In an interview with Goldmine during 10 CC’s 2023 Australian tour, Graham Gouldman discussed the possibility that Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was inspired by 10 CC’s work. While Gouldman is not certain that ‘I’m Not In Love’ influenced Queen, he did note that 10 CC’s ‘Une Nuit à Paris’ preceded ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
He avoided directly saying that Queen copied from 10 CC, but he expressed his respect for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ but also stressed that ‘Une Nuit à Paris’ came out earlier. He said:
“I’m not sure about ‘I’m Not In Love,’ but certainly ‘Une Nuit a Paris’ was pre- ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ but we never discussed that. I think I might quite have avoided it because I’ve always said in the past that I respect ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ absolutely and tremendously, but I do think because ‘Une Nuit a Paris’ came out first… I’ll say no more.”
Brian May And Graham Gouldman United For A Space-Themed Song
Apart from the Bohemian Rhapsody controversy, Gouldman has a good relationship with the members of Queen. In fact, he even collaborated with Brian May on a a space-themed track, ‘Floating In Heaven’ which celebrated the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope. It launched in December 2021 and entered orbit in January.
Brian May is an astronomer with a PhD in astrophysics, and Gouldman, also a space enthusiast, combined their talents for this project. ‘Floating In Heaven’ featured Gouldman’s writing and performance, with May contributing guitar and vocals. The track was released to align with the unveiling of the telescope’s first images. Gouldman had shared his ideas about the song with BMG. He stated:
“I fell in love with the James Webb space telescope when it was first launched in December of last year. I followed its progress on the NASA website and was inspired to write ‘Floating In Heaven.’ It has been a joy having Brian May collaborate with me on the track and contribute his beautiful guitar work. When science and music come together beautiful things can happen.”
You can listen to the song ‘Floating In Heaven’ below.
