Editing Bohemian Rhapsody (section)

===Intro (0:00–0:49)===
The song begins with a close five-part harmony [[a cappella]] introduction in [[B-flat major|B{{Music|flat}}&nbsp;major]]—as evidenced by the presence of a V–I cadence (F7–B{{Music|flat}}) [[multitrack recording|multi-track recordings]] of Mercury although the video has all four members [[Lip sync|lip-syncing]] this part. The lyrics question whether life is "real" or "just fantasy caught in a [[landslide]]" before concluding that there can be "no escape from reality". The section is nearly entirely in 4/4 time, with the exception of measure 3 ("Caught in a landslide, no es—") switching to 5/4 time, then returning to 4/4 after.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bohemian Rhapsody |url=https://opensheetmusic.com/products/bohemian-rhapsody |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Open Sheet Music}}</ref>

After 20 seconds, the grand piano enters, the song modulates briefly to [[E-flat major|E{{Music|flat}}&nbsp;major]] via another [[Cadence|perfect cadence]] (B{{Music|flat}}7–E{{Music|flat}}) and Mercury's voice alternates with the other vocal parts. The narrator introduces himself as "just a poor boy" but declares that he "needs no sympathy" because he is "easy come, easy go" and then "little high, little low" (when heard in [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]], the words "little high" come from the left speaker and "little low" comes from the right, the other respective speaker plays the piano at the same time); [[Diatonic and chromatic|chromatic]] [[Outside (jazz)|side-slipping]] on "easy come, easy go" highlights the dream-like atmosphere. The end of this section is marked by the bass entrance and the cross-handed piano [[vamp (music)|vamp]] in B{{Music|flat}}.