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Freddie Mercury

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Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar, Tanzania– November 24, 1991 in Kensington, London, England) was a British Asian rock star, best known as the pianist and lead singer of Queen. His exceptional voice, coupled with a vibrant stage personality, earned accolades and drew record crowds. As a songwriter, he produced a large number of memorable hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Are The Champions". His death from AIDS served greatly to increase awareness of the disease.

Early Life

Freddie Mercury was born named Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar to Indian Parsi parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara (see [1]). As Parsis, his parents practiced the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. The family had emigrated to Zanzibar in order for Bomi to continue his job as a middle-ranking cashier at the British Colonial Office. He had one younger sister, Kashmira. He was educated at St. Peter's boarding school in Panchgani (Satara) near Bombay (now Mumbai) in India, where he gave his first onstage performances in a five-member school band called The Hectics. Mercury completed his education in India at St. Mary's High School in Mazagon, Mumbai and was 17 when he and his family fled to England as a result of a 1964 revolution in Zanzibar. In England, he pursued a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, following in the footsteps of Pete Townshend. He later used these skills in order to design the famous Queen crest.

"Freddie Mercury"

According to The Sunday London Times [2], Freddie Mercury was born Farok Bulara. However, when he was in boarding school, his friends gave him the name "Freddie", which he and his family later adopted. When Queen first formed, he was was initially using the name Freddie Bulsara. However, according to bandmate Brian May, the sudden decision to change his last name as well occurred while he was writing a song called "My Fairy King", which contains a reference to "Mother Mercury." It has further been suggested that Mercury deliberately changed his name in part to obscure his Indian ancestry.

Singer and performer

Freddie Mercury possessed a distinctive and versatile voice. Although his speaking voice naturally fell in the baritone range, he also maintained excellent tone in the tenor range [3]. His recorded vocal range spanned nearly four octaves (falsetto included), with his lowest recorded note being the F2 and his highest recorded note being the D6, according to the standard C scale [4]. His highest recorded head voice note was the F5 [5]. On the other hand, perhaps the most incredible aspect of his voice was not his vocal range, but the exceptional tone that he maintained over a three octave range as well as his forceful, powerful delivery. However, due in part to the fact that he suffered from vocal nodules (for which he declined surgery), he would often lower the highest notes during many concerts.

With his vocal versatility Freddie Mercury was one of the most technically accomplished singers to work in the pop idiom. In a list of the greatest English language singers of the 20th century compiled by BBC Radio, Mercury was ranked #10 [6]. He also came in second in MTV's list of the 22 greatest singers of the past 25 years, having been beaten by Mariah Carey for the top spot.

Freddie Mercury's performance at Live Aid has recently been voted by various artists, journalists and music industry executives as the greatest live performance of all time in rock music [7]. The results of the poll were televised on a Channel 4 television programme in the UK called "The World's Greatest Gigs". Of all the artists present at the Live Aid concert, Queen was widely regarded as having stolen the show, largely as a result of Mercury's incredible talent and charisma.

Songwriting

Mercury composed ten of the songs on the original "Queen's Greatest Hits" album, including many of the band's most creative pieces, such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Killer Queen", "We Are the Champions", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Somebody to Love". He ultimately wrote or co-wrote nine international #1 hits [8].

Although all four members of the band Queen were songwriters, producer Gary Langhan, who worked in the studio with Queen on many of their early albums, notes in the book Freddie Mercury: The Real Life that "Freddie was always intensely supportive of other people's songwriting and would give as much attention to one of the other's as he would to his own. It was so unlike other bands I've worked with where there is an acknowledged songwriter and anyone else who writes one really has to hassle to get it anywhere".

Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Mercury's songwriting was the number of long (typically five and a half minutes or longer) songs he wrote that utilized several different styles of music. Examples include My Fairy King, Liar, The Millionaire Waltz, The March Of The Black Queen, Innuendo and, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Compared to most popular songwriters, Freddie Mercury wrote very musically complex songs. As a example, while the average top 10 pop song contains 3 to 7 chords, the song "Bicycle Race" is a multi-key track with over 20 chords and complex metre changes (the bridge is in 3/4 while verses and choruses are in 4/4). However, at the same time the song is radio-friendly, easy-listening and short (3:30). Another characteristic of his songwriting is the frequent use of trinary metres (e.g. 3/4, 6/8, 12/8), found in many of his creations: 'Jesus' (1971), 'Somebody To Love' (1976), 'We Are The Champions' (1977), 'All God's People' (1989), 'A Winter's Tale' (1991).

Mercury's interest in classical music was evident throughout his career. However, because his goal was to "reach more people" (Melody Maker, 2nd May 1981), he was not interested in composing classical music. On the Freddie Mercury box set, opera singer Montserrat Caballe commented that "Barcelona was an example of the high musical talent of Freddie. He was not only a popular singer, he was a musician, that could sit at the piano and compose. He discovered a new way to bring different music styles together. He is the first and only person to have done this."

Many artists have praised Mercury's original compositional abilities, but perhaps the most well documented praise came from Roger Waters of the rock band Pink Floyd, who told Q Magazine in 1992, "I am one of the best five writers to come out of English music since the War". When asked who would possibly rank above him he said "John Lennon. I'm trying to think... Er, who else is there that's better than me? I really don't know. Freddie Mercury, maybe..."

Bohemian Rhapsody

Main article: Bohemian Rhapsody

Although similarly sophisticated songs can be found on earlier Queen albums such as Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, Bohemian Rhapsody is nonetheless widely considered to be the band's greatest achievement [9]. When Mercury played his early drafts in the studio, producer Roy Thomas Baker remembers being shocked when, after hearing the ballad section of the song, he was told, "Now dear, this is where the opera section comes in"[10]

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File:Bohemianrhapsodyfeedback.jpg
Freddie Mercury in the 1975 video for Bohemian Rhapsody.

When the band wanted to release the song as a single in 1975, it had been suggested that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was far too long and would thus never be a hit. But Mercury gave a copy of the single to friend and London DJ, Kenny Everett, informing him that it was for him personally, and that he must never broadcast it on the radio. Ultimately, Everett ended up playing the song on the air, up to fourteen times in the same day (later claiming "my finger slipped"). It generated a huge fan response; eventually, every major radio station played the song in full and it became one of the biggest hits of all time in the UK, remaining at the #1 position for nine weeks. Although a great deal of speculation has arisen over the song's lyrics, Mercury always insisted that the song did not have any specific meaning. The song soared to number 1 again in 1991 and 1992, after Mercury's death; it is the only song to be the #1 single in four different calendar years.

Musical Influences

Years later he'd become a huge fan of Jimmy Hendrix, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Reportedly his idea for an acyclic long intricating epic came from A Day In The Life, and he was trying to write a song like that from 1968-1969. During early Queen days he actually penned several tracks with those features: Liar, Great King Rat, My Fairy King, The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke, The March Of The Black Queen, In The Lap Of The Gods, and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody.

As a singer, he commented several times in the 70s that his favourite (in the rock genre) was Robert Plant. In the last interview made to the entire band (Queen For An Hour, BBC, early 1989), he commented that his two favourite rock vocalists were Plant and George Michael. He admired many singers outside the rock circle, particularly Aretha Franklin, Liza Minelli, Luciano Pavarotti and Montserrat Caballe, whom he ended up writing for and performing a duo albbum with in late 80s. From early 2005 onwards there have been many comments from fellow band-mates Roger Taylor and Brian May saying that Mercury had always considered Paul Rodgers to be one of his idols, claims that have been highly controversial amongts critics and fans because during twenty years of interviews not once Freddie mentioned Rodgers, suggesting that May and Taylor are probably lying or re-arranging facts in order to justify their recent projects with the former Free and Bad Company member.


Personal life

Although he had a very close girlfriend named Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury was also fairly open about his homosexual tendencies. In a March 12, 1974 interview for New Musical Express he told the interviewer: "I am as gay as a daffodil, my dear!" Although his relationship with Mary Austin eventually ended, the two remained close friends, with Austin often fronting as his girlfriend for the press. While Mercury had previously been promiscuous, his last boyfriend, Jim Hutton, lived with him for the last eight years of his life, cared for him when he was ill and was present with him at his bedside when he died (see [11]). Mercury and Hutton were also part of the Munich scene where at one point Mercury began another casual relationship with the Austrian actress Barbara Valentin.

Mercury was well known for his extravagance. As a penniless student, friends recall the aspiring musician as having exclaimed at one point, "I'm not just going to be a star, I'm going to be a legend!" When asked how he would live without fame or money, he replied, "I'll always walk around like a Persian popinjay and no one's going to stop me." On the other hand, he was also known for his kindness and generosity, showering friends and casual lovers with expensive gifts, apparently including cars and jewelry. While he was charming and outgoing at his own parties, he often appeared to be shy at other events.

Death

According to the book Mercury and Me by partner Jim Hutton, Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in the spring of 1987. Despite the fact that he claimed to have tested negative for HIV in a 1987 interview, the British press nonetheless stalked the singer during the final years of his life. Although rumours about his health were rampant, he continued to deny that he had AIDS. From the 1991 video "These Are the Days of Our Lives," which represents Mercury's last appearance on film, it is clear that he was suffering from severe wasting. On November 22, 1991 Mercury called Queen's manager Jim Beach over to his Kensington home to discuss a public statement. Only those closest to him knew how close to the end he really was. On November 23, the announcement was made that Mercury had AIDS. The next day he died at home in the presence of close friends at the age of 45.

Freddie Mercury Statue in Montreux.

Although he had not attended religious services in years, Mercury's funeral was conducted by a Zoroastrian priest. He was cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery and the whereabouts of his ashes are unknown, although some believe them to have been dispersed into Lake Geneva. The remaining members of Queen founded The Mercury Phoenix Trust and organized The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. He left £500,000 to his chef and £500,000 to his partner, Jim Hutton. Mary Austin inherited the estate and now lives there with her family. The £12 million left in his will was much less money than he was thought to have earned.

Legacy

Recent polls

  • Several recent polls show Freddie Mercury remains popular in Britain. For instance, in the 1999 Millennium Poll, in which 600,000 Britons participated, he was voted at the #14 and #15 spots, respectively, as a popular musician and songwriter [12].
  • Freddie Mercury appears at the #58 spot in the 2002 List of "100 Greatest Britons", sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.
  • Two of Mercury's compositions, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions" have each been claimed, in separate polls, as the world's favourite song. Most recently, an Ericsson poll of 600,000 people in 66 different countries found "We Are the Champions" to be the world's most popular tune [13]. This contradicts another major poll by Guinness World, which had previously found "Bohemian Rhapsody" to be the world's most popular song from the past 50 years [14].

The world's first Indian rock star

Because Freddie Mercury was of full Indian Parsi descent and did not move to the UK until he was 17, he was arguably the world's first great Indian rock star. He was also arguably the first British Asian person to gain wide international popularity

Valuable Mercury memorabilia

Over the years, rare Freddie Mercury solo albums have greatly increased in value [15]. For instance, a Japanese single of the song "Guide Me Home" from the Barcelona album is now worth as much as £1,000 ($1,800). Another valuable item is a 1973 cover of the 1969 Beach Boys song, I Can Hear Music recorded under the stage name Larry Lurex. Widely bootlegged, the original record is now a valuable collectible, fetching up to £400 ($700).

Trivia

  • Freddie Mercury's famous overbite was apparently caused by the presence of four extra teeth, which pushed his incisors out. He commented early in his career that he wished to have work done, but regretted that he did not have time to do it. He also expressed fears that such an operation might damage his voice. While smiling in interviews, Freddie would often cover his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide the overbite.
  • Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson were apparently quite good friends for some period of time. With Jackson, he collaborated on some tracks which were never officially released, including There Must Be More To Life Than This and State Of Shock.[16] The latter song, released on the 1984 Victory album, was ultimately performed by Mick Jagger and The Jacksons.
  • Freddie Mercury was the one rock star mentioned in singer Kurt Cobain's suicide note :
"I havent felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music along with reading and writing for too many years now. I feel guilty beyond words about these things. For example, when we're backstage and the lights go out and the manic roar of the crowds begins, it doesn't affect me the way in which it did for Freddy Mercury who seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd, which is something I totally admire and envy." [17]
  • Malcolm Hardee, the 'father of British alternative comedy' recounts in his 1996 autobiography "I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake" how he committed his most famous crime at the singer's 40th birthday party.
  • In 2004, Mercury was ranked #18 in a Forbes magazine list of the highest earning dead celebrities [18].
  • A species of East African isopod, Cirolana mercuryi N. Bruce, was named after Freddie in 2004.

Japanese legacy

Because Queen was very popular in Japan, various tributes to Mercury can be found in Japanese anime and popular music:

  • Freddie Mercury appears as a recurring character in the Japanese manga and anime series Sakigake!! Cromartie High! Known to the main characters only as "Freddie," and normally introduced by a harmonious guitar riff, this version of Freddie Mercury wears only long brown pants with red suspenders, and often carries his trademark broken microphone stand. In the world of Cromartie, Freddie is either still alive and in hiding, or a clone of the original Freddie. He shows some remarkable attributes, such as extreme patience when other characters repeatedly slap him in the head, and the ability to navigate Tokyo using only his "animal instincts," as one character describes it.
  • The action manga Bremen, relating the adventures of a Japanese rock band in Tokyo, features a minor character named "Mick." He appears to be a westerner living in Japan, and is the owner of a club where the main characters have their first real gig. Mick is nearly identical to Freddie Mercury in appearance, and even wears a tank top sporting the same stylised Q as in the Queen logo.
  • A gymnastics teacher resembling Mercury appears in Akira Toriyama's manga, Dragon Ball in a story Vol.421. Queen is said to be one of Toriyama's favourite bands. Some also consider the Dragon Ball Z character Mr. Satan to be inspired by Mercury.
  • Most recently, in her 2004 album Exodus, Japanese pop star Utada Hikaru mentions Freddie Mercury in the song Animato:
"DVDs of Elvis Presley / BBC sessions of Led Zeppelin / Singing along with F. Mercury / Wishing he was still performing..."
  • The Japanese TV series Pride (starring the popular actor Kimura Takuya), predominantly used Queen and Mercury songs. The theme song for the show was Mercury's solo song "I Was Born to Love You" (newer version).
  • In the Anime BECK by Harold Lee, Freddie Mercury appeared in the dream of most of BECK's band members.
  • The theme song for the anime The Big O is a parody on Queen's Flash Gordon theme.
  • The main character of the Guilty Gear fighting game series, Sol Badguy, turns out to contain in his traits lots of references to Freddie Mercury, like his real name (Fredderick, being "Badguy" a reference to one of Mercury's solo albums), his hobby (listening to Queen's 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack), and so on.
  • Another fighting game, Capcom vs. SNK 2, brought back from the first Street Fighter game English character Eagle, remaking him as an obvious nod to Mercury, down to his looks (despite Eagle being blond).

Biographies

  • Boyce, Simon. They Died Too Young: Freddie Mercury. Parragon, ISBN 0-75251-105-X (hardback).
  • Clarke, Ross. Freddie Mercury: A Kind Of Magic. ISBN 1-874130-01-9.
  • Evans, David and Minns, David. Freddie Mercury: This is the Real Life. Brittania, 1992, ISBN 0-9519937-1-2 (paperback), ISBN 0-9519937-0-4 (hardback).
  • Evans, David and Minns, David. Freddie Mercury - The Real Life: The Truth Behind The Legend. ISBN 1-9019-5300-9.
  • Freestone, Peter. Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir By the Man Who Knew Him Best. Omnibus Press, 2001. (paperback)
  • Freestone, Peter and Evans, David. Mister Mercury. ISBN 0-9533341-0-4.
  • Hutton, Jim and Waspshott, Tim. Mercury and Me. Bloomsbury, 1994, ISBN 0747519226.
  • Jackson, Laura. Mercury: The King of Queen. London: Smith Gryphon, 1996, ISBN 1-85685-132-X.
  • Jones, Lesley-Ann. Freddie Mercury. The Definitive Biography. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1997, ISBN 0340672099.
  • Marten, Neville and Hudson, Jeffrey. Rock Lives: The Ultimate Story: Freddie Mercury & Queen. Castle Communications, 1995, ISBN 1-8607-40-405.
  • Sky, Rick. The Show Must Go On. Fontana, 1992, ISBN 0-00637843-9. (181 pages plus 16 pages of b/w photos)

Discography

Solo

Queen

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