Queen : Bohemian Rhapsody Queen SATB

"Musically this is a good adaptation of the original to a choral piece but the changes to the lyrics destroyed the message of the song. The lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody (as written by Freddie Mercury) tell a powerful story of a young punk finally realizing too late how he's destroyed his own life (by committing murder). This adaptation edited out the entire first verse so that it sounds more like a teen whining because he or she has been grounded for some miss-deed not mentioned.

I'm sure the lyrics were edited to prevent controversy over youth choirs singing it but the original was a powerful anti-violence message directed at teens and is just as valid today as it was in the 1970's when it was originally written. Teen choirs should have the opportunity to learn and understand music with a message, especially when the message is directed at them. Mark Brymer should be ashamed of himself for destroying such a piece and Hal Leonard Corp. should remove the false advertising of "As recorded by QUEEN" from the cover and title page."

Rating:    2/2/2012 By: Paul Taggart