11-10-2002 – The Chronicle Telegram – UK Song Poll

Queen classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ top of the pops according to U.K. poll
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen’s rousing rock classic, has been voted the greatest hit of the last 50 years, according to a poll released Saturday.

The band’s 1975 operatic rock song beat out John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and “Hey Jude” by The Beatles, which took second and third places respectively.

Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water,” and George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” took the next two slots, according to the poll conducted by The Official U.K. Charts Company, which received 190,000 internet votes to compile the list.

The top two spots replicate the results of a poll published by Guinness World Records earlier this year.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” a sixminute piece that first topped the music charts in 1975, made it to No. 1 again in 1991 when it was released a second time to raise funds for charity after the death of the band’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury. It was the first single to top the charts twice in the same version and the only song to have hit the No. 1 spot twice at Christmas.

The Beatles claimed 14 of the top 100 slots, far ahead of any other act. Contemporary stars barely get a mention, with only four tracks from the past decade making it into the top 100.

Just Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head,” Elvis’s revamped “A Little Less Conversation,” Oasis’s “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and U2.’s “Beautiful Day” represent the past 10 years.

There have been 941 No. 1 songs since the charts began 50 years ago.