Freddie Mercury is, of course, best remembered as the flamboyant and energetic frontman of the band Queen. The vast majority of the music he put into the world came from that group, though after Queen hit it big, Mercury did find time to record and release two solo albums under his own name.
The first of that pair, Mr. Bad Guy, turned 40 in 2025, and just before its anniversary year is over, the title becomes a bestseller again in the United Kingdom, where Mercury is still regarded as a true rock god.
Mr. Bad Guy Returns as a Bestseller
Mr. Bad Guy lands on three charts in the U.K. this frame, returning to all of them simultaneously. Mercury’s initial solo collection lands inside the top 40 on each ranking, as it becomes a strong seller again. Here’s a rundown of where Mr. Bad Guy reappears on the U.K. charts:
* Official Vinyl Albums – No. 19
* Official Physical Albums – No. 39
* Official Albums Sales – No. 40
Mr. Bad Guy Became a Chart Hit Decades After Its Release
While Mr. Bad Guy was initially released in the spring of 1985, it didn’t debut on any of the three rankings where it can currently be found in the U.K. until 2019. That year, Mercury’s solo effort opened at what would turn out to be its all-time peak on the trio of rosters. Mr. Bad Guy has peaked at No. 15 on the vinyl list, No. 20 on the ranking that looks at the bestselling albums on all physical formats, and No. 25 on the general chart of the bestselling albums of any style or via any format. Mr. Bad Guy appears on all three charts for just the second time ever.
Mr. Bad Guy Misses the Main Albums Chart – But It’s Still a Win
Mr. Bad Guy doesn’t return to the Official Albums chart, which is built using a consumption-based model instead of one centered solely around pure purchases, but the fact that it finds its way to multiple other rankings demonstrates that there is, in fact, great interest in Mercury’s solo collection.
Mr. Bad Guy debuted on the Official Albums chart in May 1985 and spent its first two weeks at No. 6, which would turn out to be its highest placement. After a months-long run, Mr. Bad Guy fell off the roster before 1986. It was able to surge back onto the most competitive albums ranking in the U.K. for one frame in October 2019, and in the more than half-decade since, Mr. Bad Guy has not returned.
Mr. Bad Guy Gets a Special Vinyl Reissue
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Mr. Bad Guy – albeit a few months late – the album was recently reissued on vinyl. The project, which arrived on December 5, was available to fans across multiple wax variants, and the music was reworked slightly from original multitrack tapes recorded during Mercury’s lifetime.
Freddie Mercury’s Solo Singles From Mr. Bad Guy
Four singles were pushed from Mr. Bad Guy, and all of them became hits on the Official Singles chart. The biggest of the bunch, at least during the album’s initial promotional run, was “I Was Born to Love You,” the first of the quartet. That track narrowly missed the top 10, stalling at No. 11. “I Was Born to Love You” spent 10 weeks on the Official Singles chart – exactly as long as follow-ups “Made in Heaven,” “Living on My Own,” and “Love Me Like There’s No Tomorrow” combined.
In 1993, a differently-titled version of “Living on My Own” became a smash in the U.K. two years after Mercury’s death. The updated “Living on My Own” reached No. 1, posthumously earning Mercury his first solo leader.
