Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I shared my book group’s experience with Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Tina finished The Elements by John Boyne.

Other bloggers shared their experiences with Demon Copperhead and David Copperfield. That was so much fun! Thanks, everyone.

• Mae’s review of Demon Copperhead
• Mae’s review of David Copperfield
• Marianne’s review of Demon Copperhead
• Susan’s review of Demon Copperhead

Fifty years ago, today, Queen released “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Halloween in 1975.

The Queen Official Youtube channel released a remastered version of the video to celebrate reaching one billion views. They’re now nearing two billion views. Maybe today’s anniversary will carry them over the top.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the charts in the UK and several other countries. It reached number nine in the US during its original release and number two after it was featured in the movie Wayne’s World in 1992.

It’s an odd song to have charted given that it’s twice as long as a normal pop song, has no repeating chorus, and employs multiple musical styles. The lyrics are mysterious and disturbing, appropriate for a Halloween mood.

Check out this modern, stunning version from the Ndlovu Youth Choir. It was released just a couple of months ago and has already surpassed a million views.

My first memory of “Bohemian Rhapsody” came at summer church camp in 1976 when I was 14. One of the counselors had the cassette tape and a boom box. This was the song all the campers learned while we weren’t doing things that were more the approved curriculum for church camp.

In college, when this song came on the radio, everyone always seemed to just stop so that we could listen, dance, and sing along.

What are your memories of “Bohemian Rhapsody?”