The everlasting legacy of Queen‘s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is a thing of irrefutable and undeniable fact. From Freddie Mercury’s wavering operatic singing of “Galileo, Galileo!” to the electrifying guitar climax, it’s so ingrained into our collective consciousness that it feels more like a global anthem than an album track.
And yet, an album track it was – an album that was the most expensive ever made at the time, sure, but an album all the same: 1975’s A Night at the Opera. Considering its legendary status and the sheer endurance of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, you wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that, at the time of its release, the penultimate track of Queen’s fourth album was a gigantic hit. But you’d be wrong. In 1975, the song barely crawled to number nine in America. However, almost two decades later, a little movie would come along and rectify that terrible injustice.
In 1992, the cinematic landscape was graced by Penelope Spheeris’ Wayne’s World, the cult comedy that revolved around the escapades of two suburban friends and their public access television program: Wayne, played by Mike Meyers, and Garth, played by Dana Carvey. Based on the Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch of the same name, it boasted Meyers’s debut feature film appearance and a script by Bonnie & Terry Turner, the husband-and-wife writing team that won fame for creating That 70s Show.
And, beyond the hilariously dopey catchphrase, “Excellent!“, the movie was perhaps best well known for its stellar soundtrack of heavy metal, rock and glam – and within that soundtrack, a specific moment involving a particular song would be graciously burned into our memories forever. The moment that would eternally link ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ with Wayne’s World transpired during a completely irrelevant yet unequivocally iconic scene within the film.
Wayne, Garth, and their compatriots find themselves in a car, headbanging and enthusiastically singing along to Queen’s opus as it blasted from the stereo. The sheer vivacity of the characters and the unconventional usage of the song elevated it into an unforgettable cinematic juncture, as well as securing approval from Mercury himself, who “loved it”.
This scene’s infectious energy and humour resonated with audiences – and reminded them how damn good that Queen song really was, catapulting ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ back into the limelight. The song swiftly gained favour on the radio, and the single ascended the US charts with remarkable power and speed, eventually clinching the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100, firmly cementing its status as a timeless classic almost 20 years following its initial debut.
Now, over 20 years after the movie and almost four decades after the song’s release, it’s clear that Wayne’s World didn’t just propel ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to renewed chart dominance; it also left an indelible imprint on popular culture. The film’s irreverent humour, memorably inane catchphrases and hilariously dumb scenes have been woven into cinematic history’s very fabric – ensuring that one of Queen’s best songs has been, too.
