How many weeks did Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” spend at number one in the UK on its initial release? It spent nine weeks at number one.
Released in October 1975, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became Queen’s first UK number-one single and topped the chart during the Christmas period. Its unusually long run was remarkable for a song that moved through ballad, operatic and hard-rock sections and ran for nearly six minutes—far longer than the typical radio hit of the era.
The recording’s success was helped by an early radio play from DJ Kenny Everett, who reportedly played an unofficial copy repeatedly despite concerns that the song was too long and unconventional. Queen and producer Roy Thomas Baker had created a dense production built from extensive vocal overdubs, giving the operatic middle section its famous choral scale.
The nine-week figure refers specifically to the initial 1975–76 chart run. After Mercury’s death, the single returned to number one in 1991 for another five weeks, this time as a double A-side with “These Are the Days of Our Lives.” Adding both runs produces 14 weeks, which explains a frequent quiz mistake.