Born in 1946, Freddie Mercury naturally developed a great admiration for the Beatles when they rose to fame in the early 1960s.
For Freddie Mercury, John Lennon occupied a unique and lofty position.When asked in 1984 who he would like to meet and talk to, Mercury said:
“The only person I wish I could have met was John Lennon, because he’s the one I idolized, and I just thought he was a very beautiful human being. And I’m sorry to say I didn’t get to meet him. He’s the one.”
This wasn’t the first time Mercury spoke of his admiration for the late Beatle; he also called him “larger than life” and an “absolute genius,” saying:
“Even at a very early stage, when they were The Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon’s stuff.”
He added:
“I don’t know why. He just had that magic… to be honest, I would never want to put myself on a par with John Lennon because he was the best, as far as I was concerned. It’s not a question of being less talented, it’s just that some people are able to do certain things better than anybody else, and I feel like I’m not prepared to do the things that Lennon did. I don’t think anybody should do it because John Lennon was unique, exceptional, and that’s the way it is. I admire him very much and that’s as far as I want to go. When I heard that Lennon was dead, I was stunned and almost dead.”
He added:
“I don’t know why. He just had that magic… to be honest, I would never want to put myself on a par with John Lennon because he was the best, as far as I’m concerned. It’s not a question of being less talented, it’s just that some people are able to do certain things better than anybody else, and I feel like I’m not prepared to do the things that Lennon did. I don’t think anybody should do it because John Lennon was unique, exceptional, and that’s the way it is. I admire him very much and that’s as far as I want to go. When I heard that Lennon was dead, I was stunned and almost dead.”
After Lennon’s death, Mercury wrote the Queen song ‘Life is Real (Song For Lennon)’, which appeared on the 1982 album ‘Hot Space’. Within the track, the musician laid bare his emotions and honored his idol with heartfelt phrases.
Although their paths never crossed, . Lennon also praised Queen during his last interview in 1980 , saying:
“Listen to Beatles records, but look for Queen or Clash or whatever’s going on now.”
