Queen released “Somebody to Love” in 1976. Written by Freddie Mercury, the song became the lead single from Queen’s fifth studio album, A Day at the Races.
The single was released in the United Kingdom on November 12, 1976, while the album followed in December. Queen built the song around a gospel-influenced sound, using dense layers of Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor’s voices to create the impression of a large choir. Mercury’s vocal arrangement was technically demanding and became one of the song’s defining features.
The track was written after the success of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but it pursued a different kind of complexity. Instead of shifting through several contrasting sections, “Somebody to Love” combines a dramatic gospel feel with Queen’s rock instrumentation and an emotionally direct plea for companionship.
Listeners sometimes confuse the song’s release year with the year of the album it followed or with later performances and covers. The original Queen single and the A Day at the Races album both belong to 1976.