The Tragic Detail Freddie Mercury Hid In The Music Video Of ‘Living On My Own’

There are countless reasons why late Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury is often regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music. Not only he has an impeccable voice with a four-octave vocal range, but he also created the ultimate rockstar image by defying the conventions of a rock frontman. During his music career that spanned over 22 years, Mercury’s highly theatrical style influenced the artistic and musical direction of his band as well.

In addition to his work with the band, the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ singer had a successful solo career during which he released two solo albums, ‘Mr. Bad Guy,’ and ‘Barcelona’ along with several singles. Despite his solo career wasn’t as prosperous as his tenure with Queen, his music always managed to find itself a place in the top 10 of the UK Music Charts.

One of the most well-known tracks of the Queen singer’s solo career is undoubtedly ‘Living on My Own’ from his debut solo record. The single peaked at number 50 in the United Kingdom and did a good job compared to other solo works of the rocker. Although the track is incredibly energetic just like its accompanying music video, it’s actually about the loneliness Freddie Mercury was feeling among hundreds of people. Let’s take a look.

Freddie Mercury Showed His Loneliness In The Crowd

The music video for ‘Living on My Own’ shows footage of Freddie Mercury’s 39th birthday celebration on 5 September 1985 at the Old Mrs. Henderson nightclub in Munich. The music video shows the singer in his tattersall patterned pants and although it looks as if the video was only focused on the partying at a first peak, there’s a deep message behind the video.

The lyrics of the song include lines such as, ‘It’s not easy living on my own,’ and ‘I get so lonely’ both of which represent the theme of the track. The video also draws attention to the ironic contrast of Freddie Mercury’s life by showing scenes in which the rocker is surrounded by lots of people partying and having a ball as well as seeing the crowd disappear, leaving Mercury on his own. Combined with the touching lyrics of the song, the music video is almost heart-breaking due to the expression on the musician’s face whenever he isn’t surrounded by people.

According to many fans, bandmates, and co-workers, the Queen singer was experiencing extreme loneliness regardless of being around thousands of people constantly. For some people, Mercury was trying to fill a hole that came from the feeling of something was missing by partying with dozens of people. While we’ll never know the exact reason why, the legendary singer was definitely feeling lonely as he revealed through his music and artistry just like in the music video of ‘Living on My Own.’

You can watch the music video of ‘Living on My Own’ below.