“I wish I had a Bernie Taupin. But I’m not like that. I like to do it all myself, I’m a greedy bitch”: Freddie Mercury talks about songwriting in interview unearthed from 1985

Freddie Mercury in 1985
(Image credit: Dave Hogan/Getty)

A new Youtube series has launched that features a largely forgotten interview Freddie Mercury gave in support of his 1985 Mr Bad Guy album.

Parts one and two of the interview the Queen frontman gave to journalist David Wigg are already online (see below). In it, Freddie talks about his approach to songwriting.

Freddie Mercury - Mr Bad Guy 2025 (Part 1) - YouTube Freddie Mercury - Mr Bad Guy 2025 (Part 1) - YouTube
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“The structure and melody comes easier to me,” he tells Wigg. “It’s the lyrical content I find hard. I like to write nice little catchy tunes. It’s easier for me to write a melody but in terms of lyrics I find that hard. I’m not a poet.

"I hate writing lyrics. I wish somebody else could do it. I wish I had a Bernie Taupin. But I’m not like that. I like to do it all myself, I’m a greedy bitch”.

He continued: “My songs are all under the label ‘emotion’. It’s emotion and feeling. Because I have gone through all that so I’m encompassing... So I’m gathering back research, which is my own and then putting them into songs.

"I’d love to write songs about something completely different, but they all seem to end up in a very emotional and tragic way. Maybe I'm a very tragic person. I don't know why, but there's an element of humour at the end. I'm a very loving person, you know.”

Freddie Mercury - Made In Heaven (Official Video Remastered) - YouTube Freddie Mercury - Made In Heaven (Official Video Remastered) - YouTube
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Wigg suggested that the songs on Mr Bad Guy were quite diverse because of Freddie’s changing moods. To which the singer replied: “I'm a man of extremes, you know? I change from day to day, like a chameleon. Each day is very different to me. I look forward to that. I don't want to be the same person every day. The way this album has turned out is just a whole spectrum of how my life is.”

His current single at the time of the interview was Made In Heaven, which prompted Wigg to ask if Freddie thought he’d get to heaven. “No, I don't want to. Hell is much better. Look at the interesting people that you're going to meet down there.”

Will Simpson
News and features writer

Will Simpson is a freelance music expert whose work has appeared in Classic Rock, Classic Pop, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazine. He is the author of 'Freedom Through Football: Inside Britain's Most Intrepid Sports Club' and his second book 'An American Cricket Odyssey' is due out in 2025.

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