Freddie Mercury nearly named an iconic Queen hit “Mongolian Rhapsody,” according to working lyrics on display at Sotheby’s in New York starting Thursday.
Instead, Mercury emphatically crossed out the alternative title, going with “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the lead single on the band’s fourth album, 1975’s “A Night at the Opera.” The classic rock anthem would later lend its name to a biopic about the band and its late frontman.
Other alternate possibilities for the Queen smash included different lines, including “Time for goodbyes now, is this reality” in the intro and “Mama, there’s a war began/I’ve got to leave tonight” to start off the song’s first verse.
The lyrics, written in 1974 on stationery from the defunct British Midland Airways, also reveal consistent elements between early versions and the final version of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
For example, a draft of the operatic section of the song features the “Galileo,” “Bismillah,” “fandango” and “thunderbolt and lightning” that remain in the final lyrics of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Other working lyrics being sold as part of the Sotheby’s auction include those to “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “Killer Queen.” Mercury’s stage costumes are also included.
The lyrical drafts are going sale at the Sotheby’s auction house in London on Sept. 6, part of a collection of 1,500 pieces from Mercury’s private collection. Exhibition of items at Sotheby’s in New York will continue until June 8, followed by Los Angeles from June 14-18, Hong Kong from June 26-30 and back in London from Aug. 4 to Sept. 5.
Mercury was himself an art collector, and his friend Mary Austin, inheritor of part of his estate, decided to sell off his private collection in part due to his passion for auctions.
“I have had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie sought out and so loved. But the years have passed, and the time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life. It was important to me to do this in a way that I felt Freddie would have loved, and there was nothing he loved more than an auction,” Ms. Austin said in a statement.
