During 10 CC’s Australian tour in 2023, Graham Gouldman spoke with Goldmine on the potential that Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was influenced by 10 CC’s work. Although Gouldman is unsure if “I’m Not In Love” had any impact on Queen, he did point out that “Bohemian Rhapsody” was predated by “Une Nuit à Paris” by 10 CC.
While he did not openly accuse Queen of copying from 10 CC, he did acknowledge and show admiration for “Bohemian Rhapsody” while emphasizing that “Une Nuit à Paris” was released earlier. He declared:
“I’m not sure about ‘I’m Not In Love,’ but certainly ‘Une Nuit a Paris’ was pre- ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ but we never discussed that. I think I might quite have avoided it because I’ve always said in the past that I respect ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ absolutely and tremendously, but I do think because ‘Une Nuit a Paris’ came out first… I’ll say no more.”
Brian May And Graham Gouldman United For A Space-Themed Song
Aside from the controversies surrounding Bohemian Rhapsody, Gouldman gets along well with Queen members. He even co-wrote the space-themed song “Floating in Heaven” with Brian May in honor of the James Webb Space Telescope’s initial imaging. It went into orbit in January 2022 after launching in December 2021.
For this effort, space enthusiast Gouldman and astronomer Brian May, who holds a PhD in astrophysics, pooled their skills. Gouldman wrote and performed the song “Floating In Heaven,” while May provided the guitar and vocals. The song was made available in time for the first photographs from the telescope to be revealed. Gouldman had given BMG his thoughts on the song. He said:
“I fell in love with the James Webb space telescope when it was first launched in December of last year. I followed its progress on the NASA website and was inspired to write ‘Floating In Heaven.’ It has been a joy having Brian May collaborate with me on the track and contribute his beautiful guitar work. When science and music come together beautiful things can happen.”
The song “Floating In Heaven” is available for listening below.