Thirty years ago, the leader of Queen and symbol of the LGBTIQ + movement in the 1980s, died of pneumonia caused by HIV, just 24 hours after revealing to the world that he had AIDS. From glam to stadium rock, Freddie Mercury revolutionized the music world with his vocal quirks and indefinable songs. Today, the myth he created, revived by the movie ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, continues to fascinate millions.
His unmistakable voice, particular mustache and tight pants remain in the collective memory. And yet thirty years have passed since the death of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British band Queen.
Freddie Mercury was not always Freddie Mercury. The son of a Parsi family from India, he was born in 1946 on Zanzibar, a small island off the East African coast. Back then, the future star was named Farrokh Bulsara.
Raised with a strict upbringing, at the age of seven he was sent to the San Pedro boarding school in India, where his musical talent was revealed. After the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964, the Bulsara family emigrated to Feltham, in the United Kingdom. It was there that he discovered Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles, who influenced his musical identity.
His schoolmates are the ones who started calling him ‘Freddie’, a nickname that was to follow him all his life. In 1970, the already talented vocalist joined the group Smile. Upon arrival, he renamed the band Queen, which means both queen and homosexual in English slang. And alongside guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist John Deacon, she gave birth to the myth.
Grunts, mixes of unprecedented musical genres and a waste of talent
With Queen it’s hard not to use superlatives. Thirty years after the death of its lead singer, the British band continues to accumulate records. However, without belittling the talents of the other members, who wrote many of Queen’s classics, it is their leader who led them to glory.
Charismatic, and with a simply inimitable voice, Freddie Mercury fearlessly defied many of the prevailing parameters in pop rock of that time. Willing to take musical risks, he did not hesitate to accentuate his lyrics with screams and grunts.
The fascination that Queen provoked and continues to provoke is above all a matter of songs that are unlike any other. Starting with the famous ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, a song that the record company initially wanted nothing to do with.
And it was a priori the furthest thing from a commercial song. At almost six minutes long, a start a cappella, and a mixture of ballad, opera and hard-rock, the subject was unclassifiable.
Just recording the song took them more than three weeks. The members of Queen also wanted to accompany their work with a small film, considered the first video clip in history.
Queen also produced the funky ‘Another One Bites The Dust’, their best-selling single, and ‘Under Pressure’, a duet with David Bowie. But you can’t talk about Queen without mentioning ‘Will Rock You’, a song that guitarist Brian May came up with primarily to interact with audiences during concerts. Which obviously happened on more than one occasion.
An icon for the LGBTIQ + community
The musical success also marked a personal liberation for Freddie Mercury. Little by little, the vocalist, although he never spoke openly about his sexual preferences, adopted an openly homosexual image, with black leather suits, tank tops and chains.
However, in 1987, medical test results showed that Freddie Mercury was infected with HIV, the AIDS virus. At that time, little more than its high mortality was known about this disease and victims of this virus continued to be stigmatized; so the singer decided to continue working.
He only revealed his illness one day before his death, on November 23, 1991, in a statement: “After the numerous speculations that have appeared in the press during the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have tested positive for HIV and that I have AIDS. The time has come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope they all join my doctors and their colleagues in their fight against this terrible disease. “
The next day, November 24, 1991, Freddie Mercury’s voice was silenced. He was 45 years old.
Mercury helped break countless taboos on AIDS
By revealing his HIV status, the gay icon went a long way toward changing views of AIDS.
Months after his death, the cream of world rock gathered in London to hold a concert in his honor. That event marked history for the impact it had on the public perception of HIV.
Mercury’s death also fueled interest in Queen. The song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ reached number one again, more than 15 years after its release. Also, the premiere in 2018 of the film with the same name was a worldwide success, and rekindled the fascination for the transcendental figure of Freddie Mercury.
With AFP and local media
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