Gonzo meets Queen. An odd juxtaposition? Maybe so, but it’s also the latest viral video making the rounds, as the Muppets star in an almost frame-for-frame parody of Queen’s rock-opera opus “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It’s a clever twist executed to perfection. The video has been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, and just this week EMI released both the song and the video for digital download from online retailers.
So in hindsight it was probably a good idea to change some of the lyrics.
In the original version of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Freddie Mercury sings, “Mama, [I] just killed a man/Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he’s dead/Mama, life has just begun/But now I’ve gone and thrown it all away.”
In the Muppet video, Animal gets as far as “Mama” before getting his needle stuck on that single word, exploring its emotional resonance until the song is able to resume at a point more appropriate for the Sesame Street crowd. That artistic decision shows a lot of sensitivity. And it’s probably wise. I mean, what parent of a preschooler tuning in to see Kermit wants to have to explain a homicide?
Nevertheless, it occurred to me that slightly older children might actually benefit from Queen’s original lyrics. At a time when popular music (rap in particular) often cheapens life by glamorizing murder and making gunplay sound heroic, “Bohemian Rhapsody” does just the opposite, providing a healthy dose of reality. It points out that killing another person carries consequences. It can’t be undone. There’s anguish and regret in Mercury’s voice as he realizes that his violent choice means the end of his own life and untold grief for his mother. In short, the song is a cautionary tale that reinforces Exodus 20:13 and Galatians 6:7, much like another pop hit from the 1970s, Styx’s “Renegade.”
The bigger question we’re left with is this: At what point should we shift from protecting our children from the ugliness of the world to preparing them for its harsh realities by using the parables of secular media to illustrate biblical truth?
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