Freddie Mercury Turned Real-Life Romance Into One of Music’s Greatest Love Songs of All Time

Queen is one of the few bands where all four members were equal songwriters, even though Freddie Mercury was the clear leader and frontman. But when looking at the song credits, all of their members have iconic hits to their name. This one song, which is an enduring love anthem and used to be a climactic moment during the band's live shows, was one of Queen's first big hits and was written by Freddie Mercury in honor of the person who was his lover, partner, best friend, and the love of his life in every way.

The Love of Freddie Mercury's Life Wasn't Just Romantic Love

"Love Of My Life" is a classic love song, but while Freddie Mercury wrote it for a girlfriend, the meaning went beyond romantic love. He wrote the song in 1975, while he was working on Queen's iconic album, A Night at the Opera. He was in a relationship with his long-term partner, ​​​​​​Mary Austin, at the time, and while he loved her deeply, at the time, he had conflicting feelings about his sexuality, and they would later part ways because of that. The song seems to reflect, whether consciously or not, the war within Mercury's heart and mind. While he's singing about his devotion and eternal love in the song, he's also mourning the apparently inevitable eventual loss of the relationship.

"Love of my life, don't leave me / You've taken my love, and now desert me / Love of my life, can't you see? / Bring it back, bring it back / Don't take it away from me / Because you don't know what it means to me," Mercury sings longingly. Indeed, as pictured in the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, he and Mary Austin parted ways as he came to terms with his sexuality, but the pair never stopped being close friends. More than that, they were family. Freddie Mercury was the godfather of Austin's oldest child and was a loving uncle to all her children.

Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin's Enduring Friendship

Just because their romantic relationship came to an end, it didn't mean Mary Austin and Freddie Mercury's devotion to each other wavered. It just changed. Freddie Mercury jokingly considered her his "common-law wife," and she stood by his side, lovingly and supportive, through the long illness that eventually took his life. She was the heir of most of his fortune, including the house where Mercury and his closest friends lived for years, Garden Lodge. She only finally sold the house in 2024, after years of lovingly taking care of it.

"This house has been the most glorious memory box, because it has such love and warmth in every room," Mary Austin said in a statement. "It has been a joy to live in, and I have many wonderful memories here. Now that it is empty, I’m transported back to the first time we viewed it. Ever since Freddie and I stepped through the fabled green door, it has been a place of peace, a true artist's house, and now is the time to entrust that sense of peace to the next person."

Their love story is unconventional, but incredibly meaningful and human. And unknowingly, or perhaps hopefully, Freddie Mercury had known, even before they separated, that their love would overcome all obstacles and endure all changes. In his song, Mercury seems to allude to the inevitable ending of the romance, but also to how the love will survive.

"You will remember / When this is blown over / And everything's all by the way / When I grow older / I will be there at your side to remind you / How I still love you." It's bittersweet to think this never got to happen, not really. Freddie Mercury never got to grow old; he only lived to 45. But it was true that, right until his last moment, he was there to remind Mary Austin of their love. And she was there to love him right back. This song will endure the test of time, just as their friendship, which sustained them both for years, has taken many forms without ever losing meaning. It is one of Queen's best and most moving songs.