The musician Freddie Mercury declared as “the greatest” of all-time in 1981
Every era is defined by a number of cultural events that signify a particular moment in time, for both better or worse.
In the 1980s, Freddie Mercury was the poster boy of one particular unifying event, as the world came together for Live Aid. There was a spirit of hope that brought everyone together on July 13th, 1985, whether you were from Paris or Philadelphia, which made it seem like, perhaps, a fairer world was possible.
The other music-related story that defined the ’80s came at the start of the decade, which made everybody feel hopeless rather than hopeful, when John Lennon was shot dead outside his New York apartment on a cold December night.
It was a senseless death that caused civilisation to come to a stand still, filling millions with disbelief that the world’s most famous musician, who was also a husband and a father, had been robbed of his life aged just 40.
While Mercury didn’t know Lennon on a personal level, he admired his greatness from afar, and understandably, he was beside himself upon hearing the traumatic news of his murder.
The Queen frontman may have never been the modest type, as his on-stage persona suggested, but Mercury didn’t think he was the greatest artist ever to walk the earth. Instead, that title belonged to Lennon, a musical figure he grew up idolising.
Naturally, due to being born in 1946, Mercury became enamoured with The Beatles when they emerged and meticulously followed their journey to the top. When Mercury arrived in Britain in 1964, he was at the perfect age to appreciate their musical expertise and fell in love with their infectious brand of rock ‘n’ roll, which spoke his language.
Throughout their peak years, Mercury absorbed everything they created like a sponge and put them on a pedestal, none more so than Lennon, who was his favourite member of the band by a distance.
While he appreciated what each member of The Beatles contributed, Lennon was on another level in his mind. It wasn’t only Mercury that was besotted with Lennon’s star quality; he had that special X-factor that transcended music and made him seem superhuman.
In 1981, one year after Lennon’s death, Mercury said of the late icon, “John Lennon was larger than life and an absolute genius. Even at a very early stage when they were The Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon’s things.”
Elaborating further on his love of Lennon, Mercury tried and failed to put his genius into words, adding, “I don’t know why. He just had that magic… to be honest, I would never like to put myself on a par with John Lennon at all because he was the greatest, as far as I’m concerned.”
Mercury then explained his reasoning for placing Lennon on a pedestal above every other artist to have ever lived, adding, “It’s not a matter of having less talent, just that some people are capable of doing certain things better than anybody else, and I feel that I’m not equipped to do the things that Lennon did. I don’t think anybody should because John Lennon was unique, a one-off, and that’s the way it is. I admire him very much, and that’s as far as I want to go.”
He also recalled being “shocked and dumbfounded” to discover the devastating news that Lennon’s life had been put to a barbaric and premature end, a feeling no doubt shared all across the globe.
Just like Lennon, Mercury had a gift and would use songwriting as a clutch during his moments of despair, such as dealing with the loss of his musical hero.
While they weren’t friends, Mercury had the urge to write a song to honour Lennon, which resulted in Queen’s ‘Life is Real (Song For Lennon)’, which appeared on their 1982 album Hot Space.
It’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t have been kindred spirits if they did cross paths due to their shared rebellious nature and love of music. After all, there’s a reason why Mercury connected so strongly with Lennon, which went way beyond his musical output.
Not only did the Beatles have a more significant impact on Mercury than he ever realised, instilling the Queen frontman with the desire to chase his dreams, but the same can also be said for an entire generation who were moulded in his image.
