03 November 2023
Newsdesk
Bohemian Rhapsody has once again been named the greatest song of all time by over 6,500 Greatest Hits Radio listeners – the biggest number of votes in the annual countdown ever. The station’s fifth survey of the greatest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s, put the iconic Queen track top of the charts for the fifth year in a row – fittingly as the station is about to celebrate its fifth birthday in a couple of months time. So popular was it with listeners that Bohemian Rhapsody received more votes than the rest of the Top 10 combined.
On yesterday’s [Friday] Greatest Hits Radio Drivetime, Simon Mayo revealed that it had topped the chart once again, before playing all five minutes and 55 seconds of the song. Simon commented: ‘Congratulations to the immovable Bohemian Rhapsody. It defined what an epic pop song can be and is also the only track I ever wrote about in my teenage diary which sounds a little bit sad but is quite true. The whole chart has brilliant demonstrated what fantastic decades the 70s, 80s and 90s were for music – simply some of the greatest songs of all time. If I could have voted, my number one would have been Bridge Over Troubled Water – the first album I ever bought in the Bullring in Birmingham for £2.17 – an extraordinary vocal that I still love so I was pleased to see that it only just missed out at Number Two.’
Queen Uncovered author Peter Hince was a roadie with the band for over a decade, working on over 600 of the band’s live shows, and was there at the inception of Bohemian Rhapsody. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio he said: ‘The band were recording [album] Night at the Opera and we were going around all these different studios in London and doing bits in each place so I was hearing bits and pieces of Bohemian Rhapsody, but I didn’t hear the whole thing for quite some time. I remember hearing the opera bit and thinking it’s going to be an introduction tape for the live show - I had no idea it was a song!’
He credits the different styles featured within the track for being one of the reasons why the song is still so loved 48 years after its initial release in 1975, describing it as ‘having something for everyone’ but believe it’s a combination of factors that has given Bohemian Rhapsody its longevity.
‘The video is arguably what helped it become so huge in Britain,’ he said, ‘and the other thing is that, sadly, Freddie isn’t around anymore and it’s one of his legacies that piece of music so is still something people find very emotional. Also, nothing really had been done like it before and probably nothing since - with all the technology now it is easier to get certain studio effects whereas with Queen it was all about spending enormous amounts of time and being incredibly innovative. So I think part of [it’s appeal] is in the fact that it took so long to do and it was this real labour of love for Fred.’
It could have been a very different single if the record company had got their way and edited it to a more standard three minutes, but Freddie was adamant that it should not be cut and sent his version of the song to Kenny Everett. He played it repeatedly on his radio show where it proved so popular that the record company had no choice but to release the version that Freddie wanted.
And whilst it’s long been the Number One choice of the Greatest Hits Radio audience Peter reveals that, ‘Freddie actually said Somebody to Love was a better piece of songwriting than Bo Rap. He felt that as a pure piece of songwriting it was better.’
Bohemian Rhapsody is just one of 18 songs that Queen have in the Top 500 chart – including one with David Bowie (Under Pressure #158) and one with George Michael (Somebody to Love: Live at Wembley #189) - and is the most of any band or artist. Bowie has 16 songs in the chart followed by Blondie and Elton John who both have nine.
The biggest year proved to be 1979 which has 29 songs in the Top 500 – including Dire Strait’s Sultans of Swing and Cars by Gary Numan – and the 70s was the most popular decade with 226 of the greatest hits coming from that decade, making up 45.2% of the whole chart.
There were more songs than ever from the Swinging Sixties featured in the countdown, no doubt driven by listeners to Ken Bruce’s Secret Sixties – a station available to subscribers to Greatest Hits Radio’s Premium service. Twenty-two songs made the chart with The Beatles classic Hey Jude (1968) reaching the highest position at number seven.
Greatest Hits Radio’s Network Content Director, Andy Ashton commented ‘In a time we've attracted our highest ever audience figures, this year’s chart has attracted our highest ever number of votes. It’s great to have heard from so many people passionate about the songs of the 70s, 80s & 90s, and knowing that so many of them have been tuning in to share in this incredible week of music with us just goes to show that these legendary songs from legendary artists are loved now more than ever. We can't wait to keep playing them on Greatest Hits Radio.’
6,503 listeners to Greatest Hits Radio voted for their Greatest Hit between Friday 6th October and Sunday 22nd October.
The Top Ten is as follows:
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (1975)
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
Mr Blue Sky – ELO (1978)
Life on Mars – David Bowie (1973)
Hotel California – The Eagles (1977)
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen (1975)
Hey Jude – The Beatles (1968)
Dancing Queen – ABBA (1976)
Imagine – John Lennon (1975)
All Right Now – Free (1970)
