The Prophet's Song

When you dive into *The Prophet's Song*, you encounter a piece that departs from the conventional. It is the most extensive composition that Queen recorded, stretching for over eight minutes. Its creator, guitarist Brian May, conceived it from a vision he had during a dream about a great flood, while recovering from an illness. That dreamlike experience became the basis for some of its lyrics, which evoke biblical passages like the story of Noah and the Ark, or Jacob's Ladder. The atmosphere it creates is dense and profound, with clear influences from progressive rock and a demanding vocal line that makes it stand out.

To shape this work, Brian May dedicated several days. In it, a complex vocal canon performed by Freddie Mercury can be heard, which later expands into an instrumental canon. To achieve these sonic effects, tape echo devices of the era were used. The particular sound of May's guitar is enhanced by lowering the tuning of the lowest string, seeking a more somber tone. Additionally, instruments less common in the band's repertoire are incorporated, such as a toy koto, which appears in the introduction and in the final sections that simulate wind. This latter effect was achieved by recording the sound of an air conditioning unit through a phaser. The guitar editing in the solo also features a trick: the tape was sped up on a reel-to-reel player. The recording took place at Sarm East Studios in London in 1975, and the album containing it, A Night at the Opera, was one of the most expensive of its time. The closing of *The Prophet's Song* intertwines directly with the next track on the album, Love Of My Life, by Mercury.