Jennifer Allen
By Jennifer Allen
On the 5th of September in the year 1946, the world would officially be introduced to a human being who would undoubtedly become of the greatest musical performers and songwriters of all time. On that fateful day in Zanzibar, Farrokh Bulsara was born.
Parsi by descent and Gujarati by lineage, Farrokh learned piano by age 7 and was often said to have an uncanny knack to replay songs from the radio almost right after hearing them. He grew up loving Bollywood… especially singer Lata Mangeshkar, but was also greatly influenced by rock performers such as Little Richard and Liza Minelli’s flamboyant performance in Cabaret.
When he was 17, the Bulsara family was forced to move to England due to the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution, but it wasn’t until the early 1970’s and two failed bands that he would become the man that has left such an impression on the world in such a short time.
Of course, I am speaking about the late great Freddie Mercury…
“When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.”
~ Freddie Mercury
Freddie’s history with the band, Queen is nothing short of legend at this point. If there was just one word to describe him, I dare say that one word would not be enough. “Charismatic” “Brilliant” “Extravagant” are just a few. When he got on stage, the whole crowd stopped and took notice. He could command the crowd with just a flick of the wrist, and he seemed to love every second of it. He was definitely one of the most amazing performers ever, with his stage presence often imitated but never duplicated.
Probably the pinnacle of Queen’s stage shows was their Live Aid act in 1985. I remember watching the whole day’s festivities on MTV and how much of a big deal it was being run from both Wembley Stadium in London and John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia at the same time. Lots of great bands, young and old were present that day. Heck Phil Collins managed to take the Concord plane from London to Philadelphia just so he could be at both venues on the same day.
They were all topped by what many have called “20 minutes that changed music forever.” Queen came out, played 5 songs… and every single one of the 72,000 in attendance, heck every single one of the millions watching on TV or in Philadelphia was clapping along with Radio Ga Ga. We all stood up and sang We Will Rock You and We are the Champions in sync with Freddie and the band. Mercury had the magic touch, and it showed. I feel lucky to have experienced this moment in real time, and even though I was not there in London clapping along with them, Freddie still managed to reach through the TV screen and make me feel like I was a part of that moment.
“Excess is part of my nature. Dullness is a disease. I really need danger and excitement. I’m never scared of putting myself out on a limb.”
~ Freddie Mercury
Is there any specific thing that we can point to which made Freddie amazing? I personally think it was many little things that came together and made him unique.
You can certainly see how much of a theatrical performer he was. The lavish outfits and the signature movements he made on stage were things that no one else had ever attempted before. He was just as comfortable in tights as he was in a dress, and he didn’t seem to care what anyone else thought of his stage presence in the slightest. There are many photos of him in lavish outfit after outfit, and anyone who was a true Queen fan simply understood that this was just how Freddie and band were.
Beyond his performance persona, there was also his impressive four octave vocal range. His singing was no doubt better than most professional, trained opera tenors. You remember that really high note at the end of the operatic portion of Bohemian Rhapsody? That was all Freddie, folks. The man didn’t need any of that newfangled auto tuning they use now. He could switch from baritone to contralto in an instant, and very few other singers have ever been able to accomplish such a feat on a consistent basis.
And speaking of his ability to adapt, there’s the sheer amount of musical genres that Queen’s songs touched upon. Metal? Listen to Stone Cold Crazy. Funk? Hey remember Another One Bites the Dust? Movie Soundtracks? Queen did two of them. Rockabilly? Yup they did that too with Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Anyone who’s ever been to at a sporting event has been driven to stomp and clap along to We Will Rock You. Heck Freddie even sang Opera. And of course… we all have had a moment where we are driving along and can’t help but (attempt to) sing the mysterious lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody along with the band (and yes I do the obligatory headbang at the “rock” part).
What is probably most surprising about this man is that off stage Freddie was completely the opposite of the brilliant showman that the fans saw. He was shy and often despised doing interviews. He had a very small group of close friends and was very slow to “warm up” to people he didn’t know well. It’s hard to think of him that way while away from the spotlight, but in truth he was also a very humble person. In the few interviews he did give, he would always be upset if the interviewer referred to him apart from the band. Queen was a band with four talented men working together to create music. It was never Freddie with three backup band members.
There was no doubt that Freddie’s desire for privacy in his personal life was why it took so long for the world to learn that he had contracted and was dealing with complications from AIDS. He told many of his close friends, but it wasn’t until the day before he died that he released a public statement about his health. Somehow we all knew in some way that Freddie’s health was deteriorating. To this day when you watch the music video for These are the Days of Our Lives, you can see just how thin and frail Freddie was… and yet that flamboyant charm was still there all the way up to the point where he looks into the camera and smiles while saying, “I still love you” to all his fans.
Some have said that Mercury’s legacy would not nearly be as relevant if he was still alive today. I tend to disagree. I am simply saddened that for 25 years we have been robbed of more outstanding music that Queen could have potentially produced. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset with Brian May and Roger Taylor’s continued efforts to tour as Queen with guest singers. Jon Deacon simply retired from the band because he understood that there is no Queen without the original four members. There is simply no way that you can replace Freddie Mercury.
Freddie once said that he wanted to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance. Well, while he may no longer be with us in body, his legacy is still seen in various forms of pop culture. Freddie gave us more than just some worth and substance… he gave us a part of him which even now makes us all take a moment to pause and perhaps even smile back saying, “We still love you too.”
