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Killer song: Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' took hours of overdubs

Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury, of Queen, sang onstage during a live performance at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom, on June 5, 1982.
Fox Photos | Hulton Archive | Getty Images 1982

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Today's Morning Edition music is from "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, which was the No. 1 song in the United Kingdom 40 years ago Monday.

Freddie Mercury wrote the six-minute song, which is more of a multi-part suite. He called it a "mock opera."

It is thought to be the most expensive record ever made up until that point in time.

To create the wall of sound for the operatic chorus, the band's three singers spent eight to 10 hours in the studio recording 180 overdubs.