In the year that Queen front man Freddie Mercury would’ve turned 73, the rockers’ rock star is getting a new lease on life.

At the height of Queen’s global dominance and Freddie’s hedonism, he surprised the industry by agreeing to record the title song for the West End Musical “Time,” starring Cliff Richard and Sir Lawrence Olivier.

In all truth, merging multimedia, sci-fi, rock music … and ahead-of-its-time special effects … it was right up the alley of a rocker who himself loved to experiment with similar new concepts.

It was January 1986, the year before Freddie’s fateful HIV diagnosis … when they spent several nights recording the 96 tracks that completed the song that was eventually released on the “Time” album.

The original had been gathering dust in a vault in London ever since – something which has always bothered Dave Clarke – the prolific producer behind the song, who says he never forgot the goosebumps he felt watching Freddie record it.

Last year, he found those recordings in a long-forgotten archive; and began the process of stripping the backing vocals, until only Freddie’s voice was left.

Then he brought in the original pianist, Mike Moran to record a new piano track … giving us the magic that you first heard, exclusively on Smile Breakfast this morning!

Under its restored full title “Time Waits for No One” … this is Freddie Mercury at his most compelling … and most haunting.

I’m sure it gives him a bit of giggle from beyond the grave … because the song is almost a stripped down negative of the man we got to know and love – anti-flamboyant and counter-eccentric, featuring only his characteristic tenor voice accompanied by a piano.

Clarke also poured over old footage of Freddie performing the song for a video.

And here it is, for your pleasure …!