“Bohemian Rhapsody” is so singular, so audacious in scope and ambition, that it’s easy to believe it appeared fully formed, a bolt of genius conjured from nowhere. Yet, as with all masterpieces, it stands on the shoulders of giants. And one of the most significant influences on Queen’s 1975 epic came from a surprisingly understated Beatles track: “Because.”
It’s no secret that A Night at the Opera was steeped in operatic grandeur and progressive ambition, borrowing the theatricality of classical music and the sprawling complexity of Yes, Genesis, and The Who. Roger Taylor even admitted the band were trying to outdo Led Zeppelin in sheer bombast: “I remember Led Zeppelin had a gong,” he told Rolling Stone. “So we had a much bigger gong. Pathetic one-upmanship, really.”
But for Brian May, one moment of inspiration eclipsed them all, the lush, intricate harmonies of John Lennon’s “Because” from Abbey Road. “We were transfixed,” May recalled. “I can feel the shivers going up my spine. We thought, ‘Oh, my God, that has to be the most daring piece of pure harmony we’ve ever heard.’”
Recorded in August 1969, “Because” was sparked by a simple idea. “I was lying on the sofa in our house, listening to Yoko play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on the piano,” Lennon told Playboy in 1980. “Suddenly, I said, ‘Can you play those chords backward?.’ She did, and I wrote ‘Because’ around them.”
The result was a minimalist yet revolutionary piece of vocal architecture: three-part harmonies from Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, each recorded three times to create a nine-voice choir. Ringo Starr didn’t play on the track but still contributed, keeping time with a hi-hat in Lennon’s headphones so producer George Martin could perfectly duplicate the guitar part on a Baldwin electric harpsichord.
Queen studied this technique intently, then exploded it into something monumental. “Bohemian Rhapsody” multiplied those vocal layers tenfold, reportedly using more than 100 overdubs to create the operatic “Queen choir” that defines its most iconic passages.
Though often overshadowed by the surrounding brilliance of “Here Comes the Sun” and the Abbey Road medley, “Because” has earned renewed appreciation, appearing as an a cappella version on Anthology 3 and opening the Love remix album. Its harmonic DNA even surfaced in 2023’s final Beatles song, “Now and Then.”
“It was everything the Beatles did,” May reflected. “We were able to sort of take up where The Beatles left off.” And in the case of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” that’s exactly what they did, transforming a quietly radical Beatles experiment into one of rock’s most beloved and ambitious anthems.
