In 1975, Queen released a song they were told nobody would play. It sold 1,750,000 copies and had grandmas grooving

Queen released the six-minute “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1975 despite music industry figures warning that it was too long for radio and that nobody would play it. Its success helped propel the band to international stardom and showed that an unconventional, ambitious song could reach a huge audience.

The track blended operatic passages with balladry, jazz and progressive rock, with Freddie Mercury’s vocals at its centre. Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor built the operatic chorus by layering their own voices, working until the recording tape became worn. Mercury later said the single sold more than 1.25 million copies in Britain, and radio DJ Kenny Everett helped bring it to listeners by airing it despite a note telling him not to.