Then he transitions into the explosive chorus - ”We will, we will, rock you!” “Buddy, you’re a boy, make a big noise/Playing in the streets, gonna be a big man someday,” Mercury sings. In the first verse of “We Will Rock You,” Mercury sings of a young boy aimlessly kicking his can all over the place, a child who doesn’t have a clue of what his future holds. It was an expression of strength,” May said. “I was thinking, ‘What can you give an audience that they could do while they’re standing there? They can stamp, and they can clap, and they can sing chant. It’s certainly an unusual artistic decision, one which May explained in a 2010 podcast with Terry Gross. Besides the vocals of frontman Freddie Mercury, the only real instrument you hear is May’s guitar, which comes wailing in solo during the last 45 seconds of the song. Queen’s guitarist, Brian May, wrote the first track of the single, a song titled “We Will Rock You.” It’s loud, brash and features a loop of handclaps and stamping when performed live, any audience can replicate it.īoth Roger Taylor’s energetic drumming and John Deacon’s iconic basslines are conspicuously absent from the instrumental. The single’s resulting album, “News of the World,” was the best-selling of Queen’s career. Nevertheless, the tracks infiltrated their way into the public consciousness and remained there for over four decades. 7 of that year, “Rock You” and “Champions” were just the latest of many on the British band’s list of bestselling singles, including what is considered one of the most iconic songs of all time: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”īut the two songs are less elaborate than the 1975 quasi-operatic rock dirge, and they’re far shorter as well- “Rock You” clocks in at two minutes, “Champions,” just over three.

The songs in question are two of Queen’s most well-known numbers: The tracks of their 1977 double A-sided single, “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.” Released on Oct.

It ends with a fiery guitar solo before segueing into its slower ballad counterpart.Īnd no matter the venue or occasion, the crowd sings along, as it has for more than 40 years. The cadence is infectious, a stamp-stamp-clap rhythm that is recognizable everywhere from stadiums to school rallies. You likely know these songs - or at least you’re aware of them - that’s how interwoven they are into the fabric of our daily lives. The overwhelming response proves that the well-known classic has stood the test of time, along with its faster, equally anthemic counterpart. On May 1, that’s how long it took Queen and Adam Lambert to perform a heartwarming musical tribute to millions of healthcare workers around the world - two minutes and thirty-four seconds that galvanized viewers to donate more than $7 million in support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response, according to YouTube.

We are the champions chicken little