You might be hard-pressed to find someone who has not heard a song by the classic rock group Queen. The lead singer, Freddie Mercury, grew a global following that continues well after his death in 1991. Mercury was truly unique and followed the beat of his own drummer. That’s why he chose a very unique man to dedicate his solo album to.
Freddie Mercury charmed fans with his smile
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar on Sept. 5, 1946. His family were Parsees, or followers of Zoroastrianism, with ancestors coming from Persia. At age 8, Mercury went to Bombay to attend a boarding school where he studied piano. Mercury joined his first band called the Heretics, according to Biography.
Mercury’s family fled to London, England, in 1964 due to civil unrest. Mercury attended Ealing College of Art and became friends with several musicians. Some of these musicians were to be his future Queen bandmates, Roger Taylor (drummer) and Brian May (guitarist). They met John Deacon (bassist) in 1971. Soon after, Mercury dubbed the group Queen, and they booked their first gig that year.
Queen’s first album, Queen, was released in 1973, and the band quickly followed that one with Queen II in 1974. Queen II gave listeners their first taste of harmonies and styles that became well-known for. The music of Queen didn’t really take off until the release of their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, in 1974. Queen’s music has been described as a fusion of hard rock and glam rock.
Queen’s popularity grew as they released the albums A Night at the Opera (1975), A Day at the Races (1976), News of the World (1978), The Game (1980), and The Works (1984). Queen started losing its ability to sell albums after The Works, but they continued to sell out performances.
Mercury was a true showman. He had the ability to rouse the crowd and get them to participate in the music. He is best known for his performance at the Live Aid charity concert in 1985 at Wembley Stadium. Simply wearing jeans and a white tank top. Mercury leads a crowd of thousands in chanting along to “We Will Rock You.” However, Mercury retreated from public life in 1989, even though he continued to help Queen in the studio.
Mercury died on Nov. 24, 1991, at the young age of 45. He died from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia at his London mansion. Mercury kept his health status a secret until the day before he died. His bandmate, Taylor, said, “He didn’t want to be looked at as an object of pity and curiosity, and he didn’t want circling vultures over his head.”
The Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert for AIDS Awareness was held the following year, in 1992, to honor Mercury’s memory and raise awareness about the disease that took his life too soon. Performers from Def Leppard to Elton John were there. It was also in 1992 that “Bohemian Rhapsody” returned to the Billboard Top 100 as evidence that Queen’s music can cross generations.
Freddie Mercury adored his cats
Freddie Mercury indeed adored his cats, according to GQ Magazine. He even dedicated his solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, to his cats. In the sleeve notes, Mercury wrote, “This album is dedicated to my cat Jerry. Also Tom, Oscar, and Tiffany and all the cat lovers across the universe. Screw everybody else!”
Some say that ‘Delilah’ was Mercury’s coming-out song
Also can’t miss a chance to link to one of my favorite all-time pieces: https://t.co/ntKwZweEk9
— Lakshmi Gandhi (@LakshmiGandhi) September 27, 2022
Freddie Mercury wrote his song “Delilah” in Queen’s Innuendo (1991) album as a tribute to his cat.
Time Rice said this song was Mercury’s “coming out song.” Mercury, however, described the song as “[bearing] no real meaning, it’s all rhyming nonsense.”
Mercury loved his cats, including Jerry and Delilah, so much that when he was on tour, he always took time to speak to each cat on the phone, according to Grunge. Mercury would even ask for each cat to be held up to the phone receiver so he could talk to them.
