We Will Rock You

"We Will Rock You"
As side B of "We Are the Champions" UK vinyl single
Single by Queen
from the album News of the World
A-side "We Are the Champions"
Released 7 October 1977
Format 7" single
Genre Arena rock[1]
Length 2:02
Label
Songwriter(s) Brian May
Producer(s)
Queen singles chronology
"Long Away"
(1977)		 "We Are the Champions" / "We Will Rock You"
(1977)		 "Spread Your Wings"
(1978)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World.[2] Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004,[3] and it placed at number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001. In 2009, "We Will Rock You" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4][5]

Other than the last 30 seconds containing a guitar solo by May, the song is generally set in a cappella form, using only stomping and clapping as a rhythmic body percussion beat. In 1977, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were issued together as a worldwide top 10 single.[6] Soon after the album was released, many radio stations began playing the songs consecutively and without interruption.[7]

Since its release, "We Will Rock You" has been covered, remixed, sampled, parodied, referenced and used by multiple recording artists, TV shows, films and other media worldwide.[8][9] Since its release, the song has become a cliche at sports events around the world as a stadium anthem, mostly due to its simple rhythm.[10][11]

On 7 October 2017, Queen released a Raw Sessions version of the track to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of News of the World. It features a radically different approach to the guitar solo and includes May's count-in immediately prior to the recording.[12]

Original Queen version

History

"We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were written in response to an event that occurred during the A Day at the Races Tour.[13] The band played at Stafford's Bingley Hall, and, according to Brian May:[14]

We did an encore and then went off, and instead of just keeping clapping, they sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" to us, and we were just completely knocked out and taken aback – it was quite an emotional experience really, and I think these chant things are in some way connected with that.

One version was used as the opening track on 1977's News of the World. This consists of a stomp-stomp-clap-pause beat, and a power chorus, being somewhat of an anthem. The stamping effects were created by the band overdubbing the sounds of themselves stomping and clapping many times and adding delay effects to create a sound like many people were participating. The durations of the delays were in the ratios of prime numbers, a technique now known as non-harmonic reverberation.[15] A tape loop is used to repeat the last phrase of the guitar solo three times as opposed to Brian May playing it three separate times on the recording.[16] The "stomp, stomp, clap" sounds were later used in the Queen + Paul Rodgers song "Still Burnin'".[17]

When performed live, the song is usually followed by "We Are the Champions", as they were designed to run together.[6] The songs are often paired on the radio and at sporting events, where they are frequently played.[6] They were the last two songs Queen performed at Live Aid in 1985.[18]

Queen also performed an alternate version "We Will Rock You" known as the "fast version", featuring a faster-feeling tempo and a full band arrangement. The band would frequently use this version to open their live sets in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as heard on the albums Live Killers (1979), Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (2004), Queen Rock Montreal (2007), and the expanded edition of News of the World (2011). A studio recording of this version is also known to exist, recorded for John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1 in 1977. It is part of a longer cut that starts with the original version. In 2002, the fast version was officially released on a promo single distributed by the tabloid The Sun. The "fast" BBC studio version can also be found on The Best of King Biscuit Live Volume 4. Between the two versions, there is a brief cut of a woman discussing Brahmanism, used in a BBC Radio documentary. The fast version is also used as the curtain call music for the musical of the same title, after the finale, which is a pairing of the original "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions."

Since its release, the song has become a cliche at sporting events around the world as a stadium anthem. It was the most played song during the 2008–2009 seasons of the National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.[11]

Five + Queen version

"We Will Rock You"
Single by Five + Queen
from the album Invincible
B-side
  • Megamix
  • Keep on Movin' (The Five-A-Side Mix)
Released 17 July 2000
Format
Length 3:08
Label Sony BMG
Songwriter(s) Brian May
Producer(s)
  • Richard Stannard
  • Julian Gallagher
Five singles chronology
"Don't Wanna Let You Go"
(2000)		 "We Will Rock You"
(2000)		 "Let's Dance"
(2001)
Queen singles chronology
"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)"
(1999) Under Pressure (Rah Mix)1999		 "We Will Rock You"
(2000) We Will Rock You2000		 "Flash (Vanguard Mix)"
(2003) Flash (Vanguard Mix)2003
Music video
"We Will Rock You" on YouTube

In July 2000, British boy band Five released a cover of "We Will Rock You". It was released from their second studio album, Invincible (1999). Released on 17 July 2000, the song features two members of Queen: Brian May on guitar and Roger Taylor on drums; however, they do not sing any vocals on the track. Freddie Mercury had died in November 1991, nearly a decade before this version's release, and John Deacon had retired from public life three years before its release.

The song charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, making it Five's second number-one single, and their ninth consecutive top-ten hit.[19]

Track listing

UK CD1
  1. "We Will Rock You" (Radio Edit) – 3:08
  2. "Keep on Movin'" (The Five-A-Side Mix) – 3:32
  3. "We Will Rock You" (Video) – 3:08
UK CD2
  1. "We Will Rock You" (Radio Edit) – 3:08
  2. "Invincible Megamix" (Including "We Will Rock You") – 4:19
  3. "Invincible Megamix" (Video) – 4:19
UK Cassette single
  1. "We Will Rock You" (Radio Edit) – 3:08
  2. "Keep on Movin'" (The Five-A-Side Mix) – 3:32
  3. "Invincible Megamix" (Including "We Will Rock You") – 4:19
European CD single
  1. "We Will Rock You" (Radio Edit) – 3:08
  2. "Invincible Megamix" (Without "We Will Rock You") – 3:43
  3. "We Will Rock You" (Video) – 3:08

Chart performance

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Germany (BVMI)[52] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[53] Platinum 30,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[54] 4× Platinum 4,000,000double-dagger

^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

1990s

2000s

Live cover performances

1990s

2000s

2010s

Remixes

Sampling

Parodies and references to the song

  • 1987: Henry Rollins did a parody of "We Will Rock You" titled "I Have Come to Kill You".[87]
  • 2010: The cast of the Off-Broadway musical Avenue Q performed covers of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" in a video spoof of the Muppets' "Bohemian Rhapsody".[88]
  • 2012: In the edition of WWE Raw of 12 March, The Rock performed his version during the Rock Concert segment by adding references to Team Bring It and fans chanting "Cena Sucks" in the chorus while taking aim at John Cena before they square off at WrestleMania XXVIII.[89]
  • 2014: Indonesian singer Ahmad Dhani made a video with three Indonesian Idol contestants for supporting the Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo-Hatta. Dhani wears a Nazi costume. It was noted as one of the worst political campaigns ever.[90]
  • 2015: In The Big Bang Theory episode "The Bachelor Party Corrosion" Raj, Howard and Leonard sing a modified version of the song called, "We Will Percussive Shock You" and Sheldon burst out singing the first verse of the original song, which he then credited to his eidetic memory, mentioned that in this instance it was a 'curse.'[91]

See also

References

  1. ↑
    • Furniss, Matters (2012). Queen – Uncensored On the Record. Coda Books Ltd. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-9085-3884-0.
    • Gaar, Gillian G. (4 December 2012). "Album reviews of Queen's second box set of reissues". Goldmine. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
    • Huang, Hao (2012). Music in the 20th century. 3. Coda Books Ltd. p. 508. ISBN 978-1-9085-3884-0. Queen (...) proved expert at creating crowd-pleasing and long lasting anthems such as "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" — popular songs for the burgeoning stadium-rock circuit.
    • Konow, David (2002). Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal. Three Rivers Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0609807323. Two years later, in 1977, they would practically invent the arena-rock anthem with "We Will Rock You." The song was designed for maximum audience participation, where everyone would stomp and clap along to its beat. Even today, whenever you stomp and clap that thunderous beat at a sporting event, Queen gets royalties.
    • Serwer, Jesse (16 October 2012). "The 77 Best Rock Samples in Rap History – 41. Dame Dash Presents Dream Team f/ Kanye West, Beanie Sigel, Cam'Ron, Young Chris and Twista "We Are the Champions" (2002)". Complex. Retrieved 16 March 2014. The distinctive stomp-stomp-clap drum pattern from "We Will Rock You"—the apotheosis of arena rock
  2. ↑ "Queen – News of the World". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "We Will Rock You". Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. . Rolling Stone. 9 December 2004.
  4. ↑ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame – w". Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "Queen enter Grammy Hall of Fame". BBC News. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Prato, Greg. "We Are the Champions – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  7. ↑ "12-Inch Single Joins 2 Queen Hits". Billboard. 89 (50): 72. 17 December 1977. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ↑ ""We Will Rock You" Still Most Popular Sporting Event Anthem". FMQB. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  9. ↑ "Greatest Rock Songs". Mystic Madness. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  10. ↑ "Was there ever a time when We Will Rock You did not exist?". The Guardian. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  11. 1 2 "'We Will Rock You' Is Most-Played Song at Pro Sports Games for '08/'09 Season". Broadcast Music, Inc. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "We Are The Champions & We Will Rock You – The Unheard 'Raw Sessions'". Queen Online. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Queen interview: Brian May on We Will Rock You". Absolute Radio. YouTube. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  14. ↑ Interview with Tom Browne for BBC Radio One, broadcast Christmas Eve and Boxing Day 1977
  15. ↑ May, Brian (22 September 2007). "STAMPING ON PIANO'S?". Bri's Soapbox. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  16. ↑ "Queen's Brian May Rocks Out To Physics, Photography". Fresh Air. NPR. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Gary (5 August 2011). "Detalles del álbum". Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. . Queen Online.
  18. ↑ Stanford, Peter (24 September 2011). "Queen: their finest moment at Live Aid". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  20. ↑ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Queen – We Will Rock You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Queen – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Queen – We Will Rock You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen – We Will Rock You". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  25. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Queen - We Will Rock You We Are The Champions" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Queen – We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions (Live At Wembley '86)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Queen – We Will Rock You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Queen – We Will Rock You" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  30. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  35. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  36. ↑ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  37. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – We Will Rock You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  38. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "Charts.nz – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  42. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Five + Queen – We Will Rock You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  43. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2000". Hitparade.ch. (in German). Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  45. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  46. ↑ "Ultratop.be – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  47. ↑ "Ultratop.be – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  48. ↑ "Billboard Hits of the World". Billboard. 115 (24): 65. 14 June 2003. ISSN 0006-2510.
  49. ↑ "Lescharts.com – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  50. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  51. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – KCPK – We Will Rock You (Remix)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  52. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Queen; 'We Will Rock You')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  53. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Queen – We Will Rock You" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  54. ↑ "American single certifications – Queen – We Will Rock You". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  55. ↑ "we will rock you by warrant". joMusic.net. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  56. ↑ "Song > We Will Rock You". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. . Youmix.co.uk.
  57. ↑ "22) Dedicated To The One I Love". Softshoe-slim.com. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  58. ↑ "DJ Hurricane - Don't Sleep CD". CD Universe. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  59. ↑ "We Will Rock You 2003 editions". Archived from the original on 6 April 2004. . Queencollector.com.
  60. ↑ "Britney Spears Beyonce Pink-We will rock you". Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. . Yahoo!7.
  61. ↑ "Stan Walker's Official Site". Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. . Stanwalker.com.au.
  62. ↑ "GLEE Will Rock You! All The NEW MUSIC From Lights Out HERE!". PerezHilton.com. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  63. ↑ "1992 The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert". Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  64. ↑ "Axl Rose (Freddie Mercury cover) -We Will Rock You(Live Wembley)". Facebook. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  65. ↑ "Showing details for U2's ZOO TV Tour". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  66. ↑ "Há 18 anos, Nirvana realizava show histórico em São Paulo". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). 16 January 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  67. ↑ "Alanis Morissette Setlist at Estadio Obras Sanitarias, Buenos Aires, Argentina". Setlist.fm. 26 October 1996. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  68. ↑ "We Will Rock You (Live) by Robbie Williams". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. . Yahoo! Music.
  69. ↑ "KODA KUMI 10th Anniversary -FANTASIA- in TOKYO DOME (Hong Kong Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  70. ↑ "Celine Dion – Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert: Includes Dvd". Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. . HMV.
  71. ↑ "Katy Perry Performs "We Will Rock You" to Intro Russell Brand". MTV. Viacom. 13 September 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  72. ↑ "My Chemical Romance joined by Queen's Brian May at Reading Festival". NME. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  73. ↑ "'The Voice': Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green Perform Queen Medley (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. 7 June 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  74. ↑ "Olympics Closing Ceremony: Jessie J Joins Queen For 'We Will Rock You' Performance". Capital FM. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  75. ↑ Corner, Lewis (8 October 2012). "Tulisa, Lana Del Rey, Jessie J for new 'Radio 1 Live Lounge 2012' album". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  76. ↑ "Queen – We Will Rock You [The Rick Rubin "Ruined" Remix]". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  77. ↑ Wisniewski, Dan (14 March 2011). "Queen's "I Want It All/We Will Rock You" Mash-up featured on Sucker Punch Soundtrack". Mxdwn.com. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  78. ↑ "Sucker Punch Soundtrack: Queen "I Want It All"/"We Will Rock You" Mash-Up ft. Armageddon Aka Geddy **mp3**". Rawdrive.com. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  79. ↑ "Queen To Release "We Will Rock You" Mash-Up". Queen Online (Press release). 13 November 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  80. ↑ "CBS to re-mix Queen classic". Newsday. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  81. ↑ "Excision & Downlink - Rock You [FREE DOWNLOAD]". SoundCloud. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  82. ↑ Sterdan, Darryl (22 August 2010). "Teenage Dream". Jam!. Canoe.ca. QMI Agency. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  83. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
  84. ↑ Rainbird, Ashley (18 April 2011). "Lady Gaga to collaborate with Queen guitarist Brian May". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  85. ↑ McCabe, Kathy (2 November 2012). "One Direction's second album Take Me Home reviewed by Kathy McCabe song by song". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  86. ↑ "Ke$ha, Warrior: Review". eMusic. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  87. ↑ Buckley, Jonathan; Ellingham, Mark (1999). Rock: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 883.
  88. ↑ Lehet, Michael (5 May 2010). "Avenue Q responds to Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody". ChicagoNow. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  89. ↑ Wilkening, Matthew (13 March 2012). "The Rock Sings Queen's We Will Rock You on Raw". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  90. ↑ "Indonesia Nazi-themed campaign video sparks outrage". News.com.au. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  91. ↑ Radloff, Jessica (6 October 2015). "This Hilarious Moment From Last Night's The Big Bang Theory Is the Greatest Thing You'll See All Day". Glamour. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
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