Song Review: “Somebody to Love”

With gospel influenced harmonies paired with Freddie Mercury’s phenomenal vocals Queen’s “Somebody to Love” is one of their strongest songs within their whole discography. Before Queen, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May debuted in 1968  under the name Smile. Struggling to gain their recognition playing gigs in bars for smaller audiences the members often felt overlooked and frustrated. This led to their lead singer and bassist Tim Staffell to leave the group one night after a performance in 1970. May and Taylor were left distraught backstage wondering what their future holds after all their hard work was poured down the drain. To their surprise, a shy fan approached the two offering to be their new lead singer and sharing his ideas to get the band popular. The two thought this man was an utter joke between both his confidence in the group’s future and his appearance due to his protruding front teeth. Despite their feelings towards him they gave the man a chance to showcase his vocal ability, this man was Farrokh Bulsara better known as Freddie Mercury whose vision and talent launched Queen’s global success. After the addition of bassist John Deacon Queen was formed later that same year. The group would release major hits like “Keep Yourself Alive”, “Killer Queen”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and later in 1976 “Somebody to Love.” The song explores Mercury’s long journey to find love and belonging in a world of fame. His opening piano chord followed by his desperate-filled voice calling out “ can anybody find me somebody to love” fills the audience with a universal longing for connection. Musically, the song mixes gospel and rock ballad qualities with John Deacon and Roger Taylor providing a steady pulse and Brian May’s subtle guitar licks elevate the track immensely. Lyrically, “Somebody to Love” reflects upon the void Mercury feels living day-to-day life while being in the spotlight. All through the song Mercury’s voice gets more desperate almost as if he feels like he’s running out of time to find a companion. Despite the melancholy lyrics, the song is filled with passion which may reflect the natural human desire to find love.