EXCLUSIVE notebooks containing handwritten drafts by Freddie Mercury for a number of massive Queen hits has been unveiled for the first time.
The full display will be showcased at Sotheby’s art marketplace in New York, featuring original lyrics and relics from Mercury’s personal collection.
The notebooks and pages reveal the origin of several Queen songs, most created in the 1970s, which almost fifty years on continue to resonate throughout contemporary culture.
These include Don’t Stop Me Now, Somebody to Love, We Are the Champions and their most popular song Bohemian Rhapsody, which is the 3rd best-selling UK single of all time.
The written drafts for Bohemian Rhapsody include over fifteen pages of lyrics and melodies, with an estimated value of between £800,000 and £1.2m.
One page reveals that Mercury originally planned to call the song ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’ before crossing out Mongolian and replacing it with ‘Bohemian’’
On another page, an alternative to the famous second verse is shown – ‘Mama, just killed a man’ is instead written as, ‘Mama, there’s a war began.’
A third page focusing on the operatic section of the piece is covered in iconic words and phrases, including ‘Matador’ and ‘Belladonna’ which are not part of the finished song.
Elsewhere in the collection are a further seven leaves of autographed manuscript lyrics to Don’t Stop Me Now from the same period, estimated at £120,000-£180,000.
It was first recorded on Queen’s seventh album Jazz in 1978 but achieved so much popularity that it was released as a single the following year.
The relics are from Mercury’s personal collection which has been preserved and treasured in his beloved London home, Garden Lodge, since he lived there.
It features one unpublished early notebook pre-dating Queen’s first record deal, revealing ideas for songs that were never released.
Alongside the working lyrics and notebooks, a number of Freddie Mercury’s sensational costumes will also be on display.
This includes the catsuit the singer wore in the Bohemian Rhapsody music video, for which he commissioned his designer and friend, Wendy de Smet.
The result is a two-piece stage outfit comprising a catsuit and bolero made from ivory satin with dramatic wings at the wrists and lower legs.
Mercury was heavily involved in its design, a passion that originated from his time at art school.
The costume’s value is estimated at £50,000 – £70,000.
Dr Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby’s Books & Manuscripts Specialist, said: “Freddie Mercury’s spectacular performances and songs are rightly remembered and celebrated around the world.
“However we can now also fully appreciate the absolute skill as a lyricist which complemented his consummate showmanship, cementing his standing as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation – and beyond.
“Early drafts such as these are easily lost or discarded, so the rare survival of these manuscripts provides us with fascinating insights into how his songs were developed and put together, as well as reminding us of their musical complexity and sophistication.
“To see so many hits presented together and all coming directly from the collection of the artist themself, marks a truly special, and unequivocally rare, moment.”
This summer, the contents of Freddie Mercury’s London home will be revealed to the public for the first time in a month-long exhibition at Sotheby’s in London.
They will then travel to Los Angeles and Hong Kong before returning to London as part of a month-long exhibition in August.
Freddie Mercury’s handwritten lyrics will be offered across auctions on September 6 and 7.
