When Boy Sits Down At Piano Man Interrupts Him To Play Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Feb 16, 2021

Hundreds of street pianos are scattered in big cities across the globe, inviting anyone — from curious passersby to seasoned musicians — to take a seat and give a public performance. These pianos have not only inspired some to learn the instrument, but they have also led to some incredible impromptu recitals that eventually spread far and wide across the internet.

For example, in London's St. Pancras International Station, where thousands of travelers pass through each day, a lone piano sits in a heavily populated part of the station. Anyone who wants to sit down and play it is able to do so. While many of the players who attempt to entertain travelers might give it their best attempt, few are as talented as one special young boy who decided to sit down and try his luck at impressing the busy crowd, in this video from 2019.

Since it was uploaded back in 2019, the video has accumulated more than 70 million views, 1 million likes and thousands of comments from impressed viewers.

One particularly touching comment sums up the performance well: "I’m a (49-year-old) man who doesn’t normally show much emotion and I just sat on my couch and cried at how touching and beautiful this was. If only this was what (YouTube) is and was to come, just filled with talented and inspiring people doing what they do best. The product of hard work and determination and sacrifice, and not just fame for the sake of it, or worst of all, by association."

Just as the boy was sitting down to play, a man interrupted him. The man smirked as he requested "Bohemian Rhapsody," the legendary Queen song. The issue with "Bohemian Rhapsody," however, is that it's notoriously difficult to play. Even accomplished pianists sometimes struggle with the challenging tune.

First released in 1975 as part of Queen's album, "A Night at the Opera," the song has continued to be popular more than 45 years after its release. It topped various charts around the world when it was released and was even admitted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. One of the things that makes it so special is the various elements that comprise the song, which include an intro, a ballad portion, an opera segment, a hard rock section and a reflective coda. It's kind of like multiple songs in one, which is perhaps why it's been able to remain popular as people are less likely to get bored with it.

Written by the band's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, who said in an interview in Sydney, Australia, in 1985, how it was essentially a mashup of a few songs he was working on, stating: "It was basically three songs that I wanted to put out and I just put the three together." He also spoke of the song's "risk factor," adding that radio stations thought that at six minutes it was too long, while record companies didn't want to market it. But he stuck to his guns and said, "It either goes out in its entirety or not at all."

But back to the video of the boy playing the piano in St. Pancras International Station. After being asked by the stranger to play "Bohemian Rhapsody," the boy didn't let on whether he would attempt the song or stick to what he was playing before. After all, there was a chance he didn't even know how to play it! 

What happened next shocked everyone and was thankfully caught on camera. The boy began to play the iconic song, but he didn't merely plink through the notes. Instead, he began to play the song so skillfully that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was a grown adult with years of experience sitting behind the piano.

As the boy played, it was obvious to anyone who passed by that he was playing with his whole heart and soul. He closed his eyes and put his whole body into his performance, his passion inspiring a crowd to form around him. The man who'd requested the song grinned triumphantly, completely moved by the boy's talent and passion.

The final part of the song, which is more complex than the beginning, showcased the young boy's immense talent — there were even moments where he had his eyes closed and wasn't looking at the piano keys at all. When he finished, he received a big well-deserved applause from the crowd that had gathered around to watch him — it's not every day that you might be passing through a train station and witness such a high level of musical talent and for free at that!

Thankfully, the video of this beautiful moment was uploaded to the internet by the pianist himself. It turns out that this talented young lad is Cole Lam, a then-12-year-old piano prodigy who frequently shares his gifts in public places. Lam isn't just a pianist, he's also an accomplished singer and songwriter.

He even has a YouTube page where he shares other videos that show off his musical talents. He has over half a million subscribers, but that's unsurprising considering how much talent this young man possesses. While many of his videos have hit over 1 million views, his rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" at St. Pancras International Station is his biggest hit so far, pulling in over 72 million views since it was uploaded in July 2019. That is an incredible feat for a video that's less than two years old!

This story also has a fun twist. Before the man had interrupted Lam to put in his request, he had been planning on playing the song anyway. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was always going to be played, regardless of the man's interruption. 

What's more, the piano that Lam is playing on in the video is a Yamaha that was actually a donation by Sir Elton John. The description of the video states that: "There's usually a nice crowd here — and this time it was enormous!" It's nice to know that Lam's skills are being appreciated regularly by the public, both in real life and on the internet, but especially so on that day when he played so incredibly well.

Lam's stunning performance and the video that shows his talents are gifts that keep on giving. From simply treating viewers to a wonderful rendition of a classic song to inspiring others out there, the video is a testament to what you can achieve if you put your mind to a task. There is no doubt his success is in part due to a lot of hard work and hours of practicing. As a teenager, Lam has achieved the kind of success that many can only hope for in their lifetime, and it's certainly not the last we'll see from him.

With an active online presence that extends to other social media outlets, including Instagram and Twitter, Lam is destined for even more success as he gets older. And it's not just his piano playing skills that are impressive — he also creates the arrangements of the songs he plays himself, which could open up a career in composing or songwriting. In fact, he already lists these as skills he possesses in his YouTube biography.

He's even started to collaborate with other musical artists including blues pianist Henri Herbert. Soon enough, Lam could be collaborating with some of the biggest names in music. Wouldn't it be great if piano legend Elton John came across his work and the two worked together? Here's hoping that big things come to the young pianist soon, and in the meantime, we should all support his journey by checking out his other performances that are available to watch on his YouTube page.

We think that if enough people see this story, then perhaps Elton John can reach out to this young talent and help to nurture this gifted young performer's career. Make sure that everyone sees this story so that this wonderfully gifted young man can get the recognition and the attention that he so rightfully deserves. And let us know what you thought of his performance in the comments.