- - Classic Rock Track Dominates Most-Streamed List 50 Years Later

Isabella TorregianiDecember 17, 2025 at 4:51 AM

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When it comes to rock music, there’s no shortage of artists who fit the bill — from legends like The Rolling Stones and David Bowie to newer generations such as Yungblud and Måneskin. While the genre itself has evolved over time, one thing hasn’t changed: people’s listening habits.

That consistency is especially clear when it comes to classic rock. In fact, the most-streamed classic rock song on Spotify was written in 1975, decades before anyone could have imagined digital platforms or curated playlists.

Since Spotify launched in 2008, the song has amassed more than 2.6 billion streams, while its official music video has surpassed 1.8 billion views. Those numbers are remarkable for any song — let alone one that runs nearly six minutes long.

At the time of its release, the track was considered a major risk. Radio hits in the mid-1970s typically clocked in at two or three minutes, and this one pushed nearly double that.

It stitched together a cappella harmonies, ballads, operatic theatrics and hard rock, giving it the feel of multiple songs rolled into one.

Producers were hesitant to include it on the band’s album, A Night at the Opera, unsure how audiences would respond. Instead, it became one of the most ambitious and widely celebrated recordings in music history.

The song, of course, is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Today, it holds the distinction of being the most-streamed song from the 20th century. Guitarist Brian May reflected on the milestone in September to Rolling Stone, calling it “Incredible.”

“‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ doesn’t get old, does it? And I suppose that’s the magic for us. We’re lucky that we don’t get old,” May said, before quickly correcting himself. “The music doesn’t seem to get old.”

Nearly 50 years after its release, the song’s meaning remains just as elusive as ever. May and drummer Roger Taylor have had decades to think about it, yet neither claims to fully understand what Freddie Mercury was trying to say.

“Sadly, we can’t ask Freddie,” Taylor said. The members of Queen rarely discussed lyrics among themselves, and Mercury was famously reluctant to explain his work.

“People still ask me what ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is all about,” Mercury once said, “and I say I don’t know.” Any explanation, he believed, “loses the myth and ruins a kind of mystique that people have built up.”

Kenny Everett, Mercury’s close friend and the DJ who premiered the song on radio, later recalled that Mercury dismissed it privately as “rhyming nonsense.”

Even so, the song has fueled decades of speculation. Taylor, however, has pushed back on those readings, saying much of the analysis amounts to “overinterpretation.”

“He was writing a fairly intense, ruminative song,” he told Rolling Stone. “And then we put all these amazingly daft bits in the middle. So many people have been wondering, ‘What’s the secret meaning?’ I’m not sure there is one.”

What is known is that Mercury put real research into the song’s operatic sections. He drew on childhood piano lessons and a lifelong interest in classical music, even choosing a title that nods to that tradition.

Mercury was fully aware of how unconventional the song was. “If you really listen to the operatic bit, there are no comparisons, which is what we want,” he once said. “But we don’t set out to be outrageous—it’s in us.”

At times, the song leans into humor and camp, a self-aware quality that sets it apart from other epic rock tracks of the era. “I think it’s healthy to have that kind of sense of humor about what you do,” said May. “It doesn’t mean you’re not serious.”

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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