If I could only reach you.

If I could make you smile.

If I could only reach you.

That would really be a breakthrough, oh yeah.

Breakthru -Queen

Breakthru, has been one of Queen’s songs that has been on repeat lately on my Spotify. The lyrics have really stayed with me, haunted me, almost you could say. Or maybe it is just Freddie Mercury’s voice that does that too me ? Either way I have found a greater appreciation for Mercury and Queen in this past month. Maybe it has been because there was the anniversary of his death November just gone, as well as Bohemian Rapsody movie coming out, that Freddie Mercury has been in the news a lot more recently. Any how I have started to go back and revisit Queen and their music. This has lead me to finding out more about Freddie Mercury, his life and his music.

The songs I have started to find new found appreciation for aren’t the classic ones, but come from later works, such as Breakthru, I am going slightly mad, I want it all, who wants to live forever, made in heaven to name a few. The album’s I have been listening to are Miracle and Innuendo as well as Freddie’s solo album Mr Bad Guy. It has opened my eyes to their music as Queen and just how much an influence they have had in my life. Freddie’s voice is so unique and he has always appeared to me, to be larger than life, that listening to these albums I feel like he has left us such a great gift in the form of music.

Freddie lived his life the way he chose, with no regrets and to me that speaks volumes. It makes me realize that I am taking a leaf out of his book and starting to live my life for me. I am going to do what makes me happy and not going to apologise for it anymore. I have survived cancer twice, been through chemo and lost all my hair as well as put up with debilitating side-effects from treatment, that I have earned the right to say it is my turn to live and live well.

It is funny the year that Freddie Mercury lost his battle with AIDS is the year I lost my dear Grandfather, or as I called him Poppy to Cancer. My Poppy died on St Patrick’s day 17th of March 1991 and Freddie Mercury died on 24th of November 1991. It was a bad year for me and to lose an idol like Mercury really added only to my grief. I was also only 18years-old at the time as well, so life had really dealt me a heavy blow. AIDS as well had a huge stigma about it then, and from what I know now, it was cruel way for him to die. Although as always he did it his way and carried on singing no matter how much pain he was in. So his legacy is all this wonderful music left behind by him, and now new fans are discovering Queen for the first time, and so Freddie Mercury will live on forever.

Getting back to the quote at the beginning of my blog post, I picked it because no matter what Freddie Mercury has reached me, and makes me smile everytime I hear his voice. And that is the best breakthrough I can ever think of, thank you Freddie Mercury. RIP

Ciao

Kitty-Kat xox

I love this mad hatter’s type outfit Mercury wore in the film clip for I am going slightly mad.

Little did I know he was slowly dying here and yet still put on a show.

His monument in Switzerland for a larger than life man.