'I was there': Recording of Bohemian Rhapsody, 1975

5 live Daily looks back at an historic moment through the eyes of those who were there.

On October 31 2015, Bohemian Rhapsody will be 40 years old.

The unique six-minute track was from Queen’s fourth album A Night At The Opera and went on to occupy the number one spot for a then record-breaking nine weeks.

It was the brainchild of Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury.

Queen's drummer Roger Taylor told 5 live Daily how the song came about.

"Financially we were right up against the wall and we knew that a lot rode on that record and it was probably make or break.

"It came out of the head of Freddie and we enjoyed making it. It was quite a laborious record to make. It was all in his head but we did add a couple of Galileos!"

Speaking in 1976, Freddie Mercury admitted the audacious song was "very risky".

"We had so much confidence in that song - I did anyway. I felt, underneath it all, that if it was successful it would earn a lot of respect."

Roger Taylor told 5 live that his former bandmate, who died in 1991, will always remain in his thoughts.

"He was exceptional, extraordinary and a wonderful person. He was part of our mental wallpaper and we still think he's sort-of around sometimes.

"He was a one off. The more I look back at him, the more I realise what a little genius we had in our band."

In 1975, Gary Langan was an 18-year-old junior studio engineer still learning his trade.

His first job was to assemble a composite multitrack master from the three distinct sections of Bohemian Rhapsody.

"I remember hearing it for the very first time and thinking this really is a seminal moment in the history of music.

"The only band I worked with was Queen. I didn't know about how other bands recorded. So spending weeks doing guitar solos with Brian and even more weeks doing vocals seemed like the norm to me."

Barrie Dodd was one of four cameramen who filmed the memorable video for Bohemian Rhapsody.

"In those days being a cameraman was like working in a fire station. You’d get a call and you’d go," he told 5 live. None of us had a clue it was going to be so big – it was just another job."

During the shoot Barrie used what’s known as a ‘prism lens’ which was held in front of his camera to create some of the multiple images you can see in the opera section.

"That was cutting edge technology at the time. When I watch the video back I can still remember the shots I was responsible for. It will always be with me."

Queen biographer and superfan Jim Jenkins first saw the band play Bohemian Rhapsody live at Liverpool's Empire Theatre in 1975.

"I remember like it was yesterday," he told 5 live. "An incredible moment. But they could never play the whole song live. It was just too complicated.

"Back then it was done as part of a medley but in later years they’d get to the opera section and leave the stage for a costume change – and have the video running on a big screen. Then they’d come back for the heavy rock section."

So what's the song actually about? Jim once asked Freddie Mercury: "He just told me it was whatever you made of it personally. He wouldn’t give anything away."