- - '70s Rock Band to Play 50-Year-Old Song 'No One Has Ever Heard'

Isabella TorregianiDecember 22, 2025 at 4:16 AM

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Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

What if there was still a Queen song the world had never heard? According to Sir Brian May, that’s exactly what’s about to happen — more than 50 years after it was first recorded.

The song, “Not For Sale (Polar Bear),” was recorded during the making of Queen’s landmark 1974 album Queen II. Despite being worked on during those early sessions, the track didn’t make the final album cut and was archived for decades.

Now 78, May is set to share the song publicly for the first time as part of a special festive Planet Rock broadcast on Monday, December 22. According to the guitarist, this is not a recycled demo or alternate take that fans may have heard before.

While collectors may be familiar with a Smile-era “bootleg,” May says this version is completely different. The recording will also be included in the 2026 re-release of Queen II, which aims to preserve and reintroduce Queen’s early catalog.

“It’s a song that goes back a very long way, but to my knowledge, no one has ever heard this version,” May said, per Independent.

“It’s a work in progress and will appear on the forthcoming rebuild of the Queen II album – coming next year – but I’m sneaking this into my Planet Rock special because I’m fascinated to know what people think about it. I hope people have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!”

If you can’t tune in on Monday at 6 p.m., the Planet Rock Christmas Special will be rebroadcast on Christmas Day, so listeners won’t miss the premiere.

Beyond the exclusive track, the radio special will feature a hand-picked mix of May’s favorite Christmas and seasonal songs. The guitarist will also open up about the music, stories and traditions that have made Christmas meaningful for him over the years.

Listeners can look forward to everything from Bad News and Slade to Chuck Berry and The Crystals, along with a Christmas hit from Brian’s wife, singer and actress Anita Dobson.

Formed during the 1970s, Queen featured guitarist May, drummer Roger Taylor, late frontman Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon.

The band later achieved six U.K. number one singles and ten U.K. number one albums, including iconic tracks such as “Killer Queen,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “We Are the Champions.”

When it comes to chart-topping success, one track stands above all others — “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the most-streamed song from the 20th century.

Since Spotify launched in 2008, the song has racked up more than 2.6 billion streams, while its official music video has surpassed 1.8 billion views.

May reflected on that achievement in a September interview with Rolling Stone, calling it “Incredible.”

“‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ doesn’t get old, does it? And I suppose that’s the magic for us. We’re lucky that we don’t get old,” May said, before quickly correcting himself. “The music doesn’t seem to get old.”

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”