For some, this song might remind them of the season one finale of Glee, for others the movie about Queen, but for Illahee kayakers, this song means we are almost back home to camp. On the van rides back from the river, we would eat the rest of the Oreos and peanut butter by pining them off through guess that song or other trivia games. When we were only a few minutes from The Canoe Lake *now rebranded to Kayak Lake*, our instructor would make sure to start this song to let us know we were turning onto Illahee Road. I remember this feeling so distinctly. Being so tired from kayaking all day, and leaving the real world behind as we re-entered camp life.  I loved my kayaking squad so much, and I made my best friends and memories through these trips. 

Behind the lyrics: 

For anyone who has seen the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, the history of the song is not news to you. Surprisingly, the six-minute song that would become one of their biggest hits was not well-liked at first. This song starts with an acapella intro and then explores glam-metal rock and opera themes. This long extravaganza of a song written by Freddie Mercury, allows him to confess how different his life could have been if he had just been true to himself. Although that is not confirmed that the song is about his relationship traumas, Brian May suggests “Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song.” On the other hand, academics speculate it is actually about a suicidal murderer, and the character is haunted by demons right before his execution. In a leaflet that was released with the Greatest Hits cassette in Iran, Queen explains it is about an accident murder and the singer sold his soul to the devil, which is why he calls out to God to have angels save him “Bismillah,” which is translated to “in the Name of God” in Arabic. However, some still believe there is no true meaning behind the lyrics and that the words were only meant to fit the music.