one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them.”