Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of Queen, one of the biggest rock bands the world has ever seen. Fans loved his huge voice and the way he could hold a whole stadium in the palm of his hand. He had another gift too, one the people around him talked about for years. He was wonderful at dreaming up titles.
In the summer of 1987, Michael Jackson put out a brand-new album. He called it “Bad.” It landed in stores on August 31 that year, and pretty soon you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing it.
Not long after, Freddie strolled in to see his Queen bandmates and said he had the perfect name for their own next record.
Brian May, Queen’s guitarist and one of Freddie’s closest friends in the band, has told this story more than once. He first shared it a while back, then brought it up again more recently. The way he remembers it, Freddie was glowing with excitement.
Here’s Brian May looking back on Queen’s albums and the man who came up with so many of their titles.
Brian May remembers Freddie and the Queen album years
So what was the big idea? Here’s how Brian May tells it.
“He came in one day and announced, ‘I’ve got this amazing idea. You know Michael Jackson has just put out this album called Bad? Well, listen… What do you think about us calling our next album Good?'”
The idea was one word long. Good.
You can see why it tickled him. Michael’s record was “Bad,” so Freddie’s answer would be its cheerful opposite sitting right next to it on the shelf. It was quick-witted and just a little cheeky, which was about as Freddie as it gets. He clearly thought he’d cracked it.
The room went still. Nobody jumped on it. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Well, maybe we should think about it, Freddie’,” May recalled with a laugh.
They never did use it. Queen’s next album came out in 1989, and they went with “The Miracle” instead.
The album that sparked the whole thing was Michael’s, so here’s a short look at “Bad” itself.
Michael Jackson’s “Bad” (shortened official video)
Looking back now, Brian May isn’t so sure the band made the right call. “It wasn’t one of his world-shattering ideas, but looking back, maybe we were wrong…,” he said.
Even so, he’s the first to stick up for his old friend’s instincts. “He was very good at coming up with titles,” May said. “Most of Freddie’s ideas were excellent.”
Freddie Mercury passed away in 1991. All these years later, his bandmates still grin when they tell little stories like this one. It’s a warm, funny moment between friends who spent their lives making music together, and it says everything about the playful way Freddie looked at the world.