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Bohemian Rhapsody
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Poll Question: Bohemian Rhapsody is...
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
11 [57.89%]
1 [5.26%]
7 [36.84%]
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The Anders View Drop Down
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Points: 3529 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Anders Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2021 at 14:12
It can never be a parody for me. Sure, there's a lot of exaggeration going on, but it is done in a very tongue-in-cheek way and with a lot of humour. Combining humour and seriousness is a great acchievement in my world.

I'm not sure I fully understand what the song is about, but that's the great thing about it. It is open for interpretations, and in that respect it is anything by vulgar.


Edited by The Anders - April 06 2021 at 17:00
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The Dark Elf View Drop Down
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Points: 13065 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The Dark Elf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 06 2021 at 14:30
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

Originally posted by jamesbaldwin jamesbaldwin wrote:

Originally posted by The Anders The Anders wrote:

It ticks several boxes:

It abandons traditional song structure.
There are tempo changes.
There are irregular bars (in the opera section)
There are many key changes.
It combines hugely different musical parts in an unusual way.
There is inspiration from classical music (opera).

I'd say it is prog, but it is also something else - like much great art.

I agree with you, I like this song very much....


But....

the beginning, romantic, with the classical piano (which perhaps remains the best part of the piece), is serious, but gradually the music becomes more and more pumped up, and the opera-style choral piece is a parody (albeit with Queen you never know if they want to do the parody or not: I think they often end up doing the parody without wanting it, as happens sometimes to McCartney of the Beatles), and the change of rhythm that after the piece of lyric music leads to a hard rock piece is a parody too. 

That is, some passages, which are typical of prog, are performed here in a very tacky, exhibited way, creating a great sound impact but also the feeling that they want to overdo it, that is to make a parody.

This seems to me a general characteristic of Queen, which makes their music exaggerated.

I could say that their prog is performed in a somewhat vulgar, coarse way, which is what often happens with the approach of heavy metal groups, a very direct approach, not sophisticated because it does not play so much on the nuances.

This is my critical analysis and why I voted for parody, because I see a lot of that element in all of Queen's music, even though Bohemian Rapsody is a great song, perhaps their masterpiece (Innuendo is also close to her).




I agree that much music that appropriates 'highbrow' forms in which the artist has not been formally trained e.g. opera or classical, can come across as unwitting parody but I don't believe Queen are guilty of that here. I've never felt a single moment of Bohemian Rhapsody was tacky, course or vulgar (like Wagner is understated and restrained yeah? LOL) and have long suspected that it's overwhelming popularity, which rendered any habitually pretentious critiques completely irrelevant, sticks firmly in the craw of hipsters and elitists everywhere. Way to go  Freddie and the boysThumbs Up

Because no serious Prog musician would do anything vulgar with classical music, like Keith Emerson having simulated sex with his overturned Hammond while playing a Rondo. LOL
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Points: 28113 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 04:17
Originally posted by The Anders The Anders wrote:

It can never be a parody for me. Sure, there's a lot of exaggeration going on, but it is done in a very tongue-in-cheek way and with a lot of humour. Combining humour and seriousness is a great acchievement in my world.

I'm not sure I fully understand what the song is about, but that's the great thing about it. It is open for interpretations, and in that respect it is anything by vulgar.

It was Freddie's 'coming out of the closet' song apparently. 'I killed a Man' is the big clue.
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ExittheLemming View Drop Down
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Points: 11415 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ExittheLemming Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 04:54
^ I think that plus his rejection of the Zoroastrianism faith in which he had been brought up
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I prophesy disaster View Drop Down
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Points: 4811 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 04:59
Originally posted by The Anders The Anders wrote:

It can never be a parody for me. Sure, there's a lot of exaggeration going on, but it is done in a very tongue-in-cheek way and with a lot of humour.
 
But that's what parody is, isn't it?
 
 
 
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ExittheLemming View Drop Down
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Points: 11415 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ExittheLemming Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 05:14
Parody intends to make fun of its subject or open it up for ridicule. I don't think that was the band's intention with Bohemian Rhapsody (and that's the difference between someone like say, Weird Al Yankovic and Queen)
Bohemian Rhapsody is closer to pastiche which celebrates it's subject rather than mocks it.
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I prophesy disaster View Drop Down
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Points: 4811 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote I prophesy disaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 05:26
Originally posted by ExittheLemming ExittheLemming wrote:

Parody intends to make fun of its subject or open it up for ridicule. I don't think that was the band's intention with Bohemian Rhapsody (and that's the difference between someone like say, Weird Al Yankovic and Queen)
Bohemian Rhapsody is closer to pastiche which celebrates it's subject rather than mocks it.
 
I never really considered this particular distinction when I started this thread. Perhaps I should have said "Parody or Pastiche" instead of just "Parody", but it's too late now to change the poll options.
 
 
 
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Progishness View Drop Down
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Points: 2565 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Progishness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 07:32
I'd classify it as operatic rock - probably should have been part of a bigger work, because despite its title 'A Night at the Opera' is not really a concept album, nor is it a rock opera (as e.g. 'Tommy' or 'The Wall' are). It is still an excellent album tho.


Edited by Progishness - April 11 2021 at 10:05
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geekfreak View Drop Down
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Points: 9872 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote geekfreak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 09:27
PROG ROCK
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BaldJean View Drop Down
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Points: 10387 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BaldJean Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 09:29
there are definitely some elements of parody in the song; how else could something like "Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo Figaro", which doesn't make any sense at all, be taken? there is an influence of Albert Camus' novella "L'Étranger" in it too (as in "Killing an Arab" by The Cure). but most of all it is a great song


Edited by BaldJean - April 11 2021 at 09:32


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JD View Drop Down
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Points: 18446 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote JD Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 11 2021 at 09:57
Prog, absolutely. Certainly enough comic relief that it may raise the question of parody or not, but there are lots of other examples that cross the line of (for lack of better term) legitimate prog vs humourous or parody prog. I don't see why a band can't bring some fun into the song and not have it be considered straight up progressive.
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