- Thousands of Freddie Mercury's items are being auctioned at Sotheby's in September.
- One item is a stationery that shows some of Mercury's early creative musings on "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Long before Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" became one of the most streamed songs in the world, Freddie Mercury, the band's lead singer, considered a different title for the 6-minute rock opera.
Scribblings of Mercury's early creative musings show that the lead singer had initially considered calling the band's most popular recording "Mongolian Rhapsody," The New York Times reported.
The title can be seen written and crossed out on note paper from a defunct British airline, British Midland. Above the crossed-out word, Mercury wrote, "Bohemian."
—Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 31, 2023
"Bohemian Rhapsody" was released in 1975 and was officially certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2021.
Mercury has never explained the meaning of the title. Jim Jenkins, a biographer for Queen, told The Times that Mercury "never liked to explain" his lyrics or song titles.
According to The Telegraph, Mercury said of "Bohemian Rhapsody:" "It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them."
The stationery is among about 1,5000 items that belonged to the Queen singer and is being put up for auction with Sotheby's in London by Mercury's close friend Mary Austin, who inherited much of his estate, BBC reported. The auction will go live in September.
"The collection takes you deeper within the individual and the man I knew," Austin told the British outlet.
Austin, 72, said in the BBC interview that she was selling the items "because I need to put my affairs in order."
The collection includes 15 pages of the early drafts of "Bohemian Rhapsody," according to Sotheby's. The auction house said in a press release that the song's lyrics can be seen in the notes. The drafts also show variations to a verse of the song.
According to the Times, instead of "Mama/Just killed a man/Put a gun against his head/Pulled my trigger, now he's dead," Mercury considered: "Mama/There's a war began/I've got to leave tonight/I've got to stand and fight."
The drafts are estimated to be worth up to $1.5 million, The Times reported.
Drafts of Queen's other popular songs, including "We Are The Champions," as well as Mercury's stage costumes and personal items will also be auctioned off with proceeds expected to be donated to charity, according to BBC.
A Sotheby's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.