Who wrote the song "Somebody to Love"?

Freddie Mercury wrote Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”

Mercury wrote the song for Queen’s 1976 album A Day at the Races, and it was released as a single on November 12, 1976. The song explores loneliness, faith, and the desperate search for a meaningful relationship, giving it a more gospel-influenced character than many of Queen’s other major hits.

The arrangement reflects Mercury’s admiration for American soul and gospel music, particularly the work of Aretha Franklin. Mercury, Brian May, and Roger Taylor layered their voices to create the impression of a much larger choir—often described as sounding like roughly 100 singers—even though the effect came from multitracking.

The title can cause confusion because Jefferson Airplane also recorded a famous song called “Somebody to Love,” written by Darby Slick. That is a different composition from Queen’s song. Queen’s version reached number two in the United Kingdom and number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Mercury, although the finished recording was performed and produced by Queen as a band.