AKind of Magic

Album: AKind of Magic (1986)

Queen's soundtrack for the 1986 fantasy film Highlander remains the most extensive movie
soundtrack project the band created. The title represents a line of dialogue from the title character,
Connor MaclLeod, and the lyrics include several other references to the movie's themes of eternity and
immortality: “One prize, one goal... there can be only one." The eight-to-the-bar bassline drives the
groove throughout, with Brian May's subtle guitar licks trading almost onomatopoeically off the lead
vocal. Our version, arranged by Lee Abe, is a tightly focused interpretation of the 1986 single release,
with some creative reharmonizations of the backing chords and brand-new EDI (electronic digital
instrument) sound effects for the intro. Listen for the electronic vocoder effect on the backing vocals that
underscore Katie Roeder and Maniya's life-affirming duet.

Who Wants to Live Forever

Album: AKind of Magic (1986)

This heartbreaking ballad was written to underscore the intense Highlander scene where Connor
Macleod's wife Heather dies of old age, while he is forever condemned to immortality. It's a rare
example of a May/Mercury duet, with Freddie’s vocal picking up the story in verse two. The original
recording and the Berklee version follow a huge dynamic journey, from a tender and sensitive
introduction, building through the character's mounting grief and loss, to the celebratory choruses,
proclaiming the eternal power of love and exhorting us all to seize life's moments while we have them.
We have moved from duet to trio in tonight's version, with our leads Ektoras Georgiou, Laufey Lin, and
Michal Vainschtock each taking solo sections, locking into three-part harmony for the later choruses,
and ending with bare voices over haunting strings. The musical moment here is part inspired by the
line "One sweet moment, set aside for us.”

Radio Ga Ga

Album: The Works (1984)

If Queen eschewed the synthesizer in their early years, by 1984, they had certainly gotten over it.
"Radio Ga Ga" features early 1980s music technology hardware throughout, including a Roland
Jupiter-8 to create the song’s signature "bubbling” filtered bassline and a VP-330 Plus vocoder for
the "Rayyyy...diooooo” backing vocals in each verse. The lyric is a nostalgic celebration of radio, and

a commentary on the rise of disposable pop and the video format through MTV.There are historical
references to classic radio broadcasts that changed the world, including Orson Welles's 1938 almost-
hoax adaptation of War of the Worlds ("Invaded by Mars") and Winston Churchill's 1940 wartime
broadcast from the Houses of Parliament ("You've yet to have your finest hour"). Martin Guas and
Michal Vainschtok trade lead vocals in our version, and they're both singing in the clearest sweet spot
of their respective high tenor and soprano ranges. There will be a moment when you, our audience, are
required to do the arm movements. If you don't know what this means, just follow the direction from
the stage. And don't be shy—you'll look great in the concert video!

Bohemian Rhapsody

Album: A Night at the Opera (1975)

Sometimes we teach general guidelines of songwriting at Berklee—tell a clear and simple story, get
the hooks in early, repeat the title several times, describe a universal emotion, and don't go over four
minutes. “Bohemian Rhapsody” cheerfully broke every one of those so-called “rules,” going on to be
one of the most successful and well-loved songs of all time. The song, and the A Night at the Opera
album overall, exceeded recording norms in many ways, not least being the most expensive record
in history at the time. The story is of a young man’s confession (to his mother) of a possibly-accidental