'Bohemian Rhapsody' Ranked Among 'Best Guitar Solos of All Time'

In 1975, British rock band Queen changed the music landscape forever with their genre-defining hit "Bohemian Rhapsody", which is still recognized as one of the most important songs ever written.

The track broke all typical conventions of rock music, ditching the typical verse/chorus structure for a more radical attempt at what Freddie Mercury described as "mock opera", splitting the song into several acts with recurring refrains and changing melodies.

Queen were already world-famous before "Bohemian Rhapsody", but this was the song that truly cemented them as legends of the rock genre. Hits such as "Killer Queen" and "Seven Seas of Rhye" had broken into the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, but "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their first No. 1 single.

The song was the result of three different tracks that Mercury had previously written but had been unable to develop into full-length songs. He wove together different melodies, lyrics, and general refrains that he'd been toying with for years in order to make this sensational, overwhelming rock classic.

Despite the adoration that "Bohemian Rhapsody" now gets, the song wasn't an immediate success with critics. Queen was still finding its voice within the rock genre in 1975, and many critics felt this song was too ambitious and incohesive to fully deserve praise. NME wrote in their contemporary review: "It's performed extremely well, but more in terms of production than anything else... Someone somewhere has decided that the boys' next release must sound 'epic'."

One aspect of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that didn't receive much criticism, however, was the instrumentals. The track features some of Queen's best musical performances, whether it's Roger Taylor on drums, John Deacon on bass, or Brian May on lead guitar. The song also features a showstopping guitar solo from May that's gone down in history as one of his finest pieces of work.

Rolling Stone ranked "Bohemian Rhapsody" No. 14 on their list of the greatest guitar solos ever performed, citing an interview with May where he explained his intention to "sing a verse on the guitar". He claimed: ""That melody isn't anywhere else in the song, but it's on a familiar chord sequence, so it dovetails in quite nicely."

May's now-iconic guitar work is a clear example of how to make the most of a short amount of time, driving the energy of the song between two melodic verses and carrying the momentum while Mercury's powerful vocals take a break.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 9:08 AM.