We discovered something exciting recently: on this day in 1975, legendary rock band Queen released a single that is nearly as legendary as they are: Bohemian Rhapsody.

For those of you too young to know this song, here — take the next six minutes to educate yourselves (trust us, it'll be worth it):

" width="760" height="570" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

Now that's done, and if you're still reading, we take it you're a fan, or have been converted into one. You're welcome.

(and if you're one of those who skip the videos to finish reading the article first, sure, do that. Just remember to come back to it!)

If you're a Queen fan, you'd likely be interested to know that their guitarist Brian May shares his account of how the song came to be, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, which you can read here.

But first, before we hand you off to him, here are 5 fast facts about this legendary hit —

1. It was conceptualised by (the late) Freddie Mercury in his head.

May, who also provides vocals apart from playing lead guitar (and he still performs today, with drummer Roger Taylor), said Mercury jotted music notes down onto small pieces of paper, which the rest set out as a backing track, and then worked on "embroidering" it.

2. They were told it would tank, and that no radio station would air it.

The song, if you realise, is made up of three key parts, with no chorus — the first being a ballad, the second, an operatic segment and the third being a loud rock segment. Some parts of the song had as many as 180 overdubs (added layers of recording), too — arrangements previously unheard of.

3. It was the most expensive single ever made at the time of its release.

A total of six studios were used in recording the track, reports the BBC. May, Mercury and Taylor also spent between 10 and 12 hours each day, over the three weeks the band spent putting the song together.

4. It helped revive America's interest in the band when Mike Myers decided to include a segment featuring it on his film Wayne's World.

Here's the classic car-headbanging scene we all wish we were a part of/will get to re-create someday:

" width="760" height="570" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

The band's success in America waned in the 1980s (for some insane reason) but resurfaced in fans' consciousness with this scene from Wayne's World, which was released on Valentine's Day in 1992 — just a few months after Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991.

5. The song was used (and possibly made popular among uninformed youngsters) in this American Idol finalist's first audition.

" width="760" height="428" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

Yep, Adam Lambert indeed. In fact, he's gone on to perform with the remaining active members of Queen — May and Taylor (bassist John Deacon retired from the band in 1997), taking lead vocals for them since 2011, even going on tour over last and this year (now how the HECK they skipped out on Singapore, we don't get at all).

Here's them performing Bo Rhap in Kiev in 2012:

" width="760" height="570" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

Which brings us to another interesting factoid — the operatic section in the middle is presented as a light show or with sections of the original video whenever the song is performed live. The band members exit the stage and return toward the end to begin the rock segment. You'll observe this in the clip above, as well as this one from 1981, with Mercury helming the show:

" width="760" height="428" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">

Now, if you've stayed with us this far, you'll likely enjoy reading the still-super-brilliant May's retelling of how the song came to be, published on BBC.

Happy Halloween Bo Rhap Day!

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.