It remains the greatest “what if” in the history of pop music. In 1983, the stars aligned to bring together the two most electrifying performers of the 20th century: Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant frontman of Queen, and Michael Jackson, the burgeoning King of Pop on the cusp of his Thriller supernova. They were friends. They were mutual admirers. They were in the same studio. And yet, the collaboration that promised to shatter records and define a generation ended not with a bang, but with a frantic phone call about a llama.

The Meeting of Kings

Before the tabloids and the rumors, there was genuine respect. Michael Jackson, a longtime fan of Queen, was a regular fixture at the band’s concerts in Los Angeles in the late 70s and early 80s. Freddie Mercury, speaking in a rare and candid interview, recalled their early days fondly. “He used to come and see all the concerts… and so we became friends,” Mercury shared.

The dynamic was almost familial. Freddie, the seasoned rocker, referred to the young Jackson as “Little Brother.” Jackson, in turn, soaked up the elder star’s stagecraft. It was Jackson who famously convinced Queen to release “Another One Bites the Dust” as a single, correctly predicting it would be a chart-topper. The creative chemistry was undeniable, and in the spring of 1983, they finally decided to capture that magic on tape.

The Encino Sessions

Freddie traveled to Jackson’s home in Encino, California, ready to work. The setting was Jackson’s private sanctuary, a place where the young star felt safe from the prying eyes of the world. “It was just me and him,” Freddie recounted. “We did about three or four demos to see how they worked out.”

The tracks they tackled were monumental. There was “Victory,” a song intended to be the title track for the Jacksons’ upcoming album. There was “State of Shock,” a driving rock anthem that perfectly melded their aggressive vocal styles. And there was the haunting ballad, “There Must Be More to Life Than This,” a song Freddie had penned years prior but had never found the right home for.

Listening to the bootlegs that have leaked over the decades, the potential is spine-tingling. Freddie’s operatic power weaving around Michael’s rhythmic, percussive delivery created a sound that was unique—a bridge between British rock pomp and American soul-pop.

The Clash: Llamas and Lifestyles

But the magic in the booth was overshadowed by the chaos outside of it. While the transcript of Freddie’s interview is diplomatic—citing “timing” and “commitments” as the primary reasons for the split—music history tells a more bizarre and sensational story.

The most enduring legend involves Louie, Michael’s pet llama. According to Queen’s manager, Jim “Miami” Beach, he received a desperate call from Freddie during the sessions. “Miami, dear, can you get over here?” Freddie reportedly pleaded. “You’ve got to get me out of here. I’m recording with a llama.”

Jackson had allegedly insisted on bringing the barnyard animal into the recording studio, a quirk that the fastidious and professional Mercury simply couldn’t abide.

Furthermore, their lifestyles were poles apart. In the interview, Freddie offered a glimpse into this disconnect. He described Jackson’s reclusive nature with a mix of pity and bewilderment. “He just stays at home… that’s his bag,” Freddie noted, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t do that. I’d be bored to death. I have to go out every night… I hate staying in one room for too long.”

There were also whispers of drug friction. Freddie, known for his hedonistic partying lifestyle in the 80s, reportedly clashed with the strictly sober Jackson. The collision of the “party animal” and the “man-child” created an environment where sustained creativity became impossible.

The One That Got Away

The collaboration dissolved. Freddie returned to Munich to work with Queen, and Michael remained in his Encino fortress.

The aftermath was a series of missed opportunities. “State of Shock,” the track Freddie had poured his vocals into, needed to be finished. Jackson called Freddie, asking for him to return to LA. “I said I can’t because I was working with Queen,” Freddie remembered. “He said, ‘Look, is it okay if Mick Jagger does it?’ I said, ‘Fine.’”

The song went on to become a massive hit for The Jacksons and Jagger, leaving fans to wonder how much more powerful the Mercury version would have been.

Even more poignant is Freddie’s admission that he “blew it” regarding Thriller. Had they finished their work, a Mercury-Jackson duet could have graced the tracklist of the biggest-selling album of all time. “I think one of the tracks would have been on the Thriller album if I finished it,” Freddie said with a rueful smile.

A Bittersweet Legacy

For decades, the tapes gathered dust. The song “Victory” remains “frozen” in time, a holy grail for collectors. However, in 2014, Queen finally released a reworked version of “There Must Be More to Life Than This” on the Queen Forever album. Produced by William Orbit, the track finally united the two voices in an official release, over twenty years after Mercury’s death and five years after Jackson’s.

The song is a beautiful, melancholic reminder of what could have been. It stands as a testament to a friendship that, while genuine, was ultimately too fragile to survive the pressures of fame, eccentricity, and a llama named Louie. As Freddie said, “Timing is everything.” And for these two icons, the time was just never quite right.