A Night at the Opera – it’s the name of both a movie and an album. Guess which one I prefer. (If you were guessing the album, that’s right. If for whatever reason you guessed the film, I’ve never seen it.) Of all of Queen’s albums that I have (which is only the first four), I’d recommend this the most to get somebody into Queen for the first time. It was my first Queen album, and it’s probably the most accessible early Queen album.
Death on Two Legs: A Night at the Opera might be called a “concept album” of sorts, as it seemed they were doing a concept of “let’s do tons of different styles for this one”. Death on Two Legs is the first of the songs on this concept. A very dark and angry heavy-metal song, it was written about their ex-manager, who they thought treated them unfairly. (Funny story: we only know this because the manager tried to sue them for “defamation of character”, meaning we know he might have deserved it.) As a friend of mine put it: “it’s a very angry song, but the anger is expressed very clearly and so well.”
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon: This is quite easily the funniest song on here. It’s very…er…British. And hilarious. It makes me laugh. Hee hee.
I’m In Love With My Car: This song is funny, though not as directly so as the previous one. It’s about a guy who’s in love with his car, and this car…causes issues between his girlfriend and himself. It’s funny because it’s true.
You’re My Best Friend: This is the pop hit on the album. Written by John Deacon about his wife, it’s a sweet little song. The lyrics aren’t deep, but they’re nice.
’39: Of all the songs on the album, this is one of my favorites of all of them. It’s probably my favorite song that Brian May wrote. It’s a science fiction story, about some astronauts who leave earth in the year of ’39 (2039, perhaps?) and return a year later, only to find that they’ve really spent 100 years in space, and that everyone they knew is now dead. It’s easily one of the most beautiful and sad songs I know. (Interesting fact: if you started counting the Queen songs from the first one and didn’t stop the count over between albums, this would be the 39th track.)
Sweet Lady: Sort of a heavy-metal song (hard rock is nearer the mark), it’s a cool song. The lyrics are nothing to marvel at, but the tune and everything else make it cool. I like listening to it.
Seaside Rondevous: It’s like Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon in the sense that it’s a silly song about, well, very little. A tadbit like a less hard-rocking version of Brighton Rock (on the previous album).
The Prophet’s Song: This – this song is amazing! Purely amazing! It’s Queen’s longest song with lyrics, and appropriately so, as their longest and shortest songs are both on this album, or so I think (I’m not counting stuff from Made in Heaven). It’s based on a dream Brian May had when he was sick. He dreamt about the Biblical flood, and wrote this scary song based on it. The “now I know” part is utterly frightening, which is why I never listen to this at night. Less of a song, more a musical experience. It’s utterly mind-blowing.
Love of My Life: This seems to go perfectly from The Prophet’s Song, and it’s funny, because it’s nothing like Prophet’s Song. I usually don’t like love songs. But this is one of the few I do. It’s just beautiful. Freddie Mercury’s songs are usually some of Queen’s most beautiful, and this is no exception.
Good Company: For whatever reason, I don’t like it as much as the other songs. Not that I dislike it or anything. It’s Queen, I can’t hate it. It’s just not as good.
Bohemian Rhapsody: Oh…this…this is the best song ever recorded. Hands down. You could try to find me a better song, but I’d love to see you try. I bet you’d fail. This is a real rock-opera, containing both rock and opera in the song! I like to think this is the song the album’s title refers to, because it’s operatic. Words cannot describe the genius of this song. Freddie Mercury was a genius. Pure genius.
Best tracks: Death on Two Legs, '39, The Prophet's Song, Love of my Life, and Bohemian Rhapsody.
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