A Life in Lyrics by Freddie Mercury with Mary Austin — the official creative legacy of Freddie Mercury, drawn from his unseen personal archives.
When Freddie Mercury died in 1991, he left Garden Lodge and his creative papers to his former fiancée and closest friend, Mary Austin. For more than thirty years those notebooks, lyric sheets, and doodles remained largely unseen. This book brings them into the light.
From his earliest writing before Queen was formed through the end of his solo career, the archive includes previously unpublished material: alternate lyrics and abandoned verses for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” multiple drafts of “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and entire songs that were never recorded.
Mary Austin accompanies the manuscripts with stories, memories, and anecdotes from a lifetime at Freddie’s side. The book is illustrated with photographs from his personal collection, many published here for the first time.
Published in the week of what would have been Freddie’s 80th birthday, A Life in Lyrics is both a window into a brilliant songwriter’s working mind and an intimate portrait of the man behind the legend. A treasure for Queen fans and anyone who wants to see how some of the most famous songs in popular music were made.
The official creative archive
