If 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was released today...
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Tamaefx
Silver Member
I Guess that a Night at the opera would have hard time to find a big producer and label, now. And would it be on the radio ? It's hard to find any radio playing the last Rival sons or even the last Liam Gallager, so...
In France, most radios play hip hop and rap s..t. Others play old main stream FM and standard French songs. In Paris, there's only one radio station on which you can listen to, I don't know : Green Day, Muse, Greta v Fleet, AC DC, Foo Fighters,...
Even when you have Queen on the radio, be sure it'll never be Tie your mother Down, now I'm here or I want it all. It's always I want to break free or another bites the dust.......
Sad sad sad.
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The too long theory was first mentioned when it was recorded that it was too long for radio. This has since been disproven.
hawksmoor
Senior Member
Yeah, Meatloaf and Jim Steinman had been hawking that album around by, I believe, playing it live in recording industry offices, and Todd Rundgren thought it was hilarious so agreed to take a punt on it and produce it. Is this the documentary where Meatloaf talks about Rundgren doing a 'wheelie' with his guitar?
Tamaefx
Silver Member
When I was kid, radio played Dire Straits private investigation,... a lot. Or Floyd, on the Turning away... Typically the kind of music you won't hear anymore on radio. Too complicated, too musical. LAter on, there was November rain. You could still listen to long somewhat epic songs.
FM music musicality has shrunken like hell.
I see three survivors here : Bohemian rhapsody, Hotel California and,... Purple rain. Those rather long and constructed songs are still played on FM.. Even Stairway to Heaven isn't played anymore.
FM music musicality has shrunken like hell.
I see three survivors here : Bohemian rhapsody, Hotel California and,... Purple rain. Those rather long and constructed songs are still played on FM.. Even Stairway to Heaven isn't played anymore.
ottog1979
Senior Member
THANK GOD! Talk about over-played & beat to death (even though it is a fantastic song). FM radio ruined this great song and so many others by beating them to death. I actually gave up radio for music back in the 70's. I just could not longer stand the top 40 over & over & over & over again. Add to that DJ's talking over the beginnings & endings, toss in the adds and I punted on the whole radio scene because I could no longer stomach Hotel California, et al 12 times a day. You still couldn't help but hear a lot of radio because it was everywhere.
Instead, I really enjoyed seeking out good music via networking friends and independent radio stations, etc. My home stereo system never had a tuner. In the last 10-15 years, you don't need radio to find good, diverse music without adds.
toddmc
Gold Member
I have to say this argument is a bit silly since this is all entirely hypothetical and we have no way of knowing how any particular song would do if it were shifted to a different era.
Quote all the stats you want about the popularity of the song/ movie in 2019 but at the end of the day you have generational love for this song going back 40+ years. Are we supposed to ignore the impact this song had on previous generations and pretend it hasn't influenced listeners today??
2 points to consider:
1. How the song would have been recorded in 2019:
As other people have mentioned, it would have almost certainly been done using ProTools and maybe even (God forbid) autotune. Who can say how this would affect the "magic" of the song?
2. The rise of the interwebs, music streaming, Spotify, etc:
Artists music can reach more people than ever before but it's very hard for new ones to cut through the deluge of content out there.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Queen may have just uploaded a video clip on Youtube and called it good (where it may have gotten lost in the shuffle).
OK- for the sake of agument let's say that BR wasn't their first release and they had a decent following at the time (more hypotheticals) but my point still stands.
I submit to you that the TIMING of a songs release (along with a certain amount of resonance with the zeitgeist of the times) is just as important as it's sonic qualities.
End of rant.
Quote all the stats you want about the popularity of the song/ movie in 2019 but at the end of the day you have generational love for this song going back 40+ years. Are we supposed to ignore the impact this song had on previous generations and pretend it hasn't influenced listeners today??
2 points to consider:
1. How the song would have been recorded in 2019:
As other people have mentioned, it would have almost certainly been done using ProTools and maybe even (God forbid) autotune. Who can say how this would affect the "magic" of the song?
2. The rise of the interwebs, music streaming, Spotify, etc:
Artists music can reach more people than ever before but it's very hard for new ones to cut through the deluge of content out there.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Queen may have just uploaded a video clip on Youtube and called it good (where it may have gotten lost in the shuffle).
OK- for the sake of agument let's say that BR wasn't their first release and they had a decent following at the time (more hypotheticals) but my point still stands.
I submit to you that the TIMING of a songs release (along with a certain amount of resonance with the zeitgeist of the times) is just as important as it's sonic qualities.
End of rant.
Do you really think that Freddie and his voice and the Queen harmonies would have needed auto tune? i don't think so. and I don't think the OP mentioned, in anyway, doing the song in todays terms. Strictly said if it were released today. I still think that most of those alive in1975 are still with us, and the number of streams today still show people like the song. Of course it's hypothetical, which is why the title of the thread starts with "if". That is a pretty big qualifier. I also don't think there was any real message dealing with the 70's, or any political message, that would disqualify it as not fitting the times.
opentune
Platinum Member
Silly arguments are some of the best ones. And hypotheticals? where would we be without 'em?
Regarding Point 1. Nope - Queen always said 'no synths' on their records (back when one read album sleeves). Which means they wouldn't use Pro Tools or Autotune in 2019.
Regarding Point 2. BR was on their 4th album. already a large following and far from 'new'. Nobody waits for Gaga's latest to drop on YouTube.
And timing?....is everything.
oldskoolsoul
Silver Member
I realise very well that most of the active members from this forum have grown up with Queen and all that other Classic Rock and that all that music is important to them..
But, with all respect, when people really think that Bohemian Rhapsody, being released today, would have any chance to even be heard by more than 50-100.000 people, then you definitely lost connection with the music world of today..
The only reason why Queen is in that Spotify list, is because of a hugely hyped-up movie release about a band we allready knew..Before that movie, among people under 30, no one cared about Bohemian Rhapsody and a few years from now also no one under 30 will care anymore about that song..Like, 5 years from now, Bohemian Rhapsody will for sure not be in that Top-100 list anymore..Thats not a question, thats just a simple fact..
Queen is not Twenty One Pilots..Or Ed Sheeran..Or Kendrick Lamar..Or Taylor Swift..Or Dua Lipa..Or Drake..or whatever artist from today..
Many of the members from this forum will almost throw up with those names, but those are people with 50-100.000.000 streams in a day..
I understand the nostalgia and the warm feelings that people have for certain songs, but to really think that a song like Bohemian Rhapsody, especially with the same 1975 production, would have any chance today, to me, is a little silly..
Question could also be..:
If being released today, would the Commodore 64 still become the most sold computer ever..?
Well, i guess not..
But, with all respect, when people really think that Bohemian Rhapsody, being released today, would have any chance to even be heard by more than 50-100.000 people, then you definitely lost connection with the music world of today..
The only reason why Queen is in that Spotify list, is because of a hugely hyped-up movie release about a band we allready knew..Before that movie, among people under 30, no one cared about Bohemian Rhapsody and a few years from now also no one under 30 will care anymore about that song..Like, 5 years from now, Bohemian Rhapsody will for sure not be in that Top-100 list anymore..Thats not a question, thats just a simple fact..
Queen is not Twenty One Pilots..Or Ed Sheeran..Or Kendrick Lamar..Or Taylor Swift..Or Dua Lipa..Or Drake..or whatever artist from today..
Many of the members from this forum will almost throw up with those names, but those are people with 50-100.000.000 streams in a day..
I understand the nostalgia and the warm feelings that people have for certain songs, but to really think that a song like Bohemian Rhapsody, especially with the same 1975 production, would have any chance today, to me, is a little silly..
Question could also be..:
If being released today, would the Commodore 64 still become the most sold computer ever..?
Well, i guess not..
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toddmc
Gold Member
I most certainly DO NOT think that (how DARE you sir)??!! : )
My point was just to illustrate that digital technology is available to them in 2019 and the possible impact it would have on the songs recording.
Ok, lets' take how 2019 affects the recording of the song out the equation and assume that BR is released exactly as recorded in 1975 but released in 2019.
Everything else has still changed- the audience and the way music is marketed and distributed.
Yes even today's kiddies with their new-fangled music still love Queen but without that LEGACY over the years (as well as Queen's amazing body of work to back it up) I think the impact is severly diminished.
Would the song stand up on it's own merit in 2019? Absolutely it would!
But ask yourself: would it have the same impact in today's society without that legacy to support it?
opentune
Platinum Member
Agree completely. And impact? as I posted above, its too bloody long for the average pop song of today. Really, as pointed out above, the new Hollywood movie on the band is the only reason for its resurgence.
As for legacy? I sadly think that most product today, including any kind of modern BR, would have a short shelf life, not for lack of quality but because everybody's memory is so short now in a rapidly uploaded/downloaded product heavy world. I think maybe a song has a chance of some legacy if attached to a movie soundtrack, but even then.
Its hard to write a legacy song today. People move on very quickly. Is Smells Like Teen Spirit a legacy from the 90's. I would say so, being attached to the beginning of a new genre. Don't Believe the Hype fits that as well. But I don't know, is there a legacy song yet from the 2000's? ...its now nearly 20 years later.
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toddmc
Gold Member
Haha- great analogy.
I was going to cite "Back to the Future" with Marty playing "Johnny B. Goode" only to be met with blank stares from 50's teens but yours works better.
Teen Spirit most definitely fits in the legacy category. I had to google "Hits from the 2000's" and there's not a single one there that I would consider being lauded through the generations (unless you think Hey-Ya stacks up against Bohemian Rhapsody) ; )
As far as trends go, when I think of the 2000's I think of the rise of "nu-metal/ rap metal" (and I'm sure as hell not putting Limp Bizkit on any legacy lists)!
trickg
Silver Member
To quote Billy Joel's "The Entertainer":
It was a beautiful song
But it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit
You gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05
I don't think "Bohemian Rhapsody" would become a hit if it was released today, and not only because it's too long. People are much more fickle about music now, and pop tunes seem to mostly be jammed into the same formulas and formats. It might do ok on an alternative rock radio station, but I don't think it would ever be mainstream.
It was a beautiful song
But it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit
You gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05
I don't think "Bohemian Rhapsody" would become a hit if it was released today, and not only because it's too long. People are much more fickle about music now, and pop tunes seem to mostly be jammed into the same formulas and formats. It might do ok on an alternative rock radio station, but I don't think it would ever be mainstream.
Larry
"Uncle Larry"
I agree. Bohemian Rhapsody is actual art. It's stood the test of time. If the big picture is looked at, the C64 is just a minor blip on the screen in a never ending line of computer tech.
BR is true art that can't be diminished or reduced. It may not even be equaled, something that one cannot say about the C64.
There is zero comparison there. That's like comparing the Mona Lisa to a really great blender.
Laughable.
gdmoore28
Gold Member
Remember that Bohemian Rhapsody was not a "hit" when it was released. Except for a very dedicated fan base that "got it," the song went largely unnoticed.
Until it was featured in the Wayne's World movie. That's when a musical masterpiece met a very popular movie. Only then did the song receive the widespread attention that it deserved.
GeeDeeEmm
https://decider.com/2019/02/05/waynes-world-bohemian-rhapsody-scene/
Until it was featured in the Wayne's World movie. That's when a musical masterpiece met a very popular movie. Only then did the song receive the widespread attention that it deserved.
GeeDeeEmm
https://decider.com/2019/02/05/waynes-world-bohemian-rhapsody-scene/
trickg
Silver Member
Based on their reaction, the Live Aid crowd in 1985 seemed to think that it was pretty special, and that was 7 years before Wayne's World hit the theaters. The whole crowd is singing along with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A22oy8dFjqc
Depends on who you talk to. I don't think my wife would give up her Kitchen-Aid for the Mona Lisa. She uses it all the time, and the whole family benefits from it. The Mona Lisa has no use. Ergo mixer > Mona Lisa
Just sayin.
Tamaefx
Silver Member
Could be interesting.
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/re-creating-queens-bohemian-rhapsody/
Anyway, time has changed, Neil Young Harvester wouldn't even be produced today neither.
2010's music are definitely - to be successful - made to be simple and catchy ; and most of all : a clip with a guy surrounded with good looking girls - or the contrary :-D
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/re-creating-queens-bohemian-rhapsody/
Anyway, time has changed, Neil Young Harvester wouldn't even be produced today neither.
2010's music are definitely - to be successful - made to be simple and catchy ; and most of all : a clip with a guy surrounded with good looking girls - or the contrary :-D