Essay 2

Random Rhyming Nonsense: 

“Bohemian Rhapsody” as a Lyrical Remix of The Stranger

You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man.

-Freddie Mercury

The inspiration and meaning of the ever-popular Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a hotly debated subject. An Iranian “Greatest Hits” cassette release in 2000 explained the song as about a young man who accidentally murders someone, sells his soul to the devil, and eventually reclaims his soul with the assistance of angels. Although lead singer Freddie Mercury has stated the song is simply “random rhyming nonsense,” the “Greatest Hits” interpretation seems a much more likely explanation, with Mercury likely giving his remarks for publicity. However, whether this explanation is correct or not, the song seems to almost surely have gotten inspiration form French Algerian author Albert Camus’ The Stranger. An exhibition of Camus’ Theory of the Absurd (where the Universe and human minds exist separately and only conflict ensues from humanity’s inability to find value in life), the novel tells the story of Meursault’s mother’s death, his spontaneous murder of an Arab, the subsequent trial, and his musings on life, death, and humanity. 

Is this the real life? 

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide,

No escape from reality.

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see

....

Any way the wind blows

Doesn’t really matter to me, to me.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” opens with a young man questioning reality as he is struggling between dream and consciousness. This is likely occurring right after he suddenly kills someone and is not sure if what he just did was actually real or not. As there is “no escape from reality,” he “opens [his] eyes” and knows for sure he just killed someone (Queen). This reaction to his murder almost mirrors that of Meursault’s murder of the Arab in The Stranger. As Meursault approaches the Arab, he complains about the sun’s rays on his back and the glint of light from the Arab’s knife with exaggerated perspective. Like the song’s character it seems as if Meursault is put in a dream-like world as the “light shot off the steel... like a long flashing blade cutting at [his] forehead” and “the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire” (Camus 59). He then proceeds to grasp his revolver as “the trigger gave,” realizing the reality that  he “had shattered the harmony of the day” (Camus 59). Queen then borrows from Camus the Absurdist view of the murder, that it “doesn’t really matter” whether the character committed the murder because this is his new reality and he cannot escape it (Queen). 

Bismillah! No, we will not let you go.

Let him go!

Bismillah! We will not let you go.

Let him go!

Bismillah! We will not let you go.

Let me go. (Will not let you go.)

Let me go (Will not let you go)

Let me gooooooooo

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Later in the song, there is a struggle between opposing sides over the release of the murderous character. A powerful sounding group repeatedly refuses to let the character go, despite the cries by a weaker sounding third-party advocate for the release of the character. This conflict culminates with the resounding final decision of “no, no, no, no, no, no, no” (Queen). Following The Stranger, this conflict is likely a courtroom scene, similar to that which Meursault experiences. The court repeatedly condemns Meursault in a “no we will not let you go” way as the prosecutor brings testimony after testimony against the “morality” of Meursault, feeding the jury’s impression of his guilt. Meursault’s final decision comes as the jury sentences him to be executed. Further, Queen even borrows the court system from Camus. “Bismillah” is an Arabic term meaning “in the name of Allah.” The crying of “Bismillah” by Queen’s court not only suggests the events are unfolding in an Arabic country, but also shows the court’s use of God in its decision-making. Camus’ novel is also set in an Arabic country, Algeria, with the court repeatedly calling on God in the trial. Meursault is asked by the judge if he believes in God, and when he denies belief, the judge promises to help save him and bring him on the right path. Upset by Meursault’s resistance to God and religion, the court’s final decision of execution can be seen as the carrying out of God’s will. 

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye,

So you think you can love me and leave me to die?

Oh, baby, can’t do this to me, baby. 

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.”

After Queen’s character cries out to be released, he seems to go through an epiphany. The tone of the song’s character changes from pleading for release to being more powerful and hard-hitting. He now appears to be in control of himself and sure of his actions. This rapid change mirrors Meursault as he gains control of himself as well. The chaplain repeatedly pestering him about religion, Meursault begins screaming “cries of anger and cries of joy” at the chaplain (Camus 120). He resents the chaplain’s attempts to effectively “stone” him with guilt and remorse for not believing in God. 

Nothing really matters,

Anyone can see.

Nothing really matters

Nothing really matters to me.

Any way the wind blows...

Calming down from their fits of anger and power, both Queen’s character and Meursault reflect on the meaninglessness of all the events that have happened. However, this reflection is now one of acceptance of the world and not of simple indifference. Epitomizing Camus’ Absurdism in their closing remarks, the characters realize that everyone is fated to die, and it does not matter if it is by old age or by execution. All that we can do is accept the life we have, “any way the wind blows,” because it is humanly impossible to realize the meaning in life (Queen). However, this does not mean there is no meaning in life, only that humans cannot discover it. It is by this Absurdist reasoning that both characters are able to go to their executions without regrets and with complete confidence in themselves. Camus, a French Algerian, and Mercury, a British Parsi, likely adopted these similar ideologies while growing up as foreigners to any single culture.  

Despite claims against it, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” clearly has at least some inspiration in Albert Camus’ The Stranger. Using Camus’ ideas on the Absurd, both works feature young protagonists who accidentally murder someone, fight in court, and experience epiphanies. Gaining control over themselves and the knowledge that everyone is fated to die, both protagonists face their executions unashamedly and confidently. With so many parallels between the works, it is surprising that Queen has never admitted its inspiration.

Works Cited

"Bohemian Rhapsody." Web log post. Music Miscellany. WordPress, 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.                  <http://musicmiscellany.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/bohemian-

rhapsody-queen/>.

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage International, 1989. Print.

Queen. "Bohemian Rhapsody." A Night at the Opera. Roy Thomas Baker, 1975. MP3.