Queen’s Manager Claims Elton John Told Them ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Would Never Be A Hit

Fifty years after Queen first dazzled the world, “Bohemian Rhapsody “remains one of rock’s most unforgettable songs. The surviving members—Brian May and Roger Taylor—recently shared their reflections in an interview with Rolling Stone. Despite its global impact, the band admitted no one expected the song to reach such heights. Its unique structure, operatic sections, and nearly six-minute length made it a bold experiment for the late 1970s music scene.

Even Queen’s contemporaries doubted its potential. For example, Elton John, who was dating Queen’s manager John Reid at the time, famously predicted the track would never succeed because of its length, according to People. Nevertheless, the band pressed on. They recorded the song in three separate units and layered vocals to create its dist