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Max Martin: Why a Pop-Hit Songwriter and Producer Created a Musical

March 31, 2023

Even if you don’t know who Max Martin is, you’ve definitely heard his songs. Hit-pop songs are kind of his thing after all. Martin first stepped into the music world in 1985 as a frontman for....

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MANILA GREY: Vancouver's Rising R&B Duo

March 18, 2023

The Filipino-Canadian duo from Vancouver has been releasing new tracks left and right, and they are known for their most streamed songs on Spotify, “Timezones,” and “Silver Skies.” Previously .......

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How did Miley Cyrus’ Heartbreak Song “Flowers” Break the Spotify Record?

March 17, 2023

The singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus has recently released a record-breaking song called “Flowers” in January 2023. This song recites her 10-year long relationship with her ex-husband....

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Men I Trust: Canada’s DIY Indie Band That Could Be Your New Favourite

March 4, 2023

Men I Trust is a Canadian indie pop band known for their dreamy and mellow sound. Their music is laid back, incorporating elements of funk, disco, and R&B to create a smooth and groovy vibe that is

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Basics For Building an At-Home Recording Studio

March 3, 2023

Artists like Kaytranada have proved that you don’t need access to a professional recording studio to create well-produced music. As technology and social media have advanced, it is now easier than eve

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Facing the Music: Legal Challenges With AI and Copyright Laws

February 25, 2023

People draw inspiration from others when forming their ideas, it’s a fact of life. Sampling in music is no exception - and artists do it for a variety of reasons. Traditionally, copyright laws and

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Tobias Jesso Jr.: GRAMMY-Winning Canadian Sells His Song Rights

February 23, 2023

Tobias Jesso Jr. You may know his name from his 2015 solo album Goon. Or maybe from his work on various popular songs, such as “When We Were Young” by Adele and “Alive” by Sia. Or even from his rece

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How Popular TV Shows and Movies Resurrect Classic Songs

February 23, 2023

HBO’s The Last of Us is arguably the hottest show out right now, receiving near universal acclaim from viewers and critics alike. This holds especially true for episode three: “Long, Long Time”.

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Ginalina: Bringing Her Taiwan Roots Into Her Latest Album

February 21, 2023

Folk singer. Songwriter. Canadian. Polyglot. All of these titles belong to Gina Lam, also known by her stage name Ginalina. In November 2022, she released her latest album titled Going Back: Remembe

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Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance

February 21, 2023

Rihanna is an illustrious artist. She is among the best selling female artists of all time, and was one of the greatest hitmakers of the 2000s and 2010s. She has since grown to become the richest...

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How do Streaming Platforms Pay Artists - Is It Fair?

February 20, 2023

Streaming is now the driving force of the music industry, making up 84% of the industry revenue in the U.S. While streaming is much more convenient for listeners, many artists argue that it is near im

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Why Jay-Z Was Named The #1 Rapper Of All Time

February 23, 2023

Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z. In honor of Hip-Hop’s

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Bohemian Rhapsody - One of the Greatest Songs Ever

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Photo Source: Teeruto.com

There are hundreds of music genres, hundreds of thousands of bands, and millions of songs that exist in the world today, and these numbers are constantly growing. In this vast sea of music, some songs that are truly iconic, whether it be for their intriguing lyrics, their amazing melody, for shedding light on issues in society, or for a plethora of other reasons, rise above the rest. This article will discuss one such example; Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. 

Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975 on Queen’s ‘A Night at the Opera’ album and was written by Freddy Mercury, the band’s lead vocalist. Bohemian Rhapsody was seen as being groundbreaking when it was released, due to the song’s unique composition style and vast variety in sound throughout the song, as well as its intriguing lyrics. The song features four specific sections that are classified by the style of music used; the beginning ballad, the opera-themed middle, the driving hard rock following the operatic segment, and the outro, which is also ballad-like. This level of variation within a song displayed the musical talent that Queen possessed and showed off Freddy Mercury’s creative genius. 

The lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody are also quite interesting. On the surface, the song appears to be about a poor young boy who kills someone and then has to deal with the consequences of this act. The main themes of the song include regret, guilt, grief, and anger. However, Freddy Mercury was infamously quiet with regards to the meaning of the song, leaving it up for interpretation and leading many to believe that the story of the boy was a metaphor symbolizing something else. One theory that I found particularly interesting was that the song represents Mercury’s discovery of his bisexuality, when he previously believed he was gay. The killing of the man and subsequent remorse symbolizes Mercury disposing of his old sexuality and the feelings of guilt and confusion that surrounded that action. Regardless of whether or not this was the true meaning of the song, the fact that the lyrics are open to interpretation allows people to resonate with the song by making up a meaning of the song that relates to their own lives. 

In conclusion, Bohemian Rhapsody became hugely popular, topping the charts in many countries all over the world. With its innovative sound of blended genres that attracted a wide audience and its sophisticated and mysterious lyrics, Bohemian Rhapsody is a timeless song that will be cherished and remembered by the music community for a long time.