British family singing group, The Marsh Family, released a video performing a parody of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" with a lyrical twist aimed at Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The group hails from a small town in South East England. They consist of parents Ben and Danielle Marsh and their children Alfie, Thomas, Ella, and Tess Marsh.
The musical group gained viral fame in March 2020 after posting a parody of "One Day More" from the musical Les Misérables on Facebook to satirize life during the COVID-19 lockdown. The video gained over seven million views in three days.
For the "Bohemian Rhapsody" parody, the Marsh Family was prompted to comment on "so many decent people" willing to or likely to vote for Trump in November after polls showed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Trump being deadlocked in the tight race.
"We know we’ve sung about it already twice," they wrote in the YouTube video's description. They also acknowledged that while they don't "live or vote in the USA," the, "whole world has a stake in this election—and it’s a free world. At least, for now."
Mimicking the acapella introduction of the 1975 original, this "Bohemian Rhapsody" begins with the family singing:
"How is this real life? / Wish it was fantasy!"
"Ought to be landslide, not a race to the final week / Look in his eyes, it’s up to you guys, you see."
"He’s just a playboy, he feels no empathy / Because he’s kinda dumb, kinda slow Little lie, sh**ty joke."
"Every single swing vote really really matters to liberty."
The clip, showing the family grouped against a black backdrop, is intercut with footage from the U.S. Congress hearings and surveillance clips from the January 6 attack on the Capitol Building.
The family lyrically depicts an unsettling future under another Trump term in the White House.
"I see a Capitol or Charlottesville again. Grab a noose, grab a noose, it’s a US Gestapo," they sing in the composition's operatic interlude, adding:
"Project 25-ing, very very frightening me."
In the song's coda they remind U.S. voters of the urgency to vote for Harris in the election, asserting that "This thing really matters / All the world can see / Don’t let in the fascists /Trump’s not fit for presidency."
You can watch the parody clip here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
The reviews were in and it was an instant hit.
The Marsh Family previously tackled recent U.S. politics in July by roasting Trump's running mate, JD Vance, with a parody of ABBA's "Dancing Queen."
With the male members of the family on drums, piano, and bass guitar, the women front the band with the lead vocals, mocking Vance with lines like, "Anti-Trump a few years ago / Called him out as a ‘Hitler’ show" and "Now you’re playing his sidekick, kissing Donald’s ring / Looks like you’d do anything."
The chorus leads to:
"He’ll be the Vance VP / One heartbeat from autocracy."
"Cash machine feeding votes to the tangerine. Oh, yeah."
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Ben Marsh, the father, is the primary songwriter for most of the parody numbers, with some input from the family.
He is a history lecturer at the University of Kent, specializing in the colonial history of the United States.
His wife, Danielle Marsh, is the mother of their children and is a "Research Programmes Coordinator" in the Education & Student Experience division of the Kent Business School.
Although Ben's parents are music teachers, he and Danielle do not have a musical theater background, nor have their children received musical theater training.
But they sure know how to nail a parody that resonates with millions of viewers and gains them more fans.
