A Case Study of Freddie Mercury and His Musical Compositions

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Freddie Mercury's musical journey, focusing on his early and later compositions. It examines the influence of his personal life and the historical context of the 20th century on his work. The essay compares and contrasts two of Mercury's iconic songs: 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' an early composition that showcases his experimental approach and integration of diverse musical genres, and 'Time Waits For No One,' a later piece reflecting a more mature and introspective style. The analysis explores the musical characteristics, thematic elements, and stylistic shifts in Mercury's work, highlighting the impact of his experiences and the evolution of his artistic vision. The essay also discusses the influence of modernism on Mercury's early compositions, and the shift in his style in his later work. The essay concludes by summarizing the key differences between the two songs, attributing the changes to the musician's personal and professional life. The essay uses the history of Western music as a framework to contextualize Mercury's work.

Running head: 20TH CENTURY WESTERN MUSIC
20TH CENTURY WESTERN MUSIC: A CASE STUDY OF FREDDIE MERCURY AND
HIS MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
As opined by Stockdale (2016), the personal life incidents and the age in which the artists
or the musicians live play a pivotal role on the musical compositions or the works composed by
them. Burkholder, Grout and Palisca (2010) are of the viewpoint that these personal life incidents
and also the influence of the age in which the musicians live influence the artists or the
musicians to select the themes which form the central lacuna of their compositions. More
importantly, it is seen that these two aspects also influence the artistic journey which the
musicians or the artists undertake during the course of their entire career. Furthermore, this also
accounts for the difference in gravity, quality, the nature of the themes that the musicians or the
artists explore and other aspects of the early and the later works composed by the artists (Velescu
2019). As a matter of fact, it is seen that the different musicians or the artists usually start their
career by catering to the public demand or follow the trends which are in vogue however in the
later part of their career they usually move on to the themes which are more personal to them and
thereby artistically or aesthetically pleasing. This aspect of the artistic or the musical journey
becomes more profound in the particular case of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer and composer
of the famous 20th century music band “Queen”. This essay intends to analyze Freddie Mercury’s
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (an early composition) and “Time Waits For No One” (a later
composition) to understand the impact of his own historical and also the historical background of
the age in which he lived and composed his music.
Overview of the life of Freddie Mercury
According to Inglis (2016), the life of Freddie Mercury was as accelerating as the nature
of music that he composed. Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) was born as Farrokh Bulsara and his
parents actually hailed from the nation of India however they soon migrated to UK for better
economic opportunities (Kaloudis 2019). In this regard, it needs to be said that Farrokh right
from his childhood showed an inclination towards music although his father was completely
against it. However, a chance encounter at a bar made him join the newly formed band “Queen”
and the credit for making the band a popular one largely belongs to him. He assumed the name
of Freddie Mercury after becoming the lead singer of the concerned band. In this regard, it needs
to be said that he is presently popular as a British Singer, music composer, song recorder and

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also for his “flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range” (Clement 2018). As a matter
of fact, Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé has noted that “the difference between Freddie and
almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice” (Hawkins 2017).
More importantly, the different songs composed by him in association with the band
“Queen” like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love”, “Don't Stop Me
Now”, “We Are the Champions”, “Time Waits For No One” has clearly placed him among the
greatest lead singers in the history of Western music (Blake 2016). In this regard, it needs to be
said that during the time of Mercury rock music was an extremely popular genre and the disco
music was on the rise (Stockdale 2016). This particular trend had a profound impact on the
music or the songs composed by him along with the personal failures, heartbreaks, family issues
and others which played a key role in his life. (Bennett 2016) Despite all these, he wanted to be
the best lead singer of all time and this in turn motivated him to take music in religiously.
Furthermore, it was seen that the musicians of the past inspired him in a significant manner and
thus he tried to model his own songs as per the musical style or the techniques followed by them.
However, at the same time it needs to be said that despite the high quality of music composed by
him he had to face a substantial amount of criticism because of the life choices that he made. He
ultimately died at the age of 45 because of AIDS which he got from his wild affairs with multiple
men during the prime of his youth (Klein 2018).
Analysis of “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Lebrun and Strong (2016) are of the viewpoint that the “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of
the most important songs which not only cemented the legacy as well as the fame of Freddie
Mercury but also the British band “Queen” as well. Adding to this, Richards and Langthorne
(2016) have noted that the song under discussion here is an experimental one and thus it is seen
that it explores different genres like opera, rock, melody and others. However, it was the musical
or the artistic genius of Freddie Mercury which enabled him to integrate these diverging genres
and thereby use them to enhance the beauty or for that the pleasure of listening to the song under
discussion here (Inglis 2016). More importantly, this song was written by Freddie Mercury for
the album “A Night at the Opera” of the band “Queen” and was initially rejected by many music
companies because of the six minute length of the song (Blake 2016). As a matter of fact, it is

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seen that the song consists of various sections generally without a chorus, operatic passage,
ballad segment, a reflective coda, a hard rock part and others (Hawkins 2017).
Commenting on the quality of his voice David Bret, the biographer of Mercury noted that
“escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to
a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches” (Kaloudis 2019). An
interesting fact to note regarding the song under discussion here is the fact that it was composed
taking into account the different precepts of the movement of Modernism (Herbst et al. 2017).
This in turn accounts for the lack of harmony, rhythm, melody and other aspects of the song. For
example, it is seen that some of the sections of the song are highly rhythmic or melodious in
nature which is soon broken by high-pitch voice or the sound of the musical instruments for the
creation of the musical effect that Mercury wanted (Klein 2018). Furthermore, it is seen that this
innovative approach is also perceptible in the musical instruments like electric guitar, piano and
others which are being used within the song. In addition to these, it is seen that the entire song is
redolent with changes in voice tone and articulation of the words for the creation of the necessary
musical effect.
The primary intention of Mercury behind the composition of this song was to create a
song which would be completely different from the ones that were being composed by the
majority of the musicians of the 20th century (Clement 2018). The resultant effect of this was that
he decided to create a song which would not only transcend different musical genres but at the
same focus on a plethora of ideas. For example, a critical analysis of the song under discussion
here reveals the fact that it focuses on various themes which were Mercury held dear like death,
dream reverie, life and others. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the entire song seems to be a
dream reverie wherein the dissenting sections have been artistically linked together to create the
desired musical appeal (Velescu 2019).
Analysis of “Time Waits For No One”
This song was written by Mercury just five years before his death in the year 1986 and
shows a drastic change from the above discussed song or for that matter the earlier songs written
as well as sung by him (Lebrun and Strong 2016). For example, it is seen that unlike the earlier
musical compositions of Mercury, this particular song is slower in nature, harmonious as well as

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melodious and also rhythmical (Kaloudis 2019). As a matter of fact, this song is completely
opposite to the songs which were composed by Mercury in the prime of his youth when he was
heavily inspired by the modernist movement in music. Commenting on the beauty of the song
under discussion here, Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé said that “His technique was
astonishing. No problem of tempo, he sang with an incisive sense of rhythm…..His phrasing was
subtle, delicate and sweet or energetic and slamming. He was able to find the right colouring or
expressive nuance for each word” (Richards and Langthorne 2016).
Mercury for the composition of this song took the help of only an electric guitar and no
other instruments were being used. Herbst et al. (2017) are of the viewpoint that this song is an
important one within the arsenal of the musical repertoire of Mercury because this song in a
succinct manner expresses the personal feelings of Mercury and also the regrets which he had.
For example, this song was written by him after he came to know that he had got AIDS, after he
got separated from the girl he loved because he was sexually attracted towards men and came to
know that she was pregnant with another man’s child, his declining popularity within the music
industry and others (Clement 2018). These incidents not only took a toll on his personal or
professional life but also the music that he produced. This is perhaps one of the major reasons
this song unlike the earlier ones written or composed by him is mellowed down in nature and
directly talks about regrets and lost opportunities.
Comparison of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” with “Time Waits For No One”
A comparison between the two songs of Mercury “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Time
Waits For No One” which were composed during the two different stages of his life and career is
likely to reveal insightful information regarding the musician itself. For example, when he wrote
the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” he had just arrived into the musical arena and thereby was
hungry to taste success. This made him not only fearless but at the same time experimenter as
well which becomes apparent from the usage of so many different musical genres within one
particular song (Velescu 2019). On the other hand, the “Time Waits For No One” is a more
mature one and shows an artist who is being able to control not only his art but also his artistic
desire. This is perhaps one of the major reasons for the mellowed down version of Freddie
Mercury which the music listeners get to listen in this particular song.

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There are various reasons for the changes which took place within the songs composed
by him over the years, especially the ones composed by him in his last few years and they can be
attributed to both personal and professional reasons. In the particular context of personal life, it
can be said that after marrying a woman whom he loved he realizes that he is gay and thereby
leaves the woman although both of them love each other (Stockdale 2016). The woman soon
remarries and gives birth to a child although Mercury is madly in love with her and even shifts
his home whichever locality she lives in. he discovers that he had contracted AIDS and is about
to die (Hawkins 2017). In the particular context of professional life, he had to leave and break-up
with the band “Queen” with which he had been associated all his life, people switched over to
the pop music and others (Klein 2018). These aspects directly affected the musical compositions
of Mercury and this in turn accounts for the difference in the two songs under discussion here.
Conclusion
To conclude, the personal life and the age in which a particular musician lives wield a
substantial amount of influence on the kind of music composed by him or her. This become
apparent from the above analysis of the musician Freddie Mercury and the songs composed by
him in the early and the latter part of his career. In this regard, it needs to be said that “Bohemian
Rhapsody” (early part) and “Time Waits For No One” (latter part) show a stark difference
between each other because of the influence of the above mentioned two factors. Furthermore,
the contribution made by Mercury towards the western music can in no way be relegated to the
background. For example, he started the trend of mingling of different genres for the
enhancement of the beauty as well as the quality of the songs, he even started the trend of
interacting with the audience while performing live and others which are still being followed by
the contemporary musicians.

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