Queen - Somebody To Love

What this video is

Released in November 1976 as the lead single from A Day at the Races, 'Somebody to Love' arrived at the apex of Queen's early commercial ascent following the seismic impact of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (1975). Written by Freddie Mercury and rooted in gospel choir traditions inspired by Aretha Franklin, the song deployed multi-tracked vocals from Mercury, May, and Taylor to simulate a 100-voice choir — a studio innovation…

Why it matters

A landmark in British classic rock and gospel-inflected arena rock, 'Somebody to Love' demonstrated that hard rock bands could integrate gospel vocal architecture into stadium-scale songwriting. Its promo video, directed by Bruce Gowers fresh from the Bohemian Rhapsody breakthrough, represents an…

The director

Bruce Gowers (21 Dec 1940 – 15 Jan 2023) was a British TV director and producer born in West Kilbride, Scotland. He trained at the BBC College and worked at Rediffusion and London Weekend Television before achieving international recognition with Queen's…