Both Queen and the Beatles are among the most successful music acts that emerged from British rock scene. Considering the critical acclaim both acts achieved through time, it’s safe to say that they have their names written in gold letters. Besides, Queen and the Beatles had a shared appreciation of each other’s contribution to the music world.
For instance, in the ‘Queen: Magic Years, Volume One’ documentary, the Beatles’ Paul McCartney had said that the first thing one hears in Queen’s music is Freddie Mercury’s voice. On the other hand, Brian May was friends with George Harrison, and he had mentioned several times how much he was highly influenced by the guitarist’s sound. As for Freddie Mercury, he was a big fan of the Beatles, and he once even disclosed his favorite member.
Who Was The Beatle Freddie Mercury Wouldn’t Compare With Himself?
On December 9, 1980, Queen performed John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ during a show in London after the Beatles icon’s tragic murder the previous day. Mercury was an avid fan of the Beatle and was determined that Lennon was a musical genius with a highly-distinctive talent.
According to the interview featured in the musician’s biography, ‘Freddie Mercury: A Life in His Own Words,’ he once admitted that he had always preferred Lennon’s musical efforts, even in the early days of the Beatles. Mercury said that Lennon had that ‘magic’ that made him the greatest, and that’s why he wouldn’t put himself in the same league with him.
The Queen icon then argued that some people can do certain things better, and his remarks didn’t mean he is less talented than Lennon. They just meant that he wasn’t capable of making the musical efforts as John Lennon. As Mercury said, the late singer was a unique musician, and he admired him for that reason.
Here is what Freddie Mercury said about John Lennon:
“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. 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 because he was the greatest, as far as I’m concerned.
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 how it is. I admire him very much, and that’s as far as I want to go. I was shocked and dumbfounded when I heard that Lennon was dead.”
Freddie Mercury admired John Lennon so much that he couldn’t draw any parallels between himself and the Beatles singer. Even though he was known for his bold onstage personality, Freddie was not an arrogant musician. He appreciated talent wherever he saw it and was deeply influenced by many names. He also developed an emotional bond with some, such as John Lennon, and his tragic passing left Mercury so devastated that he decided to write a song in his honor.
