Queen released the song "Death on Two Legs" in 1975.
Written by Freddie Mercury, the song became the opening track of Queen’s fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera. The album was released in November 1975, and the song was recorded and mixed during the same year. Its aggressive music and bitter lyrics reflect the band’s anger toward their former manager, Norman Sheffield, who also owned Trident Studios.
Mercury avoided naming Sheffield directly, but the song’s target became publicly apparent after Sheffield sued Queen and the record label for defamation. The dispute ended in an out-of-court settlement. Mercury later described the writing as intensely emotional, while the band had been under financial pressure despite the success of earlier albums.
The song is sometimes confused with a later Queen release because it became closely associated with the A Night at the Opera era and the single "Bohemian Rhapsody." It was not the A-side of that major single, but it helped establish the album’s dramatic, theatrical tone.