Freddie Mercury refused to work with Michael Jackson over a strange reason — but later regretted it
Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Freddie Mercury it seems! The 'Thriller' hitmaker went to nearly every 'Queen' concert and gradually developed a close friendship with Mercury. Once, while Rolling Stone caught him backstage in Los Angeles and quizzed if he was addicted to the rock band, he boasted: "I’m a Freddie Mercury fan." The two legends attempted to collaborate, but for some bizarre reason, it never worked out. As per Express, Mercury pulled the plug on their iconic duet track 'State of Shock' because Jackson insisted on recording the single with his pet llama named Louie in the studio.
I think you should know that Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury collaborated in a recording session featuring them singing There Must Be More to Life Than This, State of Shock and Victory, but the project was never completed because Michael Jackson brought a llama to the studio. pic.twitter.com/k2H72o8G3H
— Marina Amaral (@marinamaral2) May 2, 2021
"Mercury rang me and said, 'Miami, dear, can you get over here? You’ve got to get me out of here, I’m recording with a llama," Queen's manager Jim Beach recalled the incident in the 2012 documentary 'Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender'. "Freddie said, ‘You have to get me out of the studio..." Beach added. When Beach asked why, Freddie candidly added, "Because I’m recording with a llama. Michael’s bringing his pet llama into the studio every day, and I’m really not used to it, and I’ve had enough, and I want to get out." However, in a separate professional statement at that time, the 'Queen' leadman cited date issues for backing out of the project.
He said as per Gold Radio, "State of Shock, I couldn’t complete. I actually did the vocals. Timing is everything. At the time when he wanted me to finish it, I just said, 'I can’t, I really haven’t got time.' I was working with Queen. I was in Munich, he was in Los Angeles. He said, 'Is it OK if Mick does it?' I said, 'Fine.'" The track was then completed with Mick Jagger.
Imagine that you are a llama, your job is to be a pack mule in order to entertain and that one day you are adopted by Michael Jackson himself, where you only sleep, eat and shit. A dream for many, a reality for Louie. pic.twitter.com/Pj3dpnxEam
— mar⁷ (@Mbbbb2005) October 28, 2024
In a subsequent interview with Radio One, the British icon talked about their unique connection. They had bonded over their contrasts in music, he remembered. "I guess maybe that is the attraction," Mercury said. He acknowledged their collaboration and called it "unfinished works of art in the vault." He continued, "They haven’t come to fruition. In the early days, he used to like Queen and come and see all our concerts, and we became friends, and he said, 'Why don’t we do something together?' This was just before the Thriller days. I went over to his house and did three or four demos to see how they’d work out."
As per Express, Mercury believed he had blown his chance when the 'Thriller' album became one of the life-defining successes of Jackson, making him a global sensation in 1982. The 'We Will Rock You' hitmaker confessed, "I think one of the tracks would have been on the Thriller album if I'd finished it, but I missed out on about three tracks," he told journalist Lisa Robinson in a 1983 interview. "I was initially gonna be on Thriller. Can you imagine that? I blew it!" he added.
Mercury revealed they only composed one song together, 'Victory', which was eventually used on the Jacksons' album. Together, they had recorded a fantastic demo, he acknowledged. The 'Queen' leadman disclosed that their friendship eventually faded due to Jackson's eccentric and reclusive habits. He said, "I think now he just stays at home. I wouldn’t do that, I’d be bored to death. For me, it's sort of frightening...you think., 'Somebody who's 22 or 25 or just starting out or whatever, and I could teach him a few tricks.' But not Michael."