Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Song Music Box Pop 70s 80s Retro Vintage Wood Carved USA
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Seller: lasvegasormonaco ✉️ (5,069) 99.7%, Location: Manchester, Take a look at my other items, GB, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 267259342145 Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Song Music Box Pop 70s 80s Retro Vintage Wood Carved USA. "Mandela concert line-up unveiled". 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2011. Blake 2010, p. 268. Blake 2010, p. 174. Blake 2010, p. 173. The Independent. Queen Music Box Bohemian Rhapsody This is a Wooden Music Box. It has the Queen Logo on the inside Once the handled is turned it plays the tune "Bohemian Rhapsody" Delve into the world of rock legends with this Queen logo wooden music box, a must-have for fans of the iconic Bohemian Rhapsody. Celebrating the timeless music of Freddie Mercury and his ensemble, this piece captures the essence of the band's genius and is a tribute to the rich history of UK rock n roll. Crafted in the United Kingdom ensuring its pristine collectability. It's a unique homage to the artists who defined a generation, making it an ideal gift for enthusiasts of the group or a cherished addition to any music memorabilia collection. his vintage Queen Bohemian Rhapsody song music box is a 70s 80s retro piece carved from wood. Perfect for fans of the iconic band, this classic item features a clockwork wind-up mechanism and is a unique addition to any vintage toy collection. The intricate details and nostalgic charm make it a perfect gift for Queen enthusiasts of all ages, This music box is a true collector's item for lovers of Queen. The Dimensions of the box are 65 mm x 40 mm x 50 mm and it weighs 62 grams Sorry about the poor quality photos. They dont do the music justice which looks a lot better in real life Would make an Excellent Present or Collectable Keepsake souvenir A wonderful item for anyone who loves the music of Queen It would be a super addition to any collection, excellent display, practical piece or authentic period prop. In Very good condition for its age Comes from a pet and smoke free home Sorry about the poor quality photos. They don't do the pocket watch justice which looks a lot better in real life Please take a look at my Auctions Bidding always starts a a penny with no reserve if your the only bidder you win it for 1p...Grab a Bargain! In Excellent Condition Would make an Excellent Gift or Collectable Keepsake souvineer of the worlds most famous sheet which is 100 years old in April 1912 Click Here to Check out my other Titanic Coins Bid with Confidence - Check My 100% Positive Feedback from over 4500 Satisfied Customers I have over 10 years of Ebay Selling Experience - So Why Not Treat Yourself? I have got married recently and need to raise funds to meet the costs also we are planning to move into a house together I always combined postage on multiple items Instant Feedback Automatically Left Immediately after Receiving Payment All Items Sent out within 24 hours of Receiving Payment. Overseas Bidders Please Note Surface Mail Delivery Times > Western Europe takes up to 2 weeks, Eastern Europe up to 5 weeks, North America up to 6 weeks, South America, Africa and Asia up to 8 weeks and Australasia up to 12 weeks Thanks for Looking and Best of Luck with the Bidding!! Also if bidding from overseas and you want your item tracked please select the International Signed for Postage Option For that Interesting Conversational Piece, A Birthday Present, Christmas Gift, A Comical Item to Cheer Someone Up or That Unique Perfect Gift for the Person Who has Everything....You Know Where to Look for a Bargain! XXXX - DO NOT CLICK HERE - XXXX Click Here to Add me to Your List of Favourite Sellers If You Have any Questions Please Message me through ebay and I Will Reply ASAP Thanks for Looking and Best of Luck with the Bidding!! I have sold items to coutries such as Afghanistan * Albania * Algeria * American Samoa (US) * Andorra * Angola * Anguilla (GB) * Antigua and Barbuda * Argentina * Armenia * Aruba (NL) * Australia * Austria * Azerbaijan * Bahamas * Bahrain * Bangladesh * Barbados * Belarus * Belgium * Belize * Benin * Bermuda (GB) * Bhutan * Bolivia * Bonaire (NL) * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Botswana * Bouvet Island (NO) * Brazil * British Indian Ocean Territory (GB) * British Virgin Islands (GB) * Brunei * Bulgaria * Burkina Faso * Burundi * Cambodia * Cameroon * Canada * Cape Verde * Cayman Islands (GB) * Central African Republic * Chad * Chile * China * Christmas Island (AU) * Cocos Islands (AU) * Colombia * Comoros * Congo * Democratic Republic of the Congo * Cook Islands (NZ) * Coral Sea Islands Territory (AU) * Costa Rica * Croatia * Cuba * Curaçao (NL) * Cyprus * Czech Republic * Denmark * Djibouti * Dominica * Dominican Republic * East Timor * Ecuador * Egypt * El Salvador * Equatorial Guinea * Eritrea * Estonia * Ethiopia * Falkland Islands (GB) * Faroe Islands (DK) * Fiji Islands * Finland * France * French Guiana (FR) * French Polynesia (FR) * French Southern Lands (FR) * Gabon * Gambia * Georgia * Germany * Ghana * Gibraltar (GB) * Greece * Greenland (DK) * Grenada * Guadeloupe (FR) * Guam (US) * Guatemala * Guernsey (GB) * Guinea * Guinea-Bissau * Guyana * Haiti * Heard and McDonald Islands (AU) * Honduras * Hong Kong (CN) * Hungary * Iceland * India * Indonesia * Iran * Iraq * Ireland * Isle of Man (GB) * Israel * Italy * Ivory Coast * Jamaica * Jan Mayen (NO) * Japan * Jersey (GB) * Jordan * Kazakhstan * Kenya * Kiribati * Kosovo * Kuwait * Kyrgyzstan * Laos * Latvia * Lebanon * Lesotho * Liberia * Libya * Liechtenstein * Lithuania * Luxembourg * Macau (CN) * Macedonia * Madagascar * Malawi * Malaysia * Maldives * Mali * Malta * Marshall Islands * Martinique (FR) * Mauritania * Mauritius * Mayotte (FR) * Mexico * Micronesia * Moldova * Monaco * Mongolia * Montenegro * Montserrat (GB) * Morocco * Mozambique * Myanmar * Namibia * Nauru * Navassa (US) * Nepal * Netherlands * New Caledonia (FR) * New Zealand * Nicaragua * Niger * Nigeria * Niue (NZ) * Norfolk Island (AU) * North Korea * Northern Cyprus * Northern Mariana Islands (US) * Norway * Oman * Pakistan * Palau * Palestinian Authority * Panama * Papua New Guinea * Paraguay * Peru * Philippines * Pitcairn Island (GB) * Poland * Portugal * Puerto Rico (US) * Qatar * Reunion (FR) * Romania * Russia * Rwanda * Saba (NL) * Saint Barthelemy (FR) * Saint Helena (GB) * Saint Kitts and Nevis * Saint Lucia * Saint Martin (FR) * Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FR) * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * Samoa * San Marino * Sao Tome and Principe * Saudi Arabia * Senegal * Serbia * Seychelles * Sierra Leone * Singapore * Sint Eustatius (NL) * Sint Maarten (NL) * Slovakia * Slovenia * Solomon Islands * Somalia * South Africa * South Georgia (GB) * South Korea * South Sudan * Spain * Sri Lanka * Sudan * Suriname * Svalbard (NO) * Swaziland * Sweden * Switzerland * Syria * Taiwan * Tajikistan * Tanzania * Thailand * Togo * Tokelau (NZ) * Tonga * Trinidad and Tobago * Tunisia * Turkey * Turkmenistan * Turks and Caicos Islands (GB) * Tuvalu * U.S. Minor Pacific Islands (US) * U.S. Virgin Islands (US) * Uganda * Ukraine * United Arab Emirates * United Kingdom * United States * Uruguay * Uzbekistan * Vanuatu * Vatican City * Venezuela * Vietnam * Wallis and Futuna (FR) * Yemen * Zambia * Zimbabwe and major cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, New York City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Mexico City, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Manila, Mumbai, Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Kolkata, Cairo, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Shanghai, Karachi, Paris, Istanbul, Nagoya, Beijing, Chicago, London, Shenzhen, Essen, Düsseldorf, Tehran, Bogota, Lima, Bangkok, Johannesburg, East Rand, Chennai, Taipei, Baghdad, Santiago, Bangalore, Hyderabad, St Petersburg, Philadelphia, Lahore, Kinshasa, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Madrid, Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, Fukuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and Accra Queen (band) Article Talk Read View source View history Tools Page semi-protected From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Queen Queen in 1977. From left to right: Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor Queen in 1977. From left to right: Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Brian May, and Roger Taylor Background information Origin London, England Genres Rockpop Discography Queen discography Years active 1970–present Labels EMIParlophoneElektraCapitolHollywoodIslandVirgin EMI Spinoffs Queen + Paul RodgersQueen + Adam Lambert Spinoff of Smile Members Brian May Roger Taylor Past members Freddie Mercury John Deacon See also: Early members Website queenonline.com Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), later joined by John Deacon (bass). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock. Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile. Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name "Queen". Deacon was recruited in February 1971, before the band released their self-titled debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, Queen II, in 1974. Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought them international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which topped the UK singles chart for nine weeks and helped popularise the music video format. The band's 1977 album News of the World contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", which have become anthems at sporting events. By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world. "Another One Bites the Dust" from The Game (1980) became their best-selling single, and their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the UK and is certified 9x Platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Their performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert is ranked among the greatest in rock history by various publications. In August 1986, Mercury gave his last performance with Queen at Knebworth, England. Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. The band released two more albums, The Miracle in 1989 and Innuendo in 1991. On 23 November 1991, Mercury publicly revealed his AIDS diagnosis, and the next day died of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS. One more album was released featuring Mercury's vocals, 1995's Made in Heaven. Deacon retired in 1997, while May and Taylor continued to make sporadic appearances together. Since 2004, they have toured as "Queen +", with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert. Queen have been a global presence in popular culture for more than half a century. Estimates of their record sales range from 250 million to 300 million, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and with each member having composed hit singles, all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, they received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In 2018, they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and they were awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2025. History 1968–1971: Foundations The founding members of Queen met in west London during the late 1960s. Guitarist Brian May had built his own guitar with his father in 1963, and formed the group 1984 (named after Orwell's novel) the following year with singer Tim Staffell.[1] May left the group in early 1968 to focus on his degree in Physics and Infrared Astronomy at Imperial College and find a group that could write original material.[2] He formed the group Smile with Staffell (now playing bass) and keyboardist Chris Smith.[3] To complete the line-up, May placed an advertisement on a college notice board for a "Mitch Mitchell/Ginger Baker type" drummer; Roger Taylor, a young dental student, auditioned and got the job.[4] Smith left the group in early 1969, immediately before a gig at the Royal Albert Hall with Free and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.[5] Queen in 1970. Left to right; Mike Grose (who was the first of the band's three early bass players before John Deacon joined in 1971), Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and Brian May While attending Ealing Art College in west London, Staffell became friends with fellow student Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara, who was from Zanzibar and of Indian Parsi descent.[6][7] Bulsara had studied fashion design for a year before switching to graphic art and design,[8] and soon became a keen fan of Smile. He asked if he could join the group as lead singer, but May felt Staffell would not give up that role.[9] He also ran a stall in Kensington Market with Taylor.[10] PRS for Music heritage award at Prince Consort Road commemorating Queen's first performance in London In 1970, Staffell quit Smile, feeling his interests in soul and R&B clashed with the group's hard rock sound and being fed up with the lack of success. He formed the group Humpy Bong with former Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen.[11] The remaining members accepted Bulsara as lead singer, and recruited Taylor's friend Mike Grose as bassist. The four played their first gig at a fundraising event in Truro on 27 June 1970.[12] Bulsara suggested the group should be renamed to "Queen". The others were uncertain at first, but he said, "it's wonderful, dear, people will love it".[12] At the same time, he decided to change his surname to Mercury, inspired by the line "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me" in the song "My Fairy King".[13] The group played their first London gig on 18 July.[14] The early set consisted of material that later appeared on the first two albums, along with various rock and roll covers, such as Cliff Richard and the Shadows' "Please Don't Tease". They attracted the attention of producer John Anthony, who was interested in the group's sound but thought they had the wrong bass player.[13] After three live gigs, Mike Grose decided not to continue with the band and was replaced by Barry Mitchell (ex Crushed Butler). Mitchell played thirteen gigs with Queen between August 1970 and January 1971.[15] In turn, Mitchell left in January 1971 and was replaced by Doug Bogie for two live gigs.[16] 1971–1974: Queen and Queen II In February 1971, John Deacon joined Queen. In addition to being an experienced bassist, his quiet demeanour complemented the band, and he was skilled in electronics.[17] On 2 July, Queen played their first show with the classic line-up of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon at a Surrey college outside London.[18] May called Terry Yeadon, an engineer at Pye Studios where Smile had recorded, to see if he knew anywhere where Queen could go. Yeadon had since moved to De Lane Lea Studios' new premises in Wembley, and they needed a group to test out the equipment and recording rooms. He tried asking the Kinks but couldn't get hold of them. Therefore, he told Queen they could record some demos in exchange for the studio's acoustic tests.[19] They recorded five of their own songs, "Liar", "Keep Yourself Alive", "Great King Rat", "The Night Comes Down" and "Jesus". During the recording, producers John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker visited the band. The two were taken with "Keep Yourself Alive" and began promoting the band to several record companies.[20] Queen guitar (right, next to a Rolling Stones guitar) at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, marking a 31 October 1970 Queen concert at the venue Promoter Ken Testi managed to attract the interest of Charisma Records, who offered Queen an advance of around £25,000, but the group turned them down as they realised the label would promote Genesis as a priority. Testi then entered discussions with Trident Studios' Norman Sheffield, who offered the band a management deal under Neptune Productions, a subsidiary of Trident, to manage the band and enable them to use their facilities, while the management searched for a deal. This suited both parties, as Trident were expanding into management, and under the deal, Queen were able to make use of the hi-tech recording facilities used by signed musicians.[21] Taylor later described these early off-peak studio hours as "gold dust".[22] Queen began 1972 with a gig at Bedford College, London where only six people turned up. After a few more shows, they stopped live performances for eight months to work on the album with Anthony and Baker.[21] During the sessions at Trident, they saw David Bowie with the Spiders from Mars live and realised they needed to make an impact with the album, otherwise they would be left behind.[23] Co-producers Anthony and Baker initially clashed with the band (May in particular) on the direction of the album, bringing the band's inexperience in the studio to bear.[24] The band's fighting centered around their efforts to integrate technical perfection with the reality of live performances, leading to what Baker referred to as "kitchen sink overproduction".[25] The resulting album was a mix of heavy metal and progressive rock.[24] The group were unhappy with the re-recording of "The Night Comes Down", so the finished album uses the De Lane Lea demo. Another track, "Mad the Swine" was dropped from the running order after the band and Baker could not agree on a mix.[26] Mike Stone created the final mix for "Keep Yourself Alive", and he went on to work on several other Queen albums.[27] By January 1972, the band finished recording their debut album, but had yet to secure a record contract.[24] In order to attract record company interest, Trident booked a "showcase" gig on 6 November at The Pheasantry, followed by a show at the Marquee Club on 20 December.[28] Queen promoted the unreleased album in February 1973 on BBC Radio 1, still unsigned. The following month, Trident managed to strike a deal with EMI Records. "Keep Yourself Alive" was released as a single on 6 July, with the album Queen appearing a week later. The front cover showed a shot of Mercury live on stage taken by Taylor's friend Douglass Puddifoot. Deacon was credited as "Deacon John" while Taylor used his full name, Roger Meddows-Taylor.[29] The album was received well by critics; Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone called it "superb",[30] and Chicago's Daily Herald called it an "above-average debut".[31] However, it drew little mainstream attention, and "Keep Yourself Alive" sold poorly. Retrospectively, it is cited as the album's highlight, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked it 31st in the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time", describing it as "an entire album's worth of riffs crammed into a single song".[32] The album was certified gold in the UK and the US.[33][34] "The March of the Black Queen" Duration: 29 seconds.0:29 A sample of "The March of the Black Queen" from Queen II (1974). The band's earlier songs (such as this) leaned more towards progressive rock and heavy metal compared to their later work. Problems playing this file? See media help. The group began to record their second album, Queen II in August 1973. Now able to use regular studio time, they decided to make full use of the facilities available. May created a multi-layer guitar introduction "Procession", while Mercury wrote "The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke" based on the painting of the same name by Richard Dadd.[35] The group spent the remainder of the year touring the UK, supporting Mott the Hoople, and began to attract an audience.[36] The tour ended with two shows at the Hammersmith Odeon on 14 December, playing to 7,000 people.[37] In January 1974, Queen played the Sunbury Pop Festival in Australia. They arrived late, and were jeered and taunted by the audience who expected to see home grown acts. Before leaving, Mercury announced, "when we come back to Australia, Queen will be the biggest band in the world!"[38][39] Queen II was released in March, and features Mick Rock's iconic Dietrich-inspired image of the band on the cover.[40] This image would later be used as the basis for "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video production.[41][42] The album reached number five on the British album chart and became the first Queen album to chart in the UK. The Mercury-written lead single "Seven Seas of Rhye" reached number 10 in the UK, giving the band their first hit.[43] The album featured a 'layered' sound which would become their signature, and features long complex instrumental passages, fantasy-themed lyrics, and instrumental virtuosity.[44][45] Aside from its only single, the album also included the song "The March of the Black Queen", a six-minute epic which lacks a chorus.[46] Critical reaction was mixed; the Winnipeg Free Press, while praising the band's debut album, described Queen II as an "over-produced monstrosity".[47] AllMusic has described the album as a favourite among the band's hardcore fans,[48] and it is the first of three Queen albums to feature in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[49] The group ended their early 1974 UK tour with a show at the Rainbow Theatre on 31 March. Mercury chose to a wear a Zandra Rhodes-designed tunic for the gig, changing into a slashed black top midway through the show.[50] 1974–1976: Sheer Heart Attack to A Night at the Opera In May 1974, a month into the band's first US tour opening for Mott the Hoople, May collapsed and was diagnosed with hepatitis, forcing the cancellation of their remaining dates.[44] May was still absent when the band started work on their third album, but he returned midway through the recording process.[51] Released in 1974, Sheer Heart Attack reached number two in the UK,[52] sold well throughout Europe, and went gold in the US.[34] It gave the band their first real experience of international success, and was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.[53] The album experimented with a variety of musical genres, including British music hall, heavy metal, ballads, ragtime, and Caribbean. May's "Now I'm Here" documented the group's curtailed American tour, and "Brighton Rock" served as a vehicle for his regular on-stage solo guitar spot. Deacon wrote his first song for the group, "Misfire", while the live favourite "Stone Cold Crazy" was credited to the whole band. Mercury wrote the closing number, "In the Lap of the Gods", with the intention that the audience could sing along to the chorus when played live. This would be repeated later on, more successfully, in songs such as "We Are the Champions.[54] Queen performed "Killer Queen" at BBC Television Centre (pictured) on the music chart show Top of the Pops in December 1974. This was their second appearance on the show; their previous (performing "Seven Seas of Rhye") brought them overnight fame.[55] The single "Killer Queen" was written by Mercury about a high-class prostitute.[56] It reached number two on the British charts,[33] and became their first US hit, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[57] The song was partly recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.[58] With Mercury playing the grand piano, it combines camp, vaudeville, and British music hall with May's guitar. "Now I'm Here" was released as the second single, reached number eleven.[59] In 2006, Classic Rock ranked Sheer Heart Attack number 28 in "The 100 Greatest British Rock Albums Ever",[60] and in 2007, Mojo ranked it No.88 in "The 100 Records That Changed the World".[61] It is also the second of three Queen albums to feature in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[49] In January 1975, Queen left for a world tour with an upgraded light show. They toured the US as headliners, and played in Canada for the first time.[62] Several dates were cancelled after Mercury contracted laryngitis.[63] The band then toured Japan from mid-April to the beginning of May. They were greeted by thousands of screaming fans, and played eight times in seven cities.[64][65] Despite the success, Queen were still tied to the original Trident deal and wages. They were all living in relative poverty in bedsits, and Deacon was refused money for a deposit on a house. EMI contacted lawyer Jim Beach, who tried to find a way of extracting them from their contract. Trident complained that they had invested £200,000 in Queen and wanted their money back first.[66] In August, after an acrimonious split with Trident, the band negotiated themselves out of their contract and searched for new management.[67] One of the options they considered was an offer from Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, who wanted them to sign with Led Zeppelin's own production company, Swan Song Records. The band were concerned about being a lower priority than Zeppelin and Bad Company (also signed to Swan Song) and instead contacted Elton John's manager, John Reid, who accepted the position.[67][68] Reid's first instruction to the band was "I'll take care of the business; you make the best record you can".[69] Queen started work on their fourth album A Night at the Opera, taking its name from the popular Marx Brothers movie. At the time, it was the most expensive album ever produced, costing £40,000 and using three different studios.[70] Like its predecessor, the album features diverse musical styles and experimentation with stereo sound. Mercury wrote the opening song "Death on Two Legs", a savage dig at perceived wrongdoers (and later dedicated to Trident in concert)[71][62] and the camp vaudeville "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" and "Seaside Rendezvous".[71] May's "The Prophet's Song" was an eight-minute epic; the middle section is a canon, with simple phrases layered to create a full-choral sound. The Mercury penned ballad, "Love of My Life", featured a harp and overdubbed vocal harmonies.[72] He knew exactly what he was doing. It was Freddie's baby. We just helped him bring it to life. We realized we'd look odd trying to mime such a hugely complex thing on TV. It had to be presented in some other way. —Brian May on Mercury writing "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the groundbreaking music video.[73] The best-known song on the album, "Bohemian Rhapsody", originated from pieces of music that Mercury had written at Ealing College. Mercury played a run-through of the track on piano in his flat to Baker, stopping suddenly to announce, "This is where the opera section comes in".[74] When the rest of the band started recording the song they were unsure as to how it would be pieced together. After recording the backing track, Baker left a 30-second section of tape to add the operatic vocals. Reportedly, 180 overdubs were used, to the extent that the original tape wore thin.[74] EMI initially refused to release the single, thinking it too long, and demanded a radio edit which Queen refused. Mercury's close friend and advisor, Capital London radio DJ Kenny Everett, played a pivotal role in giving the single exposure.[75] He was given a promotional copy on the condition he didn't play it, but ended up doing so fourteen times over a single weekend.[76] Capital's switchboard was overwhelmed with callers inquiring when the song would be released.[75] With EMI forced to release "Bohemian Rhapsody" due to public demand, the single reached number one in the UK for nine weeks.[33][77] It is the third-best-selling single of all time in the UK, surpassed only by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997", and is the best-selling commercial single (i.e. not for charity) in the UK. It also reached number nine in the US (a 1992 re-release reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks).[57] It is the only single ever to sell a million copies on two separate occasions,[78] and became the Christmas number one twice in the UK, the only single ever to do so. It has also been voted the greatest song of all time in three different polls.[79][80][81] "Bohemian Rhapsody" was promoted with a music video directed by Bruce Gowers, who had already shot several of Queen's live concerts. The group wanted a video so they could avoid appearing on the BBC's Top of the Pops, which would clash with tour dates, and it would have looked strange miming to such a complex song.[82] Filmed at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, the video cost £3,500, five times the typical promotional budget, and was shot in three hours. The operatic section featured a reprise of the Queen II cover, with the band member's heads animated.[77][83] On the impact of the "Bohemian Rhapsody" promotional video, Rolling Stone states: "Its influence cannot be overstated, practically inventing the music video seven years before MTV went on the air."[84] Ranking it number 31 on their list of the 50 key events in rock music history, The Guardian stated it "ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music".[85] Radio broadcaster Tommy Vance states, "It became the first record to be pushed into the forefront by virtue of a video. Queen were certainly the first band to create a 'concept' video. The video captured the musical imagery perfectly. You cannot hear that music without seeing the visuals in your mind's eye."[87] A Night at the Opera was very successful in the UK,[33] and went triple platinum in the United States.[34] The British public voted it the 13th-greatest album of all time in a 2004 Channel 4 poll.[88] It has also ranked highly in international polls; in a worldwide Guinness poll, it was voted the 19th-greatest of all time,[89] and an ABC poll saw the Australian public vote it the 28th-greatest of all time.[90] A Night at the Opera has frequently appeared in "greatest albums" lists reflecting the opinions of critics. Among other accolades, it was ranked number 16 in Q magazine's "The 50 Best British Albums Ever" in 2004, a poll done in collaboration with British music and entertainment retailer HMV.[91] It was also placed at number 230 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.[92] A Night at the Opera is the third and final Queen album to be featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[49] The second single from the album was Deacon's "You're My Best Friend", which peaked at number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot 100,[57] and went on to become a worldwide top-ten hit.[78] The band's A Night at the Opera Tour began in November 1975, and covered Europe, the US, Japan, and Australia.[93] On 24 December, Queen played a special concert at the Hammersmith Odeon which was broadcast live on the BBC show The Old Grey Whistle Test, with the audio being later broadcast on BBC Radio 1. It became one of the band's most popular bootleg recordings for decades before being officially released in 2015.[94] 1976–1979: A Day at the Races to Live Killers By 1976, Queen were back in the studio recording A Day at the Races, which is often regarded as a sequel album to A Night at the Opera.[95][96] It again borrowed the name of a Marx Brothers movie, and its cover was similar to that of A Night at the Opera, a variation on the same Queen logo.[97] The most recognisable of the Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, invited Queen to visit him in his Los Angeles home in March 1977; there the band thanked him in person, and performed "'39" a cappella.[98] Baker did not return to produce the album; instead the band self-produced with assistance from Mike Stone, who performed several of the backing vocals.[99] The major hit on the album was "Somebody to Love", a gospel-inspired song in which Mercury, May, and Taylor multi-tracked their voices to create a gospel choir.[100] The song went to number two in the UK,[33] and number thirteen in the US.[57] The album also featured one of the band's heaviest songs, May's "Tie Your Mother Down", which became a staple of their live shows.[101][102] Musically, A Day at the Races was by both fans' and critics' standards a strong effort, reaching number one in the UK and Japan, and number five in the US.[33][97] Queen played a landmark gig on 18 September 1976, a free concert in Hyde Park, London, organised by the entrepreneur Richard Branson.[103] It set an attendance record at the park, with 150,000 people confirmed in the audience.[103][104] Queen were late arriving onstage and ran out of time to play an encore; the police informed Mercury that he would be arrested if he attempted to go on stage again.[96] May enjoyed the gig particularly, as he had been to see previous concerts at the park, such as the first one organised by Blackhill Enterprises in 1968, featuring Pink Floyd.[105] Queen press photo in early 1977 in promotion of News of the World On 1 December 1976, Queen were the intended guests on London's early evening Today programme, but they pulled out at the last-minute, which saw their late replacement on the show, EMI labelmate the Sex Pistols, give their infamous expletive-strewn interview with Bill Grundy.[106][107] During the A Day at the Races Tour in 1977, Queen performed sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, New York, in February, supported by Thin Lizzy, and Mercury and Taylor socialised with that group's leader Phil Lynott.[108] They ended the tour with two concerts at Earls Court, London, in June, which commemorated the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and at the cost of £50,000 the band used a lighting rig in the shape of a crown for the first time.[109][110][111] The band's sixth studio album News of the World was released in 1977, which has gone four times platinum in the US, and twice in the UK.[34] The album contained many songs tailor-made for live performance, including two of rock's most recognisable anthems, "We Will Rock You" and the rock ballad "We Are the Champions", both of which became enduring international sports anthems, and the latter reached number four in the US.[57][112] Queen commenced the News of the World Tour in November 1977, and Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times called this concert tour the band's "most spectacularly staged and finely honed show".[113] During the tour they sold out another two shows at MSG, and in 1978 they received the Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award for passing more than 100,000 unit ticket sales at the venue.[114] l-r: John Deacon, Brian May, and Freddie Mercury seen live in 1978 Queen in New Haven, Connecticut in November 1977 In 1978, Queen released Jazz, which reached number two in the UK and number six on the Billboard 200 in the US.[115] The album included the hit singles "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" on a double-sided record. Critical reviews of the album in the years since its release have been more favourable than initial reviews.[116][117] Another notable track from Jazz, "Don't Stop Me Now", provides another example of the band's exuberant vocal harmonies.[118] In 1978, Queen toured the US and Canada, and spent much of 1979 touring in Europe and Japan.[119] They released their first live album, Live Killers, in 1979; it went platinum twice in the US.[120] Queen also released the very successful single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", a rockabilly inspired song done in the style of Elvis Presley.[121][122] The song made the top 10 in many countries, topped the Australian ARIA Charts for seven consecutive weeks, and was the band's first number one single in the US where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.[57][123] Having written the song on guitar and played rhythm on the record, Mercury played rhythm guitar when performing the song live, the first time he ever played guitar in concert.[122] On 26 December 1979, Queen played the opening night at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea in London, having accepted a request by the event's organiser, Paul McCartney.[122] The concert was the last date of their Crazy Tour of London.[124] 1980–1982: The Game, Hot Space and stadium tours Queen began their 1980s career with The Game. It featured the singles "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust", both of which reached number one in the US.[57] After attending a Queen concert in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson suggested to Mercury backstage that "Another One Bites the Dust" be released as a single, and in October 1980 it spent three weeks at number one.[125] The album topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks,[126] and sold over four million copies in the US.[34] It was also the first appearance of a synthesiser on a Queen album. Heretofore, their albums featured a distinctive "No Synthesisers!" sleeve note. The note is widely assumed to reflect an anti-synth, pro-"hard"-rock stance by the band,[127] but was later revealed by producer Roy Thomas Baker to be an attempt to clarify that those albums' multi-layered solos were created with guitars, not synths, as record company executives kept assuming at the time.[128] In September 1980, Queen performed three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden.[42] In 1980, Queen also released the soundtrack they had recorded for Flash Gordon.[130] At the 1981 American Music Awards in January, "Another One Bites the Dust" won the award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, and Queen were nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group.[131] In February 1981, Queen travelled to South America as part of The Game Tour, and became the first rock band outside the Americas to play stadiums in Latin America.[132] On playing the concerts, Classic Rock magazine states, "They were under the spotlight from all quarters, as the entire music industry waited to see if their ambitious plans would bear fruit".[132] Tom Pinnock in the March 1981 issue of Melody Maker wrote, Queen chalked up a major international "first" by becoming the band to do for popular music in South America what The Beatles did for North America 17 years ago. Half a million Argentinians and Brazilians, starved of appearances of top British or American bands at their peak, gave Queen a heroic welcome which changed the course of pop history in this uncharted territory of the world rock map. The ecstatic young people saw eight Queen concerts at giant stadia, while many more millions saw the shows on TV and heard the radio broadcasts live.[133] Queen played to over 250,000 over two concerts at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil during the South American part of The Game Tour The band with Argentine footballer Diego Maradona (middle) at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires The tour included five shows in Argentina, one of which drew the largest single concert crowd in Argentine history with an audience of 300,000 in Buenos Aires[134] and two concerts at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, Brazil, where they played to more than 131,000 people in the first night (then the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world)[135] and more than 120,000 people the following night.[136] A region then largely ruled by military dictatorships, the band were greeted with scenes of fan-fever, and the promoter of their first shows at the Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires was moved to say: "For music in Argentina, this has been a case of before the war and after the war. Queen have liberated this country, musically speaking."[133] The group's second show at Vélez Sarsfield was broadcast on national television and watched by over 30 million. Backstage, they were introduced to footballer Diego Maradona.[137] Topping the charts in Brazil and Argentina, the ballad "Love of My Life" stole the show in South American concerts. Mercury would stop singing and would then conduct the audience as they took over, with Lesley-Ann Jones writing "the fans knew the song by heart. Their English was word-perfect."[138] Later that year Queen performed for more than 150,000 on 9 October at Monterrey (Estadio Universitario) and 17 and 18 at Puebla (Estadio Zaragoza), Mexico.[139] Though the gigs were successful, they were marred by a lack of planning and suitable facilities, with audiences throwing projectiles on stage. Mercury finished the final gig saying, "Adios, amigos, you mfkers!"[140] On 24 and 25 November, Queen played two nights at the Montreal Forum, Quebec, Canada.[141] One of Mercury's most notable performances of The Game's final track, "Save Me", took place in Montreal, and the concert is recorded in the live album, Queen Rock Montreal.[142] Queen worked with David Bowie on the 1981 single "Under Pressure". The first-time collaboration with another artist was spontaneous, as Bowie happened to drop by the studio while Queen were recording. Mercury and Bowie recorded their vocals on the track separately to each other, each coming up with individual ideas. The song topped the UK charts.[143] In October, Queen released their first compilation album, titled Greatest Hits, which showcased the group's highlights from 1974 to 1981.[144] The best-selling album in UK chart history, it is the only album to sell over seven million copies in the UK.[145] As of July 2022, it has spent over 1000 weeks in the UK Album Chart.[146][147] According to The Telegraph, approximately one in three families in the UK own a copy.[148] The album is certified nine times platinum in the US.[34] As of August 2024, it has spent over 600 weeks on the US Billboard 200.[149] Greatest Hits has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.[150] We moved out to Munich to isolate ourselves from normal life so we could focus on the music. We all ended up in a place that was rather unhealthy. A difficult period. We weren't getting along together. We all had different agendas. It was a difficult time for me, personally – some dark moments. — May on the recording of Hot Space during a difficult period for the band.[151] In 1982, the band released the album Hot Space, a departure from their trademark seventies sound, this time being a mixture of pop rock, dance, disco, funk, and R&B.[152] Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history.[153] Mercury and Deacon enjoyed the new soul and funk influences, but Taylor and May were less favourable, and were critical of the influence Mercury's personal manager Paul Prenter had on him.[154] According to Mack, Queen's producer, Prenter loathed rock music and was in Mercury's ear throughout the Hot Space sessions.[155] May was also scathing of Prenter—Mercury's manager from 1977 to 1984—for being dismissive of the importance of radio stations and their vital connection between the artist and the community, and for denying them access to Mercury.[156] May states, "this guy, in the course of one tour, told every record station to f**k off".[155] Queen roadie Peter Hince wrote "None of the band cared for him [Prenter], apart from Freddie", with Hince regarding Mercury's favouring of Prenter as an act of "misguided loyalty".[155] During the Munich sessions, Mercury spent time with Mack and his family, becoming godfather to Mack's first child.[157] Q magazine would list Hot Space as one of the top fifteen albums where great rock acts lost the plot.[158] Though the album confused some fans with the change of musical direction, it still reached number 4 in the UK.[159] Queen performing in Norway during the Hot Space Tour in 1982 Queen toured to promote Hot Space, but found some audience unreceptive to the new material. At a gig in Frankfurt, Mercury told some people heckling the new material, "If you don't want to listen to it, go home!"[160] Former Mott the Hoople keyboardist Morgan Fisher joined as an additional touring member.[161] Shows were planned at Arsenal Stadium and Old Trafford, but these were cancelled as Pope John Paul II was touring Britain, leading to a lack of available outdoor facilities such as toilets. The gigs were moved to the Milton Keynes Bowl and Elland Road, Leeds instead. The Milton Keynes concert was filmed by Tyne Tees Television and later released on DVD.[159] On 14 and 15 September 1982, the band performed their last two gigs in the US with Mercury on lead vocals, playing at The Forum in Inglewood, California.[162] Fisher was replaced as touring keyboardist by Fred Mandel for the North American shows.[163] The band stopped touring North America after their Hot Space Tour, as their success there had waned, although they performed on American television for the only time during the eighth-season premiere of Saturday Night Live on 25 September of the same year;[164] it became the final public performance of the band in North America before the death of their frontman. Their fall in popularity in the US has been partially attributed to homophobia:[165] Mikal Gilmore for Rolling Stone writes, "At some shows on the band's 1980 American tour, fans tossed disposable razor blades onstage: They didn't like this identity of Mercury—what they perceived as a brazenly gay rock & roll hero—and they wanted him to shed it."[166] The group finished the year with a Japanese tour.[167] 1983–1984: The Works After the Hot Space Tour concluded with a concert at Seibu Lions Stadium in Tokorozawa, Japan in November 1982, Queen decided they would take a significant amount of time off. May later said at that point, "we hated each other for a while".[167] The band reconvened nine months later to begin recording a new album at the Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles and Musicland Studios, Munich.[168] Several members of the band also explored side projects and solo work. Taylor released his second solo album, Strange Frontier. May released the mini-album Star Fleet Project, collaborating with Eddie Van Halen.[169] Queen left Elektra Records, their label in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, and signed onto EMI/Capitol Records.[155] Queen on stage in Frankfurt, West Germany in 1984 In February 1984, Queen released their eleventh studio album, The Works. Hit singles included "Radio Ga Ga", which makes a nostalgic defence of the radio format, "Hammer to Fall" and "I Want to Break Free".[170][171] Rolling Stone hailed the album as "the Led Zeppelin II of the eighties."[155] In the UK The Works went triple platinum and remained in the albums chart for two years.[172] The album failed to do well in the US, where, in addition to issues with their new record label Capitol Records (who had recently severed ties with their independent promotions teams due to a government report on payola),[155] the cross-dressing video for "I Want to Break Free", a spoof of the British soap opera Coronation Street, proved controversial and was banned by MTV.[173] The concept of the video came from Roger Taylor via a suggestion from his girlfriend.[155] He told Q magazine: "We had done some really serious, epic videos in the past, and we just thought we'd have some fun. We wanted people to know that we didn't take ourselves too seriously, that we could still laugh at ourselves."[174] Director of the video David Mallet said Mercury was reluctant to do it, commenting "it was a hell of a job to get him out of the dressing room".[155] That year, Queen began The Works Tour, the first tour to feature keyboardist Spike Edney as an extra live musician. The tour featured nine sold-out dates in October in Bophuthatswana, South Africa, at the arena in Sun City.[175][176] Upon returning to England, they were the subject of outrage, having played in South Africa during the height of apartheid and in violation of worldwide divestment efforts and a United Nations cultural boycott. The band responded to the critics by stating that they were playing music for fans in South Africa, and they also stressed that the concerts were played before integrated audiences.[177] Queen donated to a school for the deaf and blind as a philanthropic gesture but were fined by the British Musicians' Union and placed on the United Nations' blacklisted artists.[178] In 2021, Taylor voiced his regret for the decision to perform at Sun City, saying that "we went with the best intentions, but I still think it was kind of a mistake."[179] 1985–1986: Live Aid, A Kind of Magic and tours In January 1985, Queen headlined two nights of the first Rock in Rio festival at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and played in front of over 300,000 people each night.[180] The Boston Globe described it as a "mesmerising performance".[181] Highlights from both nights were released on VHS as Queen: Live in Rio, which was broadcast on MTV in the US.[181][182] In April and May 1985, Queen completed the Works Tour with sold-out shows in Australia and Japan.[183] Queen were absolutely the best band of the day ... they just went and smashed one hit after another ... it was the perfect stage for Freddie: the whole world. —Bob Geldof, on Queen's performance at Live Aid.[184] At Live Aid, held at Wembley on 13 July 1985, in front of the biggest-ever TV audience of an estimated 400 million, Queen performed some of their greatest hits. Many of the sold-out stadium audience of 72,000 people clapped, sang, and swayed in unison.[185][186] The show's organisers, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure; other musicians such as Elton John and Cliff Richard; and journalists writing for the BBC, CNN, Rolling Stone, MTV, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, among others, described Queen as the highlight.[187][188][189] Interviewed backstage, Roger Waters stated: "Everybody's been buzzing about Queen that I've run into. They had everybody completely spellbound."[190] An industry poll in 2005 ranked it the greatest rock performance of all time.[187][191] Mercury's powerful, sustained note—"Aaaaaay-o"—during the call-and-response a cappella segment came to be known as "The Note Heard Round the World".[192][193] The band were revitalised by the response to Live Aid—a "shot in the arm" Roger Taylor called it—and the ensuing increase in record sales.[194] In 1986 Mercury commented: "From our perspective, the fact that Live Aid happened when it did was really lucky. It came out of nowhere to save us. For sure that was a turning point. Maybe you could say that in the history of Queen, it was a really special moment."[195] Queen ended 1985 by releasing the single "One Vision" and a limited-edition boxed set of Queen albums, The Complete Works. The package included the 1984 Christmas single "Thank God It's Christmas" and previously unreleased material.[196] In early 1986, Queen recorded the album A Kind of Magic, containing several reworkings of songs written for the fantasy action film Highlander.[197] The album was successful in the UK, West Germany and several other countries, producing a string of hits including "A Kind of Magic", "Friends Will Be Friends", "Princes of the Universe" and "Who Wants to Live Forever"; the latter featuring an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. The album was less successful in North America, reaching 46 in the US, and was described by biographer Mark Blake as "a so-so album" and "a somewhat uneven listening experience".[198] In 2007, Classic Rock ranked it the 28th greatest soundtrack album of all time.[199] Mercury's yellow military jacket (one of three designed by Diana Moseley) worn during the 1986 Magic Tour In mid-1986, Queen went on the Magic Tour, their final tour with Mercury.[200] They once again hired Spike Edney.[201][202] Queen began the tour at the Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, and later performed a concert at Slane Castle, Ireland, in front of an audience of 95,000, which broke the venue's attendance record.[203] The band also played behind the Iron Curtain when they performed to a crowd of 80,000 at the Népstadion in Budapest (released in the concert film Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest), in what was one of the biggest rock concerts ever held in Eastern Europe.[204] More than one million people saw Queen on the tour—400,000 in the UK alone, a record at the time.[176] The Magic Tour's highlight was at Wembley Stadium and resulted in the live double album Queen at Wembley, released on CD and as a live concert VHS/DVD, which has gone five times platinum in the US and four times platinum in the UK.[34][205] The demand for tickets saw extra dates added to the tour, with concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith stating "they seem to have an endless market."[206] Queen could not book Wembley for a third night, but played at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire on 9 August. The show sold out within two hours and over 120,000 fans packed the park for what was Queen's final performance with Mercury.[207][208] At the end of the concert the band appeared on stage for the final time to an encore of "God Save the Queen", with Mercury, in his crown and gown, bidding the crowd "goodnight and sweet dreams".[206] Roadie Peter Hince states, "At Knebworth, I somehow felt it was going to be the last for all of us"; Brian May recalled Mercury saying "I'm not going to be doing this forever. This is probably the last time."[155] 1988–1992: The Miracle, Innuendo and Mercury's final years There was all that time when we knew Freddie was on the way out, we kept our heads down. —Brian May[209] In October 1986, two months after his final concert, Mercury, on his return to London from holiday, was confronted by a tabloid frenzy at Heathrow Airport with the British newspapers the News of the World and The Sun reporting he had his blood tested for HIV/AIDS at a Harley Street clinic, but Mercury was quoted as saying he was "perfectly fit and healthy".[206] Fans noticed his increasingly gaunt appearance in 1988, with Mercury insisting he was merely "exhausted" and too busy to provide interviews; he was now 42 years old and had been involved in music for nearly two decades.[210] He had in fact been diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987, but did not make his illness public, with only his inner circle of colleagues and friends aware of his condition.[209] Queen recorded six studio albums at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland from 1978 to 1995, with Mercury making his final recording here in June 1991. The tribute wall in the studio. The free tour, Queen: The Studio Experience, was opened in December 2013, with fans asked for a donation to the Mercury Phoenix Trust charity.[211] After working on various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury's collaboration with Montserrat Caballé, Barcelona), the band released The Miracle in 1989. The album continued the direction of A Kind of Magic, using a pop-rock sound mixed with a few heavy numbers. It spawned the hit singles "I Want It All"—which became an anti-apartheid anthem in South Africa—"Scandal", and "The Miracle".[212][213] The Miracle also began a change in direction of Queen's songwriting philosophy. Beforehand, nearly all songs had been written by and credited to a single member. With The Miracle, their songwriting became more collaborative, and they vowed to credit the final product only to Queen as a group.[214] In 1990, Queen ended their contract with Capitol and signed with Hollywood Records; through the deal, Disney acquired the North American distribution rights to Queen's catalogue for $10 million, and remains the group's music catalogue owner and distributor in the US and Canada; the band retained ownership of the global rights through the UK-based Queen Productions Ltd.[215][216] In February that year, Mercury made what would prove to be his final public appearance when he joined the rest of Queen onstage at the Dominion Theatre in London to collect the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.[217] Their fourteenth studio album, Innuendo, was released in early 1991 with "Innuendo" and other charting singles released later in the year. The music video for "The Show Must Go On" featured archive footage of Queen's performances between 1981 and 1989, and along with the manner of the song's lyrics, fuelled reports that Mercury was dying.[218][219] Mercury was increasingly ill and could barely walk when the band recorded "The Show Must Go On" in 1990. Because of this, May had concerns about whether he was physically capable of singing it, but May recalled that he "completely killed it".[220] The rest of the band were ready to record when Mercury felt able to come into the studio, for an hour or two at a time. May says of Mercury: "He just kept saying. 'Write me more. Write me stuff. I want to just sing this and do it and when I am gone you can finish it off.' He had no fear, really."[211] The band's second-greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits II, followed in October 1991; it is the tenth best-selling album in the UK,[221] the seventh best-selling album in Germany,[222] is certified Diamond in France where it is one of the best-selling albums,[223] and has sold 16 million copies worldwide.[224][225] Following Mercury's death on 24 November 1991, his tribute concert was held at the original Wembley Stadium in London on 20 April 1992, the same venue where Queen performed at Live Aid in July 1985 On 23 November 1991, in a prepared statement made on his deathbed, Mercury confirmed that he had AIDS.[226] Within 24 hours of the statement, he died of bronchial pneumonia, which was brought on as a complication of the disease.[227] His funeral service on 27 November in Kensal Green, West London was private, and held in accordance with the Zoroastrian religious faith of his family.[228][229] "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single shortly after Mercury's death, with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" as the double A-side. The music video for the latter contains Mercury's final scenes in front of the camera. Ron Hart of Rolling Stone wrote, "the conga-driven synth ballad "These Are the Days of Our Lives" is Innuendo's most significant single, given that its video marked the last time his fans were able to see the singer alive."[230] The video was recorded on 30 May 1991 (which proved to be Mercury's final work with Queen).[231] The single went to number one in the UK, remaining there for five weeks—the only recording to top the Christmas chart twice and the only one to be number one in four different years (1975, 1976, 1991, and 1992).[232] Initial proceeds from the single—approximately £1,000,000—were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust, an AIDS charity.[233] Queen's popularity was stimulated in North America when "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in the 1992 comedy film Wayne's World.[234] Its inclusion helped the song reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992 (including its 1976 chart run, it remained in the Hot 100 for a combined 41 weeks),[234] and won the band an MTV Award at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.[235] The compilation album Classic Queen also reached number four on the Billboard 200, and is certified three times platinum in the US.[34][234] Wayne's World footage was used to make a new music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody", with which the band and management were delighted.[236] On 20 April 1992, The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was held at London's Wembley Stadium to a crowd of 72,000.[237] Performers, including Def Leppard, Robert Plant, Tony Iommi, Roger Daltrey, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, David Bowie, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Seal, Extreme, and Metallica performed various Queen songs along with the three remaining Queen members (and Spike Edney.) The concert is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as "The largest rock star benefit concert",[238] as it was televised to over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide,[176] and raised over £20,000,000 for AIDS charities.[233] 1995–2003: Made in Heaven to 46664 Concert Statue of Mercury overlooking Lake Geneva in Montreux, Switzerland Queen's last album with Mercury, titled Made in Heaven, was released in 1995, four years after his death.[239] Featuring tracks such as "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Heaven for Everyone", it was constructed from Mercury's final recordings in 1991, material left over from their previous studio albums and re-worked material from May, Taylor, and Mercury's solo albums. The album also featured the song "Mother Love", the last vocal recording Mercury made, which he completed using a drum machine, over which May, Taylor and Deacon later added the instrumental track.[240] After completing the penultimate verse, Mercury had told the band he "wasn't feeling that great" and stated, "I will finish it when I come back, next time". Mercury never returned to the studio afterwards, leaving May to record the final verse of the song.[211] Both stages of recording, before and after Mercury's death, were completed at the band's studio in Montreux, Switzerland.[241] The album reached number one in the UK following its release, their ninth number one album, and sold 20 million copies worldwide.[242][243] On 25 November 1996, a statue of Mercury was unveiled in Montreux overlooking Lake Geneva, almost five years to the day since his death.[241][244] You guys should go out and play again. It must be like having a Ferrari in the garage waiting for a driver. —Elton John, on Queen being without a lead singer since the death of Freddie Mercury.[245] In 1997, Queen returned to the studio to record "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)", a song dedicated to Mercury and all those who die too soon.[246] It was released as a bonus track on the Queen Rocks compilation album later that year, and features in Greatest Hits III.[247] In January 1997, Queen performed "The Show Must Go On" live with Elton John and the Béjart Ballet in Paris on a night Mercury was remembered, and it marked the last performance and public appearance of John Deacon, who chose to retire.[248] The Paris concert was only the second time Queen had played live since Mercury's death, prompting Elton John to urge them to perform again.[245] Brian May and Roger Taylor performed together at several award ceremonies and charity concerts, sharing vocals with various guest singers. During this time, they were billed as Queen + followed by the guest singer's name. In 1998, the duo appeared at Luciano Pavarotti's benefit concert with May performing "Too Much Love Will Kill You" with Pavarotti, later playing "Radio Ga Ga", "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions" with Zucchero. They again attended and performed at Pavarotti's benefit concert in Modena, Italy in May 2003.[249] Several of the guest singers recorded new versions of Queen's hits under the Queen + name, such as Robbie Williams providing vocals for "We Are the Champions" for the soundtrack of A Knight's Tale (2001).[250] Queen's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6358 Hollywood Boulevard In November 1999, Greatest Hits III was released. This featured, among others, "Queen + Wyclef Jean" on a rap version of "Another One Bites the Dust". A live version of "Somebody to Love" by George Michael and a live version of "The Show Must Go On" with Elton John were also featured in the album.[251] By this point, Queen's vast amount of record sales made them the second-bestselling artist in the UK of all time, behind the Beatles.[243] In November 2000, the band released the box set, The Platinum Collection. It is certified seven times platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the US.[252][253] On 18 October 2002, Queen were awarded the 2,207th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for their work in the music industry, which is located at 6358 Hollywood Blvd.[254] On 29 November 2003, May and Taylor performed at the 46664 Concert hosted by Nelson Mandela at Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.[255] A new song, "Invincible Hope", featuring Mandela's speech and credited to Queen + Nelson Mandela, was performed during the concert and later released on the 46664: One Year On EP.[256] During that period May and Taylor spent time at Mandela's home, discussing how Africa's problems might be approached, and two years later the band were made ambassadors for the 46664 cause.[255] 2004–2009: Queen + Paul Rodgers Main article: Queen + Paul Rodgers l-r:Paul Rodgers, Roger Taylor, and Brian May live in 2005 for the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour Queen performing with Paul Rodgers during their 2005 tour At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005 with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company). Brian May's website also stated that Rodgers would be "featured with" Queen as "Queen + Paul Rodgers", not replacing Mercury.[257] In November 2004, Queen were among the inaugural inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and the award ceremony was the first event at which Rodgers joined May and Taylor as vocalist.[255] Between 2005 and 2006, Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a world tour, which was the first time Queen toured since their last tour with Freddie Mercury in 1986.[258] Taylor said: "We never thought we would tour again, Paul came along by chance and we seemed to have a chemistry. Paul is just such a great singer. He's not trying to be Freddie."[258] The first leg was in Europe, the second in Japan, and the third in the US in 2006.[259] Queen received the inaugural VH1 Rock Honors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 25 May 2006.[260] Foo Fighters performed "Tie Your Mother Down" to open the ceremony before being joined on stage by May, Taylor, and Rodgers, who played a selection of Queen hits.[261] Queen + Paul Rodgers concert in Kharkiv's Freedom Square, Ukraine, 12 September 2008 Queen + Paul Rodgers performed at the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute held in Hyde Park, London on 27 June 2008, to commemorate Mandela's ninetieth birthday, and again promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.[262] The first Queen + Paul Rodgers album, titled The Cosmos Rocks, was released in Europe on 12 September 2008 and in the US on 28 October 2008.[242] The band again toured Europe, opening on Kharkiv's Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans;[263] the concert was released on DVD.[263] The tour then moved to Russia, and the band performed two sold-out shows at the Moscow Arena.[264] Having completed the first leg of the European tour, which saw the band play 15 sold-out dates across nine countries, the UK leg of the tour sold out within 90 minutes of going on sale and included three London dates, the first of which was the O2 Arena on 13 October.[265] The last leg of the tour was in South America, and included a sold-out concert at José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires.[264] Queen and Paul Rodgers split up on 12 May 2009.[266] Rodgers stated: "My arrangement with [Queen] was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy [Page] in The Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement".[266] Rodgers did not rule out the possibility of working with Queen again.[267][268] 2009–2011: Departure from EMI, 40th anniversary On 20 May 2009, May and Taylor performed "We Are the Champions" live on the season finale of American Idol with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert providing a vocal duet.[269] A new greatest hits compilation Absolute Greatest was released on 16 November and peaked at number 3 in the UK.[270] It contains 20 of Queen's hits spanning their career and was released in four different formats: single disc, double disc (with commentary), double disc with feature book, and a vinyl record. Before its release, Queen ran an online competition to guess the track listing as a promotion for the album.[271] On 15 November 2009, May and Taylor performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" live on the British TV show The X Factor alongside the finalists.[272] Many of you will have read bits and pieces on the internet about Queen changing record companies and so I wanted to confirm to you that the band have signed a new contract with Universal Music ... we would like to thank the EMI team for all their hard work over the years, the many successes and the fond memories, and of course we look forward to continuing to work with EMI Music Publishing who take care of our songwriting affairs. Next year we start working with our new record company to celebrate Queen's 40th anniversary and we will be announcing full details of the plans over the next 3 months. As Brian has already said Queen's next moves will involve 'studio work, computers and live work. —Jim Beach, Queen's Manager, on the change of record label.[273] On 20 August 2010, Queen's manager Jim Beach announced that the band had signed a new contract with Universal Music[273] after almost 40 years with EMI.[274] On 22 September, May confirmed that the band's new deal was with Island Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.[275][276] Hollywood Records remained as the group's label in the US and Canada. For the first time since the late 1980s, Queen's catalogue now has the same distributor worldwide, as Universal distributes for both the Island and Hollywood labels (for a time in the late 1980s, Queen was on EMI-owned Capitol Records in the US).[277] On 14 March 2011, the band's 40th anniversary, Queen's first five albums were re-released in the UK and some other territories as remastered deluxe editions; the US versions were released on 17 May.[278] The second five albums of Queen's back catalogue were released worldwide on 27 June, and on 27 September in the US and Canada.[279][280] The final five were released in the UK on 5 September.[281] In May 2011, Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell said that Queen were scouting their live bassist Chris Chaney to join the band.[282] In the same month, Paul Rodgers stated he might tour with Queen again in the future.[283] At the 2011 Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI) Awards held in London on 4 October, Queen received the BMI Icon Award for their airplay success in the US.[284][285] At the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards on 6 November, Queen received the Global Icon Award, which Katy Perry presented to Brian May.[286] Queen closed the awards ceremony, with Lambert singing "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".[286] The collaboration received a positive response from fans and critics, resulting in speculation about future projects together.[287] 2011–present: Queen + Adam Lambert, Queen Forever Main article: Queen + Adam Lambert Queen + Adam Lambert concert at the TD Garden, Boston in July 2014 On 25 and 26 April, May and Taylor appeared on the eleventh series of American Idol at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles, performing a Queen medley with the six finalists on the first show, and the following day performed "Somebody to Love" with the 'Queen Extravaganza' band.[288] Queen were scheduled to headline Sonisphere at Knebworth on 7 July 2012 with Adam Lambert[289] before the festival was cancelled.[290] Queen said that they were looking to find another venue.[291] Queen + Adam Lambert played two shows at the Hammersmith Apollo, London on 11 and 12 July 2012.[292][293] Both shows sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on sale.[294] A third London date was scheduled for 14 July.[295] On 30 June, Queen + Lambert performed in Kyiv, Ukraine at a joint concert with Elton John for the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation.[296] Queen also performed with Lambert on 3 July 2012 at Moscow's Olympic Stadium,[297][298] and on 7 July 2012 at the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland.[299] Lambert on stage with Queen at Madison Square Garden, New York City in July 2014 performing "Who Wants to Live Forever" On 12 August 2012, Queen performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[300] The performance at London's Olympic Stadium opened with a remastered video clip of Mercury on stage performing his call and response routine during their 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium.[301] Following this, May performed part of the "Brighton Rock" solo before being joined by Taylor and solo artist Jessie J for a performance of "We Will Rock You".[301][302] On 20 September 2013, Queen + Adam Lambert performed at the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.[303] Queen + Adam Lambert toured North America in 2014[304][305] and Australia and New Zealand in August and September 2014.[306] In an interview with Rolling Stone, May and Taylor said that although the tour with Lambert is a limited thing, they are open to him becoming an official member, and cutting new material with him.[307] In November 2014 Queen released a new album Queen Forever.[308] The album is largely a compilation of previously released material but features three new tracks featuring vocals from Mercury with backing added by the surviving members of Queen. One new track, "There Must Be More to Life Than This", is a duet between Mercury and Michael Jackson.[309] Queen + Adam Lambert performed in Central Hall, Westminster, at the Big Ben New Year concert on New Year's Eve 2014 and New Year's Day 2015.[310] Queen performing with Lambert during their 2017 tour In 2016, the group embarked across Europe and Asia on the Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour. This included closing the Isle of Wight Festival in England on 12 June where they performed "Who Wants to Live Forever" as a tribute to the victims of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida earlier that day.[311] On 12 September they performed at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time in front of 58,000 people.[312] As part of the Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017–2018, the band toured North America in mid-2017, Europe in late 2017, then played Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2018.[313] On 24 February 2019, Queen + Adam Lambert opened the 91st Academy Awards ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.[314] In July 2019 they embarked on the North American leg of The Rhapsody Tour, with the dates sold out in April.[315] They toured Japan and South Korea in January 2020 followed by Australia and New Zealand the following month.[316][317][318] On 16 February the band reprised their Live Aid set for the first time in 35 years at the Fire Fight Australia concert at ANZ Stadium in Sydney to raise money for the 2019–20 Australian bushfire crisis.[319] Because Queen were not able to tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they released a live album with Adam Lambert on 2 October 2020. The song collection, titled Live Around the World, contains highlights selected by the band members from over 200 shows throughout their history. It marked their first live album with Lambert who, as of 2020, has played 218 shows with the band.[320] On 31 December 2020, Queen performed on the Japanese New Year's Eve television special Kōhaku with composer Yoshiki and vocalist Sarah Brightman.[321] In 2021, Queen received the Japan Gold Disc Award for the fourth time (having previously won it in 2005, 2019 and 2020) as the most popular Western act in Japan.[322] On 4 June 2022, Queen + Adam Lambert opened the Platinum Party at the Palace outside Buckingham Palace to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.[323] Performing a three-song set, they opened with "We Will Rock You" which had been introduced in a comedy segment where Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear tapped their tea cups to the beat of the song.[324][325] A previously unheard Queen song with Mercury's vocals, "Face It Alone", recorded over thirty years previously and originally thought "unsalvageable" by May and Taylor, was released on 13 October 2022; five more songs — "You Know You Belong to Me", "When Love Breaks Up", "Dog With a Bone", "Water", and "I Guess We're Falling Out" — were released on 18 November 2022 as part of The Miracle Collector's Edition box set.[326] Music style and influences Brian May playing his custom-made Red Special at the O2 Arena in London in 2017. He has used this guitar almost exclusively since the band's advent in the early 1970s. Queen drew artistic influence from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Genesis, and Yes,[327] with Mercury also inspired by the rock and roll singers Little Richard,[328] Elvis Presley[329] and the gospel singer Aretha Franklin.[330] On the Beatles, Brian May stated they "built our bible as far as musical composition, arrangement and production went. The White Album is a complete catalogue of how you should use a studio to build songs."[331] Mercury said, "John Lennon was larger than life, and an absolute genius. Even at a very early stage when they were the Beatles, I always preferred John Lennon's things. I don't know why. He just had that magic."[329] May and Mercury were influenced by Jimi Hendrix, with Mercury saying "he really had everything any rock 'n' roll star should have",[332] and May saying "Jimi is, of course, my number one. And I've always said that [...] I never stop learning from Jimi."[333] Mercury's thesis for his Ealing College diploma was on Hendrix, and Mercury and Taylor closed their Kensington Market stall on 18 September 1970 to commemorate his death.[334] At their outset in the early 1970s, Queen's music has been characterised as "Led Zeppelin meets Yes" due to its combination of "acoustic/electric guitar extremes and fantasy-inspired multi-part song epics".[335] Although Mercury stated Robert Plant as his favourite singer and Led Zeppelin as "the greatest" rock band, he also said Queen "have more in common with Liza Minnelli than Led Zeppelin. We're more in the showbiz tradition than the rock'n'roll tradition".[329] In his book on Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Eddie Trunk described Queen as "a hard rock band at the core but one with a high level of majesty and theatricality that delivered a little something for everyone", as well as observing that the band "sounded British".[336] Rob Halford of Judas Priest commented, "It's rare that you struggle to label a band. If you're a heavy metal band you're meant to look and sound like a heavy metal band but you can't really call Queen anything. They could be a pop band one day or the band that wrote 'Bicycle Race' the next and a full-blown metal band the next. In terms of the depth of the musical landscape that they covered, it was very similar to some extent to the Beatles."[337] While stating they were influenced by various artists and genres, Joe Bosso of Guitar World magazine writes, "Queen seemed to occupy their own lane."[338] Queen composed music that drew inspiration from many different genres of music, often with a tongue-in-cheek attitude.[339] The music styles and genres they have been associated with include progressive rock (also known as symphonic rock),[340] art rock,[45][341] glam rock,[342] arena rock,[340] heavy metal,[340] operatic pop,[340] pop rock,[340] psychedelic rock,[343] baroque pop,[344] and rockabilly.[344] Queen also wrote songs that were inspired by musical styles not typically associated with rock groups, such as opera,[345] music hall,[345] folk music,[346] gospel,[347] ragtime,[348] and dance/disco.[349] Their 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust" became a major hit single in the funk rock genre.[350] Known for their anthemic songs which are a staple of sports arenas and stadiums the world over,[351][352] several Queen songs were written with audience participation in mind, such as "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".[353] Similarly, "Radio Ga Ga" became a live favourite for the band because it would have "crowds clapping like they were at a Nuremberg rally".[354] "We Will Rock You" Duration: 13 seconds.0:13 A sample of "We Will Rock You". The stamping and clapping effects were created by the band overdubbing sounds of themselves stamping and clapping many times, and adding delay effects to create a sound that seemed many people were participating. Problems playing this file? See media help. In 1963, the teenage Brian May and his father custom-built his signature guitar Red Special, which was purposely designed to feedback.[355][356] May has used Vox AC30 amplifiers almost exclusively since a meeting with Rory Gallagher at a gig in London during the late 1960s or early 1970s.[357] He also uses a sixpence as a plectrum.[358] Sonic experimentation figured heavily in Queen's songs. A distinctive characteristic of Queen's music are the vocal harmonies which are usually composed of the voices of May, Mercury, and Taylor best heard on the studio albums A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races. Some of the development of this sound is attributed to the producer Roy Thomas Baker and engineer Mike Stone.[359][360] Queen were also known for multi-tracking voices to imitate the sound of a large choir through overdubs. For instance, according to Brian May, there are over 180 vocal overdubs in "Bohemian Rhapsody".[361] The band's vocal structures have been compared with the Beach Boys.[341][362] Media Logo Having studied graphic design in art college, Mercury also designed Queen's logo, called the Queen crest, shortly before the release of the band's first album.[363] The logo combines the zodiac signs of all four members: two lions for Leo (Deacon and Taylor), a crab for Cancer (May), and two fairies for Virgo (Mercury).[363] The lions embrace a stylised letter Q, the crab rests atop the letter with flames rising directly above it, and the fairies are each sheltering below a lion.[363] There is also a crown inside the Q and the whole logo is over-shadowed by an enormous phoenix. The whole symbol bears a passing resemblance to the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, particularly with the lion supporters.[363] The original logo, as found on the reverse side of the cover of the band's first album, was a simple line drawing. Later sleeves bore more intricately coloured versions of the logo.[363][364] Music videos Mercury in a Harlequin outfit. He appears in a half black, half white version in the 1977 music video for "We Are the Champions". Directed by Bruce Gowers, the groundbreaking "Bohemian Rhapsody" promotional video sees the band adopt a "decadent 'glam' sensibility".[365] Replicating Mick Rock's photograph of the band from the cover of Queen II—which itself was inspired by a photo of actress Marlene Dietrich from Shanghai Express (1932)—the video opens with "Queen standing in diamond formation, heads tilted back like Easter Island statues" in near darkness as they sing the a cappella part.[365] One of the industry's leading music video directors, David Mallet, directed some of their subsequent videos. Some of their later videos use footage from classic films: "Under Pressure" incorporates 1920s silent films, Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin and F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu; the 1984 video for "Radio Ga Ga" includes footage from Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927); "Calling All Girls" was a homage to George Lucas's THX 1138;[366] and the 1995 video "Heaven for Everyone" shows footage from Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904).[367] The first part of Mallet's music video for "I Want to Break Free" spoofed the popular long-running British soap opera Coronation Street.[368] The music video for "Innuendo" combines stop motion animation with rotoscoping and band members appear as illustrations and images taken from earlier Queen music videos on a cinema screen akin to the dystopian film Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984).[369] The music videos for "Flash" (from Flash Gordon) and "Princes of the Universe" (from Highlander) are themed on the films the band recorded soundtracks for, with the latter featuring Mercury briefly re-enact the sword-fighting scene with the titular character.[370] Queen also appeared in conventional music videos. "We Will Rock You" was filmed outdoors in Roger Taylor's back garden during a cold day in early January 1977.[371] Filmed at the New London Theatre later that year, the music video for "We Are the Champions" features the band—with Mercury in a trademark Harlequin outfit—performing in front of an enthusiastic crowd who wave Queen scarves in a manner similar to English football fans.[371] The last music video of the group while Mercury was alive, "These Are the Days of Our Lives", was filmed in black and white to hide the full extent of his illness.[372] Musical theatre Statue of Mercury at the West End's Dominion Theatre where Queen and Ben Elton's musical We Will Rock You was performed from 2002 to 2014 In May 2002, a musical or "rock theatrical" based on the songs of Queen, titled We Will Rock You, opened at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End.[373] The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and produced by Robert De Niro. It has since been staged in many cities around the world.[373] The launch of the musical coincided with Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. As part of the Jubilee celebrations, Brian May performed a guitar solo of "God Save the Queen",[374] as featured on Queen's A Night at the Opera, from the roof of Buckingham Palace. The recording of this performance was used as video for the song on the 30th Anniversary DVD edition of A Night at the Opera.[375][376] Following the Las Vegas premiere on 8 September 2004, Queen were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.[377] We Will Rock You musical in Tokyo, Japan, November 2006 The original London production was scheduled to close on Saturday, 7 October 2006, at the Dominion Theatre, but due to public demand, the show ran until May 2014.[378] We Will Rock You has become the longest-running musical ever to run at this prime London theatre, overtaking the previous record holder, the musical Grease.[379] Brian May stated in 2008 that they were considering writing a sequel to We Will Rock You.[380] The musical toured around the UK in 2009, playing at Manchester Palace Theatre, Sunderland Empire, Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Hippodrome, and Edinburgh Playhouse.[381] By December 2022 the musical had been seen by 20 million people across 28 countries.[382] In the summer of 2023 it returned to London with a 12-week run at the London Coliseum.[382] Sean Bovim created "Queen at the Ballet", a tribute to Mercury, which uses Queen's music as a soundtrack for the show's dancers, who interpret the stories behind tracks such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", and "Killer Queen".[383] Queen's music also appears in the Off-Broadway production Power Balladz, most notably the song "We Are the Champions", with the show's two performers believing the song was "the apex of artistic achievement in its day".[384] Software and digital releases In conjunction with Electronic Arts, Queen released the computer game Queen: The eYe in 1998.[385] The game received mixed reviews. Several reviewers described the fight sequences as frustrating, due to unresponsive controls and confusing camera angles.[386][387] PC Zone found the game's graphics unimpressive,[386] although PC PowerPlay considered them "absolutely stunning".[387] The extremely long development time resulted in graphic elements that already seemed outdated by the time of release.[388] 2012 DVD and CD set of Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest Under the supervision of May and Taylor, numerous restoration projects have been under way involving Queen's lengthy audio and video catalogue. DVD releases of their 1986 Wembley concert (titled Live at Wembley Stadium), 1982 Milton Keynes concert (Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl), and two Greatest Video Hits (Volumes 1 and 2, spanning the 1970s and 1980s) have seen the band's music remixed into 5.1 and DTS surround sound. So far, only two of the band's albums, A Night at the Opera and The Game, have been fully remixed into high-resolution multichannel surround on DVD-Audio. A Night at the Opera was re-released with some revised 5.1 mixes and accompanying videos in 2005 for the 30th anniversary of the album's original release (CD+DVD-Video set). In 2007, a Blu-ray edition of Queen's previously released concerts, Queen Rock Montreal & Live Aid, was released, marking their first project in 1080p HD.[389] Queen have been featured multiple times in the Guitar Hero franchise: a cover of "Killer Queen" in the original Guitar Hero, "We Are The Champions", "Fat Bottomed Girls", and the Paul Rodgers collaboration "C-lebrity" in a track pack for Guitar Hero World Tour, "Under Pressure" with David Bowie in Guitar Hero 5,[390] "I Want It All" in Guitar Hero: Van Halen,[391] "Stone Cold Crazy" in Guitar Hero: Metallica,[392] and "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.[393] On 13 October 2009, Brian May revealed there was "talk" going on "behind the scenes" about a dedicated Queen Rock Band game.[394] Queen have also been featured multiple times in the Rock Band franchise: a track pack of 10 songs which are compatible with Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Rock Band 3 (three of those are also compatible with Lego Rock Band). Their hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" was featured in Rock Band 3 with full harmony and keys support. The band also appeared in the video game Lego Rock Band as playable Lego avatars.[395] In March 2009, Sony Computer Entertainment released a Queen branded version of the company's karaoke franchise, SingStar. The game, which is available on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, is titled SingStar Queen and has 25 songs on the PS3 and 20 on the PS2.[396] "We Will Rock You" and other songs by Queen also appear in DJ Hero.[397] Bohemian Rhapsody Main article: Bohemian Rhapsody (film) In a September 2010 BBC interview, Brian May announced that Sacha Baron Cohen was to play Mercury in a biographical film about the band.[398] Time commented with approval on his singing ability and visual similarity to Mercury.[399] However, in July 2013, Baron Cohen dropped out of the role due to "creative differences" between him and the surviving band members.[400] In December 2013, it was announced that Ben Whishaw, known for playing Q in the James Bond film Skyfall, was a possible replacement for Baron Cohen in the role of Mercury,[401] but Whishaw pulled out a few months later amidst uncertainty about how the film was progressing.[402] The two remaining members of Queen's classic line-up, May and Taylor (pictured in 2017), were creative consultants for Bohemian Rhapsody The project regained momentum in 2016. It was announced on 4 November that the film had secured the backing of 20th Century Fox, New Regency and GK Films. By this time, the film's working title was Bohemian Rhapsody, after the band's song of the same name. Freddie Mercury was to be played by Rami Malek, and shooting was scheduled to begin in early 2017.[403] The motion picture was written by Anthony McCarten, with a story by McCarten and Peter Morgan, who received Oscar nominations for his screenplays The Queen and Frost/Nixon.[404] Released in October 2018, Bohemian Rhapsody focuses on Queen's formative years and the period leading up to the celebrated performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert.[405] The film has grossed over $900 million worldwide,[406] making it the highest-grossing musical biographical film of all time.[407] Despite receiving mixed reviews, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Malek received wide acclaim and numerous accolades for his portrayal of Mercury, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.[408] The Live Aid segment was praised, but there was criticism from not exploring more complex themes involving Mercury, with the New York Post's Johnny Oleksinski stating, "What we ultimately wanted from Bohemian Rhapsody was not carbon-copied concerts, but behind-closed-doors insight into a deeply private, complicated, internationally beloved superstar."[409] After the release of the film, "Bohemian Rhapsody" re-entered the US Billboard Hot 100 for the third time (having previously charted in 1976 and 1992), charting at number 33 on 12 November 2018.[410] Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack received an American Music Award for Top Soundtrack.[411] Other films The soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon (1980) was by Queen. The band also contributed music to Highlander (the original 1986 film),[197][412] with "A Kind of Magic", "One Year of Love", "Who Wants to Live Forever", "Hammer to Fall", and the theme "Princes of the Universe", which was also used as the theme of the Highlander TV series (1992–1998).[413] In choosing music for Highlander, director Russell Mulcahy stated, "I thought about one band – Queen. They write strong, anthemic songs and this movie needs their energy".[155] In the US, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a single in 1992 after appearing in the comedy film Wayne's World.[234] The single subsequently reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 (with "The Show Must Go On" as the first track on the single) and helped rekindle the band's popularity in North America.[234][414] Robbie Williams, on stage in 2015 with the Queen image in the background, performed "We Are the Champions" for the 2001 medieval adventure film A Knight's Tale Several films have featured their songs performed by other artists. A version of "Somebody to Love" by Anne Hathaway was in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted.[415] In 2006, Brittany Murphy also recorded a cover of the same song for the 2006 film Happy Feet.[416] In 2001, a version of "The Show Must Go On" was performed by Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman in the film musical Moulin Rouge!.[417] The 2001 film A Knight's Tale has a version of "We Are the Champions" performed by Robbie Williams and Queen; the film also features "We Will Rock You" played by the medieval audience.[418] Television "I Was Born to Love You" was used as the theme song of the Japanese television drama Pride on Fuji Television in 2004, starring Takuya Kimura and Yūko Takeuchi. The show's soundtrack also contained other songs by Queen.[419] A song that has grown in popularity four decades since its release, the initial rebirth of "Don't Stop Me Now" has been attributed to its appearance in the 2004 cult classic zombie apocalypse film Shaun of the Dead.[420] The song has featured in the BBC television show Top Gear, and in 2005 it was voted as "The Greatest Driving Song Ever" by the series' viewers.[421] In the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted, Graham Norton as Father Noel Furlong performs "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the episode "The Mainland".[422] Keeping in a tradition of naming each season's episodes after songs by 1970s rock bands, the eighth and final season of That '70s Show had episodes named after Queen songs. "Bohemian Rhapsody" served as the season premiere.[423] With an entry for the year 1977, Queen featured in the VH1 series I Love the '70s, broadcast in the US.[424] The Simpsons has made storylines which have featured Queen songs such as "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" (both sung by Homer), and "You're My Best Friend".[425] The latter also appears in Family Guy, as does "Another One Bites the Dust", and an episode of the show, "Killer Queen", is named after (and features) the song.[426] Queen were profiled in season 1, episode 16 of VH1's Legends, broadcast in 1998.[427] On 11 April 2006, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the American singing contest television show American Idol. Each contestant was required to sing a Queen song during that week of the competition. Songs which appeared on the show included "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants to Live Forever", and "Innuendo". Brian May later criticised the show for editing specific scenes,[428] one of which made the group's time with contestant Ace Young look negative, despite it being the opposite. Taylor and May again appeared on the American Idol season 8 finale in May 2009, performing "We Are the Champions" with finalists Adam Lambert and Kris Allen.[269] On 15 November 2009, Brian May and Roger Taylor appeared on the singing contest television show The X Factor in the UK.[429] In 2007, Queen featured as one of the main artists in the fifth episode of the BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock—focusing on stadium rock, the episode itself was named "We Are the Champions".[430] In the autumn of 2009, Glee featured the fictional high school's show choir singing "Somebody to Love" as their second act performance in the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken". The performance was included on the show's Volume 1 soundtrack CD.[431] In June 2010, the choir performed "Another One Bites the Dust" in the episode "Funk".[432] The following week's episode, "Journey to Regionals", features a rival choir performing "Bohemian Rhapsody" in its entirety. The song was featured on the episode's EP. In May 2012, the choir performed "We Are the Champions" in the episode "Nationals", and the song features in The Graduation Album.[433] In November 2014, The Nation's Favourite Queen Song, a 90-minute television special counting down Britain's 20 favourite Queen songs, aired on ITV in the UK.[434] In November 2021, The Queen Family Singalong, featuring performances of songs by Queen accompanied with on-screen karaoke lyrics encouraging viewers to sing along, aired on ABC in the US.[435] Legacy Upon being awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2025, Queen were described as being "a band synonymous with the very fabric of pop culture" who "have made an impact on music that spans decades, generations and genres", and they are "beloved the world over".[436] In 2002, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted "the UK's favourite hit of all time" in a poll conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book.[437] In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[438] Many scholars consider the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video groundbreaking, crediting it with popularising the medium.[84][439][440] Rock historian Paul Fowles stated that the song is "widely credited as the first global hit single for which an accompanying video was central to the marketing strategy".[441] It has been hailed as paving the way for the MTV Generation.[442] In December 2018, "Bohemian Rhapsody" became the most-streamed song from the 20th century, and the most-streamed classic rock song of all time.[443] The song and original video were downloaded more than 1.6 billion times.[444] In March 2021 it was certified Diamond in the US for combined digital sales and streams equal to 10 million units.[445] Acclaimed for their stadium rock, in 2005 an industry poll ranked Queen's performance at Live Aid in 1985 as the best live act in history.[446] In 2007, they were also voted the greatest British band in history by BBC Radio 2 listeners.[447] If you have to go back and watch one performance it has to be Queen. That was not just a career-defining moment ... rock 'n' roll might have peaked right there. Freddie Mercury on stage at Live Aid is the summit of rock 'n' roll. For a band some people said was washed up, that was just the most stunning, breathtaking, flawless, powerful, jubilant performance. It was everything you want in rock 'n' roll. —1980s MTV VJ Martha Quinn speaking in July 2015 on the 30th anniversary of Live Aid.[448] As of 2005, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Queen albums have spent a total of 1,322 weeks (twenty-six years) on the UK Album Charts, more time than any other act.[449] Also in 2005, with the release of their live album with Paul Rodgers, Queen moved into third place on the list of acts with the most aggregate time spent on the British record charts.[450] In 2022, Greatest Hits was the best-selling album in UK chart history, and the only album to sell over seven million copies in the UK.[145] As of August 2024, the album has spent over 600 weeks on the US Billboard 200.[149] Their Greatest Hits II album is the UK's tenth best seller, with sales of 3,746,404 copies.[221][451] Based on record sales, Billboard charts performance, online views and popularity on Spotify, in 2018 Business Insider in the US ranked Queen the third most popular rock band of all time, after the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.[452] Gold and silver discs issued by EMI in 1982 for Greatest Hits (1981). With more than 25 million copies sold it is Queen's best selling album. The band have released a total of 18 number-one albums, 18 number-one singles, and 10 number-one DVDs worldwide, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. Estimates of their record sales range from 250 million to 300 million worldwide.[443][453][454][455] Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the band is the only group in which every member has composed more than one chart-topping single, and all four members were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.[456][457] In 2009, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame,[458][459] and the latter was voted the world's favourite song in a 2005 Sony Ericsson global music poll.[460] The band received Ivor Novello Awards for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, in 1987, and Outstanding Song Collection, in 2005, from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors.[461][462] In recognition of the vocal harmonies of Mercury, May and Taylor, in 2006 Queen were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.[463] In 2018 they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[464] In their list for the Global Recording Artist of the Year, the IFPI named Queen the sixth best-selling artist worldwide in 2018, and the fifth best-selling artist in 2019, in both cases the most popular act of their contemporaries.[465][466] In January 2020, Queen became the first band to join Elizabeth II on a British coin, with the commemorative £5 coin, issued by the Royal Mint, featuring the instruments of all four bandmembers.[467] In July 2020, Queen became the third band (after the Beatles and Pink Floyd) to feature on a series of UK postage stamps issued by the Royal Mail.[468] Queen are one of the most bootlegged bands ever, according to Nick Weymouth, who manages the band's official website.[469] A 2001 survey discovered the existence of 12,225 websites dedicated to Queen bootlegs, the highest number for any band.[470] Bootleg recordings have contributed to the band's popularity in certain countries where Western music is censored, such as Iran.[471] In a project called Queen: The Top 100 Bootlegs, many of these have been made officially available to download for a nominal fee from Queen's website, with profits going to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.[469] In 2004, Queen became the first Western rock act to be officially accepted in Iran following the release of their Greatest Hits album.[472] Rolling Stone ranked Queen at number 52 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time",[473] while ranking Mercury the 18th-greatest singer,[220] and May the twenty-sixth-greatest guitarist.[474] Rolling Stone readers voted Mercury the second-greatest frontman.[475] Queen were named 13th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock list,[476] and in 2010 were ranked 17th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list.[477] In 2012, Gigwise readers named Queen the best band of the past 60 years.[478] Eddie Trunk argued that Queen's importance, in common with Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, was "not as fully recognized" in the US because elsewhere they "often played to much bigger crowds in stadium venues".[336] Queen had stopped touring the US in 1982 as their success there had started to wane, but they remained a touring "juggernaut", filling stadiums and arenas internationally in the 1980s until their final tour (with Mercury) in 1986.[344] Influence At 10 years old, Thom Yorke of Radiohead built a homemade guitar in an attempt to emulate Brian May. Queen have been credited with making a significant contribution to genres such as hard rock and heavy metal.[336][479] The band have been cited as an influence by many other musicians. Moreover, like their music, the bands and artists that have claimed to be influenced by Queen or have expressed admiration for them are diverse, spanning different generations, countries, and genres, including heavy metal: Judas Priest,[480] Iron Maiden,[481] Dream Theater,[482] Trivium,[483] Megadeth,[484] Anthrax,[485] Melvins,[486] Slipknot,[487] Rob Zombie,[488] and Rage Against the Machine;[489] hard rock: Guns N' Roses,[490] Def Leppard,[491] Mötley Crüe,[492] Steve Vai,[493] the Cult,[494] the Darkness,[495] and Foo Fighters;[496] alternative rock: Nirvana,[497] Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails,[498] Muse,[499] Red Hot Chili Peppers,[500] Jane's Addiction,[501] the Flaming Lips,[502] Kid Rock,[503] and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins;[504] shock rock: Marilyn Manson;[505] pop rock: the Killers,[506] My Chemical Romance,[507] and Panic! at the Disco;[508] country: Faith Hill,[488] and Carrie Underwood;[509] pop: George Michael,[510] Robbie Williams,[511] Adele,[512] Lady Gaga,[513] and Katy Perry;[514] and K-pop: Psy,[515] and BTS.[516] Musicians have been saying for decades Queen are in the pantheon of all-time greats. In the countless interviews I have done over the years they have been name checked by numerous superstars. What is most impressive though is the diversity of artists they've influenced. Why Queen were able to cut across such an incredibly wide range of musicians is easy to see – they are one of the most versatile bands that rock has ever had. — Steve Baltin writing for Forbes magazine in January 2019: Queen's Greatest Legacy: Shaping The Last Two Decades Of Pop And Rock Music.[488] In the early 1970s, Queen helped spur the heavy metal genre's evolution by discarding much of its blues influence.[30][517] Queen's 1974 song "Stone Cold Crazy" has been cited as a precursor of speed metal.[59] Metallica recorded a cover version of "Stone Cold Crazy", which first appeared on the Rubáiyát: Elektra's 40th Anniversary album in 1990, and they still performed it live in the 2000s.[518] Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, a pioneer of "neo-classical metal", listened to Queen as a kid, and spoke of Brian May being "very inventive when it comes to tones and having all those pickup configurations. Brian tends not to stick to just pentatonics, either; he mixes it all up, which is how I like to think, too."[519] Thom Yorke of Radiohead received his first guitar at 7 years old, encouraged after seeing May in a broadcast of a Queen concert.[520] At 10 years old, Yorke made his own homemade guitar, trying to imitate what May had done with his Red Special, but he was not satisfied with the result.[521] Subsequently, Queen became one of the first influences of his band.[520] Band members Current members Brian May – guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass guitar (1970–present) Roger Taylor – drums, vocals, percussion, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar (1970–present) Former members Freddie Mercury – vocals, piano, keyboards, occasional guitar (1970–1991; his death) John Deacon – bass guitar, guitars, keyboards, occasional backing vocals (1971–1997) Long-term Queen + vocalists Paul Rodgers – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (2004–2009) Adam Lambert – lead vocals (2011–present) Current touring members Spike Edney – keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984–present) Neil Fairclough – bass, backing vocals (2011–present) Tyler Warren – percussion, drums, backing vocals (2017–present) Former touring members Morgan Fisher – keyboards (1982) Fred Mandel – keyboards (1982) David Grosman – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (1998–2004) Jamie Moses – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, bass (1998–2009) Danny Miranda – bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2005–2009) Neil Murray – bass (substitute 2008) Rufus Tiger Taylor – percussion, drums, backing vocals (2011–2017) Early members Mike Grose – bass (1970; died 2019)[522] Barry Mitchell – bass (1970–1971) Doug Bogie – bass (1971) Timeline Awards and nominations Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Queen Discography Main articles: Queen discography and List of songs recorded by Queen Studio albums Queen (1973) Queen II (1974) Sheer Heart Attack (1974) A Night at the Opera (1975) A Day at the Races (1976) News of the World (1977) Jazz (1978) The Game (1980) Flash Gordon (1980) Hot Space (1982) The Works (1984) A Kind of Magic (1986) The Miracle (1989) Innuendo (1991) Made in Heaven (1995) Concert tours Main article: List of Queen concert tours Queen Tour (1973) Queen II Tour (1974) Sheer Heart Attack Tour (1974–1975) A Night at the Opera Tour (1975–1976) A Day at the Races Tour (1977) News of the World Tour (1977–1978) Jazz Tour (1978–1979) Crazy Tour (1979) The Game Tour (1980–1981) Hot Space Tour (1982) The Works Tour (1984–1985) The Magic Tour (1986) Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour (2005–2006) Rock the Cosmos Tour (2008) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2012 (2012) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015 (2014–2015) Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour (2016) Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017–2018 (2017–2018) The Rhapsody Tour (2019–2024) See also List of largest music deals References Blake 2010, pp. 30, 32–33. 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Freddie Mercury was just a beautiful singer, and they all are so great as musicians and have so many great moments where it's like, oh my God, here's a band that didn't hold back." Sutcliffe, 2015. page 242. Kid Rock: "I love Queen. The more you listen to Queen, the more you realize, especially if you're a musician, how much of a genius Freddie Mercury was, and Brian May and those guys are." "Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins talks about the records that changed his life" (Queen II). Melody Maker. 14 August 1993. Childers, Chad (15 September 2015). "17 Years Ago: Marilyn Manson Goes Glam With 'Mechanical Animals'". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 30 August 2016. "The Killers channel Queen, Meat Loaf, for new album" Archived 15 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 July 2015 La Bella, Laura (2008). My Chemical Romance. he Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. p. 24. 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"Mike Grose, Queen's First Bassist, Dies". ultimateclassicrock.com. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019. Bibliography Blake, Mark (2016). Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic. Omnibus Press. Blake, Mark (2010). Is This The Real Life? The Untold Story of Queen. Arum Press. ISBN 978-1-84513-713-7. Brooks, Greg (1995). Queen Live: A Concert Documentary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-4814-3. Dawson, Mike (2008). Freddie & Me. London: Jonathan Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-08193-1. Dean, Ken (1986). Queen : A Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-0857-4. Dean, Ken; Charlesworth, Chris (1991). Queen: The New Visual Documentary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-2828-2. Doherty, Harry (2011). 40 Years of Queen. St. Martin's Press. Freestone, Peter; Evans, David (2001). Freddie Mercury: An intimate memoir by the man who knew him best. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-8674-6. Goodall, Nigel; Lewry, Peter (1998). The Ultimate Queen. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-82149-8. Gunn, Jacky; Jenkins, Jim (1992). Queen: As It Began. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 978-0-330-33259-0. Hodkinson, Mark (2004). Queen: The Early Years. London: Music Sales Limited. ISBN 978-0-7119-6012-1. Hogan, Peter (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Queen. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-3526-6. Jackson, Laura (2002). Queen: The Definitive Biography. London: Piatkus. ISBN 978-0-7499-2317-4. Jones, Lesley-Ann (2012). Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury. Simon and Schuster. Michael, Mick (1992). Queen, In Their Own Words. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-3014-8. Nester, Daniel (2003). God Save My Queen: A Tribute. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press. ISBN 978-1-887128-27-8. Nester, Daniel (2004). God Save My Queen II: The Show Must Go On. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press. ISBN 978-1-932360-51-6. Prato, Greg (2018). Long Live Queen: Rock Royalty Discuss Freddie, Brian, John & Roger. self-published. ISBN 978-1-726879-40-8. Purvis, Georg (2006). Queen: Complete Works. Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 978-1-905287-33-8. Sutcliffe, Phil (2009). Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-3719-6. Sutcliffe, Phil (2015). Queen, Revised Updated: the Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4947-2. External links Queen at Wikipedia's sister projects: Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Data from Wikidata Official website Edit this at Wikidata Queen's channel on YouTube vte Queen Brian MayRoger Taylor Freddie MercuryJohn Deacon Studio albums QueenQueen IISheer Heart AttackA Night at the OperaA Day at the RacesNews of the WorldJazzThe GameFlash GordonHot SpaceThe WorksA Kind of MagicThe MiracleInnuendoMade in Heaven Live albums Live KillersLive MagicAt the BeebLive at Wembley '86Queen on Fire – Live at the BowlQueen Rock MontrealHungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in BudapestLive at the Rainbow '74A Night at the OdeonOn Air Compilations Greatest HitsGreatest Hits IIClassic QueenThe 12″ CollectionQueen RocksGreatest Hits IIIStone Cold ClassicsThe A–Z of Queen, Volume 1Absolute GreatestDeep Cuts, Volume 1 (1973–1976)Deep Cuts, Volume 2 (1977–1982)Deep Cuts, Volume 3 (1984–1995)IconQueen ForeverGreatest Hits in Japan Box sets The Complete WorksQueen CD Single BoxThe Crown JewelsThe Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II & IIIThe Singles Collection Volume 1The Singles Collection Volume 2The Singles Collection Volume 3The Singles Collection Volume 4On Air Extended plays Queen's First E.P.Five Live (with George Michael) Soundtracks Flash GordonBohemian Rhapsody Videography We Will Rock YouLive in RioQueen at WembleyWe Are the Champions: Final Live in JapanThe Freddie Mercury Tribute ConcertGreatest Video Hits 1Queen RocksGreatest Video Hits 2Queen on Fire – Live at the BowlQueen Rock MontrealHungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in BudapestLive at the Rainbow '74A Night at the Odeon Tours A Day at the Races TourNews of the World TourJazz TourCrazy TourThe Game TourHot Space TourThe Works TourThe Magic Tour Tributes One Night of QueenQueen at the BalletQueen Extravaganza TourDragon Attack: A Tribute to QueenStone Cold Queen: A TributeKiller Queen: A Tribute to QueenA Night at the Hip HoperaGod Save the QueenTie Your Mix Down: A Queen Tribute Related DiscographySongsAwards and nominationsConcert toursThe Story of Bohemian RhapsodyQueen + Paul Rodgers (The Cosmos Rocks)Queen + Adam LambertSmileThe CrossThe Brian May BandQueen: The EyeWe Will Rock You (musical) We Will Rock You: 10th Anniversary TourDeacy AmpMercury Phoenix TrustMountain StudiosRed SpecialSpike EdneyJim BeachJohn ReidList of "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover versionsSingStar QueenBohemian Rhapsody (film) accoladesThe Queen Family Singalong Category vte Queen songs Queen "Keep Yourself Alive""Liar" Queen II "Seven Seas of Rhye" Sheer Heart Attack "Killer Queen""Now I'm Here""Flick of the Wrist""Lily of the Valley""Stone Cold Crazy""Brighton Rock" A Night at the Opera "Bohemian Rhapsody""You're My Best Friend""Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)""I'm in Love with My Car""'39""Sweet Lady""The Prophet's Song""Love of My Life""Good Company""God Save the Queen" A Day at the Races "Somebody to Love""Tie Your Mother Down""Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)""Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy""Long Away" News of the World "We Will Rock You""We Are the Champions""Spread Your Wings""It's Late""Sheer Heart Attack" Jazz "Bicycle Race""Fat Bottomed Girls""Don't Stop Me Now""Mustapha""Jealousy" The Game "Crazy Little Thing Called Love""Save Me""Play the Game""Another One Bites the Dust""Need Your Loving Tonight" Flash Gordon "Flash's Theme" Hot Space "Under Pressure""Body Language""Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)""Calling All Girls""Staying Power""Back Chat" The Works "Radio Ga Ga""I Want to Break Free""It's a Hard Life""Hammer to Fall""Is This the World We Created...?" A Kind of Magic "One Vision""A Kind of Magic""Princes of the Universe""Friends Will Be Friends""Pain Is So Close to Pleasure""Who Wants to Live Forever""One Year of Love" The Miracle "I Want It All""Breakthru""The Invisible Man""Scandal""The Miracle" Innuendo "Innuendo""I'm Going Slightly Mad""Headlong""These Are the Days of Our Lives""The Show Must Go On""I Can't Live with You""Ride the Wild Wind" Made in Heaven "Heaven for Everyone""A Winter's Tale""Too Much Love Will Kill You""I Was Born to Love You""Let Me Live""You Don't Fool Me""Made in Heaven""Mother Love" Queen Rocks "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)" Queen Forever "Let Me in Your Heart Again""Love Kills""There Must Be More to Life Than This" Other songs "Thank God It's Christmas""Face It Alone" Category Awards for Queen vte Brit Award for Song of the Year 1970s "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen / "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum (1977) 1980s "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (1982)"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners (1983)"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club (1984)"Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1985)"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears (1986)"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys (1987)"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (1988)"Perfect" by Fairground Attraction (1989) 1990s "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins (1990)"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (1991)"These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen (1992)"Could It Be Magic" by Take That (1993)"Pray" by Take That (1994)"Parklife" by Blur (1995)"Back for Good" by Take That (1996)"Wannabe" by Spice Girls (1997)"Never Ever" by All Saints (1998)"Angels" by Robbie Williams (1999) 2000s "She's the One" by Robbie Williams (2000)"Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams (2001)"Don't Stop Movin'" by S Club 7 (2002)"Just a Little" by Liberty X (2003)"White Flag" by Dido (2004)"Your Game" by Will Young (2005)"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay (2006)"Patience" by Take That (2007)"Shine" by Take That (2008)"The Promise" by Girls Aloud (2009) 2010s "Beat Again" by JLS (2010)"Pass Out" by Tinie Tempah featuring Labrinth (2011)"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (2012)"Skyfall" by Adele (2013)"Waiting All Night" by Rudimental featuring Ella Eyre (2014)"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015)"Hello" by Adele (2016)"Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix (2017)"Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man (2018)"One Kiss" by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (2019) 2020s "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi (2020)"Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles (2021)"Easy on Me" by Adele (2022)"As It Was" by Harry Styles (2023)"Escapism" by Raye featuring 070 Shake (2024)"Guess" by Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish (2025) vte Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 1963–1990 1963 Bing Crosby1965 Frank Sinatra1966 Duke Ellington1967 Ella Fitzgerald1968 Irving Berlin1971 Elvis Presley1972 Louis ArmstrongMahalia Jackson1984 Chuck BerryCharlie Parker1985 Leonard Bernstein1986 Benny GoodmanThe Rolling StonesAndrés Segovia1987 Roy AcuffBenny CarterEnrico CarusoRay CharlesFats DominoWoody HermanBillie HolidayB. 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Zeke Carey, Johnny Carter, Tommy Hunt, Terry "Buzzy" Johnson, Sollie McElroy, Nate Nelson, Paul WilsonMichael JacksonQueen John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger TaylorPaul SimonSteely Dan Walter Becker, Donald FagenRitchie Valens Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award) Chris Blackwell Sidemen James BurtonJohnnie Johnson Articles related to Queen vte Freddie Mercury Discography Studio album Mr. Bad Guy Collaborative album Barcelona (with Montserrat Caballé) Compilations The Freddie Mercury AlbumThe Solo CollectionLover of Life, Singer of SongsMessenger of the Gods: The SinglesNever Boring Singles "I Can Hear Music""Love Kills""I Was Born to Love You""Made in Heaven""Living on My Own""Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow""Time""The Great Pretender""Barcelona""The Golden Boy""In My Defence" Other songs "There Must Be More to Life Than This" Depictions Mercury: The Afterlife and Times of a Rock God (play)Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (documentary)Bohemian Rhapsody (film) Related 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Awards winnersMTV Europe Music Award winnersMusical groups established in 1970Parlophone artistsRock music groups from London Freddie Mercury British singer and songwriter Also known as: Farrokh Bulsara Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Apr 15, 2025 • Article History Quick Facts Original name: Farrokh Bulsara Born: September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar [now in Tanzania] Died: November 24, 1991, Kensington, London, England (aged 45) Notable Works: “Bohemian Rhapsody” Role In: Live Aid Top Questions What was Freddie Mercury’s education? How did Freddie Mercury become famous? What is Freddie Mercury best known for? Freddie Mercury (born September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar [now in Tanzania]—died November 24, 1991, Kensington, London, England) was a British rock singer and songwriter whose flamboyant showmanship and powerfully agile vocals, most famously for the band Queen, made him one of rock’s most dynamic front men. Bulsara was born to Parsi parents who had emigrated from India to Zanzibar, where his father worked as a clerk for the British government. As a child, Bulsara was sent to a boarding school in Panchgani, Maharashtra state, India. Artistically inclined from an early age, he formed a band there in which he played the piano. When Zanzibar became part of the independent country of Tanzania in 1964, Bulsara moved with his family to Feltham, England. He later studied graphic art and design at Ealing Technical College and School of Art (now part of the University of West London), graduating in 1969. Queen QueenBritish rock band Queen was known for its elaborate blend of layered guitar work and vocal harmonies enlivened by the flamboyant performance of front man and principal songwriter Freddie Mercury. Influenced by the hard-edged blues-based style of rock acts such as Cream and Jimi Hendrix, Bulsara began singing with bands in London. He also became friends with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor of the band Smile, and in 1970, when Smile’s lead singer quit, Bulsara replaced him. He soon changed the group’s name to Queen and his own to Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the following year. Incorporating elements of both heavy metal and glam rock, the band debuted on record with Queen (1973), which was followed by Queen II (1974). USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Britannica Quiz Pop Culture Quiz Despite an impressive blend of majestic vocal harmonies and layered virtuosic guitar work, Queen initially failed to attract much notice beyond the United Kingdom. The album Sheer Heart Attack (1974), however, shot up the international charts, and A Night at the Opera (1975) sold even better. The band’s ambitious approach to both songwriting and studio production was epitomized by the latter album’s mock-operatic single “Bohemian Rhapsody,” one of a number of Queen compositions written principally by Mercury. The song spent nine weeks atop the British singles chart, and its accompanying promotional film helped the music industry recognize its future in video. Spectacular success followed in 1977 with “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You”—which became ubiquitous anthems at sporting events in Britain and the United States. (Read Britannica’s essay “9 (Lives of) Famous Cat Lovers.”) Brian May: Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May: Queen guitarist and astrophysicistMany consider Brian May to be the greatest guitarist of all time. He's also an astrophysicist. See all videos for this article By the early 1980s Queen had become an international phenomenon, drawing particular attention for its elaborately staged performances in enormous venues. Strutting the stage in outrageous costumes, Mercury effortlessly commanded audiences in the tens of thousands. Although Queen’s commercial fortunes had begun to wane by mid-decade, the band arguably reached its apotheosis as a live act with a stellar performance at the charity concert Live Aid in 1985. That same year Mercury released the solo record Mr. Bad Guy, which took musical inspiration from disco. Mercury later appeared on the sound track of Dave Clark’s science-fiction musical Time (1986) and teamed with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé for the semi-operatic album Barcelona (1988). In 1991 Mercury announced that he had been diagnosed with AIDS. He died a day later from complications related to the disease. Until shortly before his death, Mercury had continued to record with Queen, and he was posthumously featured on the band’s final album, Made in Heaven (1995). His time with Queen was dramatized in the blockbuster film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). Although Rami Malek won an Academy Award for his performance as Mercury in the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody was criticized for its sanitized presentation of Mercury’s complicated life, particularly his sexual fluidity. Are you a student? Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium. The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Entertainment & Pop Culture Music, Contemporary Genres Rock Music Queen Queen British rock band Queen was known for its elaborate blend of layered guitar work and vocal harmonies enlivened by the flamboyant performance of front man and principal songwriter Freddie Mercury. Queen British rock group Written and fact-checked by Article History Quick Facts Awards And Honors: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (2001) Notable Works: “A Night at the Opera” “Sheer Heart Attack” “The Game” Date: 1971 - 1995 Related People: Freddie Mercury Related Facts And Data: Bohemian Rhapsody - Facts Top Questions Who were the original members of the rock band Queen? What was Queen’s first number-one album in the U.S.? When was the rock band Queen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Queen, British rock band whose fusion of heavy metal, glam rock, and camp theatrics made it one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. Although generally dismissed by critics, Queen crafted an elaborate blend of layered guitar work by virtuoso Brian May and overdubbed vocal harmonies enlivened by the flamboyant performance of front man and principal songwriter Freddie Mercury. The members were Freddie Mercury (original name Farrokh Bulsara; b. September 5, 1946, Stone Town, Zanzibar [now in Tanzania]—d. November 24, 1991, Kensington, London, England), Brian May (b. July 19, 1947, Twickenham, Middlesex, England), John Deacon (b. August 19, 1951, Leicester, Leicestershire, England), and Roger Taylor (original name Roger Meddows-Taylor; b. July 26, 1949, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England). Freddie Mercury at Live Aid 1 of 2 Freddie Mercury at Live AidFreddie Mercury performing with Queen at the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium, London, July 13, 1985. Brian May 2 of 2 Brian MayBrian May, 2016. Members of two bands composed of university and art-school students combined to form Queen in London in 1971. Aided by producer Roy Thomas Baker, Queen shot up the international charts with its third album, Sheer Heart Attack (1974). A Night at the Opera (1975), one of pop music’s most expensive productions, sold even better. Defiantly eschewing the use of synthesizers, the band constructed a sound that was part English music hall, part Led Zeppelin, epitomized by the mock-operatic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Britain’s top single for nine weeks. Spectacular success followed in 1977 with “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You”—which became ubiquitous anthems at sporting events in Britain and the United States. The Game (1980), featuring “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust,” was Queen’s first number one album in the United States. Brian May: Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May: Queen guitarist and astrophysicistMany consider Brian May to be the greatest guitarist of all time. He's also an astrophysicist. See all videos for this article Their popularity waned for a period in the 1980s, but a stellar performance at the charity concert Live Aid in 1985 reversed their fortunes commercially. Mercury died of AIDS in 1991, and the band issued its final album in 1995. Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The band’s formation and its rise to stardom are the topics of the blockbuster film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). British musical group Culture Club on the set of the "Karma Chameleon" video, 1983; (left to right) Roy Hay, Jon Moss, Boy George and Mikey Craig. Britannica Quiz 80s Music Quiz The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Entertainment & Pop Culture Music, Contemporary Genres Pop Music The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones Formed in 1962, the Rolling Stones became one of rock's most definitive bands. rock music Also known as: rock music Written by Fact-checked by Last Updated: Mar 21, 2025 • Article History Also called: rock and roll, rock & roll, or rock ’n’ roll Key People: Lenny Kravitz Jack Antonoff Rob Zombie Liz Phair Michael McDonald Related Topics: 10 Influential Rock Bands rock festival country rock doo-wop arena rock Top Questions What is rock music? How did rock music influence the emergence of folk rock? Who are some famous early rock music artists? News • Former OneRepublic bassist to take on California House Republican in tight district • Apr. 17, 2025, 2:38 PM ET (AP) rock, form of popular music that emerged in the 1950s. It is certainly arguable that by the end of the 20th century rock was the world’s dominant form of popular music. Originating in the United States in the 1950s, it spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the ’60s, and by the ’90s its impact was obvious globally (if in many different local guises). Rock’s commercial importance was by then reflected in the organization of the multinational recording industry, in the sales racks of international record retailers, and in the playlist policies of music radio and television. If other kinds of music—classical, jazz, easy listening, country, folk, etc.—are marketed as minority interests, rock defines the musical mainstream. And so over the last half of the 20th century it became the most inclusive of musical labels—everything can be “rocked.” Its popularity and traction persisted in the 21st century—despite the threat of a potentially outmoded business model—thanks largely to the flourishing live music sector. In consequence of the immense popularity of rock and the breadth of its impact and inherent complexity—not least in terms of artists, diversity of sound, and marketing—is the hardest to define. To answer the question, What is rock?, one first has to understand where it came from and what made it possible. And to understand rock’s cultural significance, one has to understand how it works socially as well as musically. What is rock? The difficulty of definition Dictionary definitions of rock are problematic, not least because the term has different resonance in its British and American usages (the latter is broader in compass). There is basic agreement that rock “is a form of music with a strong beat,” but it is difficult to be much more explicit. The Collins Cobuild English Dictionary, based on a vast database of British usage, suggests that “rock is a kind of music with simple tunes and a very strong beat that is played and sung, usually loudly, by a small group of people with electric guitars and drums,” but there are so many exceptions to this description that it is practically useless. Legislators seeking to define rock for regulatory purposes have not done much better. The Canadian government defined “rock and rock-oriented music” as “characterized by a strong beat, the use of blues forms and the presence of rock instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, electric organ or electric piano.” This assumes that rock can be marked off from other sorts of music formally, according to its sounds. In practice, though, the distinctions that matter for rock fans and musicians have been ideological. Rock was developed as a term to distinguish certain music-making and listening practices from those associated with pop; what was at issue was less a sound than an attitude. In 1990 British legislators defined pop music as “all kinds of music characterized by a strong rhythmic element and a reliance on electronic amplification for their performance.” This led to strong objections from the music industry that such a definition failed to appreciate the clear sociological difference between pop (“instant singles-based music aimed at teenagers”) and rock (“album-based music for adults”). In pursuit of definitional clarity, the lawmakers misunderstood what made rock music matter. Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity) Britannica Quiz Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz Crucial rock musicians For lexicographers and legislators alike, the purpose of definition is to grasp a meaning, to hold it in place, so that people can use a word correctly—for example, to assign a track to its proper radio outlet (rock, pop, country, jazz). The trouble is that the term rock describes an evolving musical practice informed by a variety of nonmusical arguments (about creativity, sincerity, commerce, and popularity). It makes more sense, then, to approach the definition of rock historically, with examples. The following musicians were crucial to rock’s history. What do they have in common? The true story of Priscilla Presley and Elvis The true story of Priscilla Presley and ElvisPriscilla Ann Beaulieu became famous when she married the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, in 1967. See all videos for this article Elvis Presley, from Memphis, Tennessee, personified a new form of American popular music in the mid-1950s. Rock and roll was a guitar-based sound with a strong (if loose) beat that drew equally on African American and white traditions from the southern United States, on blues, church music, and country music. Presley’s rapid rise to national stardom revealed the new cultural and economic power of both teenagers and teen-aimed media—records, radio, television, and motion pictures. The Beatles, from Liverpool, England (via Hamburg, Germany), personified a new form of British popular music in the 1960s. Merseybeat was a British take on the Black and white musical mix of rock and roll: a basic lineup of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and drums (with shared vocals) provided local live versions of American hit records of all sorts. The Beatles added to this an artistic self-consciousness, soon writing their own songs and using the recording studio to develop their own—rather than a commercial producer’s—musical ideas. The group’s unprecedented success in the United States ensured that rock would be an Anglo-American phenomenon. Bob Dylan Bob DylanBob Dylan performing at the Isle of Wight Festival, 1969. Bob Dylan, from Hibbing, Minnesota (via New York City), personified a new form of American music in the mid-1960s. Dylan brought together the amplified beat of rock and roll, the star imagery of pop, the historical and political sensibility of folk, and—through the wit, ambition, and obscurity of his lyrics—the arrogance of urban bohemia. He gave the emerging rock scene artistic weight (his was album, not Top 40, music) and a new account of youth as an ideological rather than a demographic category. Bohemian Rhapsody Article Talk Read View source View history Tools Page semi-protected From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Bohemian Rhapsody (disambiguation). "Bohemian Rhapsody" The four members of the band sit together in front of a sandy-coloured background wearing predominantly black clothing. Mercury appears to be the dominant figure, sat in front of the other three members. From left to right, John Deacon, Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor. All four individuals are looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression on their faces. Above the band is some black text, printed in an elegant, italic font face. The word "Queen" is followed by "Bohemian Rhapsody", the latter of which is positioned under the band name in the same format yet smaller font. Artwork for UK and some other European singles Single by Queen from the album A Night at the Opera B-side "I'm in Love with My Car" Released 31 October 1975 Recorded 24 August–September 1975[1][2][3] Studio Rockfield, Monmouthshire Roundhouse, London Sarm, London Scorpio Sound, London Wessex Sound, London Genre Progressive rockhard rockprogressive popart rock Length 5:55 Label EMI Songwriter(s) Freddie Mercury Producer(s) Roy Thomas BakerQueen Queen singles chronology "Now I'm Here" (1975) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) "You're My Best Friend" (1976) Music video "Bohemian Rhapsody" on YouTube "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera (1975). Written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite,[4] notable for its lack of a refraining chorus and consisting of several sections: an intro, a ballad segment, an operatic passage, a hard rock part and a reflective coda.[5] It is one of the few progressive rock songs of the 1970s to have proved accessible to a mainstream audience.[6] Mercury referred to "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a "mock opera" that resulted from the combination of three songs he had written. It was recorded by Queen and co-producer Roy Thomas Baker at five studios between August and September 1975. Due to recording logistics of the era, the band had to bounce the tracks across eight generations of 24-track tape, meaning that they required nearly 200 tracks for overdubs. The song parodies elements of opera with bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative, and distorted Italian operatic phrases. Lyrical references include Scaramouche, the fandango, Galileo Galilei, Figaro, and Beelzebub, with cries of "Bismillah!" Although critical reaction was initially mixed, retrospective reviews have acclaimed "Bohemian Rhapsody" one of the greatest songs of all time, and it is often regarded as the band's signature song. The promotional video is credited with furthering the development of the music video medium.[7][8] It has appeared in numerous polls of the greatest songs in popular music,[9] including a ranking at number 17 on Rolling Stone's 2021 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.[10] A Rolling Stone readers' poll ranked Mercury's vocal performance as the greatest in rock history.[11] "Bohemian Rhapsody" topped the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks (plus another five weeks following Mercury's death in 1991) and is the UK's third best-selling single of all time. It also topped the charts in countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the Netherlands, and has sold over six million copies worldwide. In the United States, the song peaked at number nine in 1976, but reached a new peak of number two after appearing in the 1992 film Wayne's World. In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[12] Following the release of the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, it became the most streamed song from the 20th century.[13] In 2021, it was certified diamond in the US for combined digital sales/streams equal to 10 million units, and is one of the best selling songs of all time. In 2022, it was inducted into National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". History and recording It was basically three songs that I wanted to put out, and I just put the three together. — Freddie Mercury[14] According to Mercury's friend Chris Smith (a keyboard player in Smile), Mercury first started developing "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the late 1960s; Mercury used to play parts of songs he was writing at the time on the piano, and one of his pieces, known simply as "The Cowboy Song", contained lyrics that ended up in the completed version produced years later, in 1975, specifically, "Mama ... just killed a man."[15] Producer Roy Thomas Baker, who began working with Queen in 1972, related how Mercury once played the opening ballad section on the piano for him in Mercury's flat: He played the beginning on the piano, then stopped and said, "And this is where the opera section comes in!" Then we went out to eat dinner. Guitarist Brian May said the band thought that Mercury's blueprint for the song was "intriguing and original, and worthy of work".[16] According to May, much of Queen's material was written in the studio, but this song "was all in Freddie's mind" before they started.[17] 1975 publicity photo of Queen Queen spent a month rehearsing at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey in mid-1975, and drummer Roger Taylor recalled that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was one of the songs the band worked on while they were there.[18] Recording began on 24 August 1975 at Rockfield Studio 1 near Monmouth, South Wales, after a three-week rehearsal at Penrhos Court, near Kington, Herefordshire. During the making of the track, four additional studios – Roundhouse, Sarm Studios, Scorpio Sound, and Wessex Sound Studios – were used.[19] According to some band members, Mercury mentally prepared the song beforehand and directed the band throughout.[17] Mercury used a C. Bechstein concert grand piano, which he played in the promotional video and the UK tour. Due to the elaborate nature of the song, it was recorded in various sections.[20] The piano was allegedly the same one Paul McCartney had used to record the Beatles' song "Hey Jude",[4] as well as the same one Rick Wakeman used on David Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory.[21][dubious – discuss] Baker recalled in 1999: "Bohemian Rhapsody" was totally insane, but we enjoyed every minute of it. It was basically a joke, but a successful joke. [laughs] We had to record it in three separate units. We did the whole beginning bit, then the whole middle bit and then the whole end. It was complete madness. The middle part started off being just a couple of seconds, but Freddie kept coming in with more "Galileos" and we kept on adding to the opera section, and it just got bigger and bigger. We never stopped laughing ... It started off as a ballad, but the end was heavy.[22] Recording track sheet (replica) May, Mercury, and Taylor reportedly sang their vocal parts continually for 10 to 12 hours a day.[17] The entire piece took three weeks to record, and in some sections featured 180 overdubs.[20] In multiple interviews, May recalled how Mercury's vocal overdubs were so exquisitely precise that he would create a natural phasing effect.[23][24] Since the studios of the time only offered 24-track analogue tape, it was necessary for the three to overdub themselves many times and "bounce" these down to successive sub-mixes. In the end, eighth-generation tapes were used.[19] The various sections of tape containing the desired sub-mixes had to be spliced (cut and assembled in the correct sequence). May recalled placing a tape in front of the light and being able to see through it, as the tape had been used so many times.[25] A similar story was told in 1977 by Taylor regarding the elaborate overdubs and sub-mixes for "The March of The Black Queen" for the album Queen II. At that time, the band was using 16-track equipment.[26] Producer Baker recalls that May's solo was done on only one track rather than recording multiple tracks. May stated that he wanted to compose "a little tune that would be a counterpart to the main melody; I didn't just want to play the melody". The guitarist said that his better material stems from this way of working, in which he thought of the tune before playing it: "The fingers tend to be predictable unless being led by the brain."[17] According to Baker, ... the end of the song was much heavier because it was one of the first mixes to be done with automation ... If you really listen to it, the ballad starts off clean, and as the opera section gets louder and louder, the vocals get more and more distorted. You can still hear this on the CD. They are clearly distorted.[22] In May 2023, an early handwritten draft unearthed from an auction of items that belonged to Mercury, courtesy of his friend Mary Austin, revealed that Mercury originally considered the song to be titled "Mongolian Rhapsody". It was explained that he wrote the title along with the lyrics in 1974 on a page of stationery from defunct airline British Midland Airways, but crossed out the word "Mongolian" in place of "Bohemian".[27] Composition and analysis "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been affiliated to the genres of progressive rock (sometimes called symphonic rock),[6][28][29] hard rock,[30][31] art rock,[32] and progressive pop.[33] The song is highly unusual for a popular single in featuring no chorus, combining disparate musical styles, and containing lyrics which eschew conventional love-based narratives, and instead make allusions to murder and nihilism.[5] Music scholar Sheila Whiteley suggests that "the title draws strongly on contemporary rock ideology, the individualism of the bohemian artists' world, with rhapsody affirming the romantic ideals of art rock".[34] Commenting on bohemianism, Judith Peraino said, Mercury intended ... [this song] to be a 'mock opera', something outside the norm of rock songs, and it does follow a certain operatic logic: Choruses of multi-tracked voices alternate with aria-like solos, the emotions are excessive, the plot confusing.[35] "Bohemian Rhapsody" begins with an introduction, then goes into a piano ballad, before a guitar solo leads to an operatic interlude. A hard rock part follows this and it concludes with a coda. The song is in the keys of B♭ major, E♭ major, A major and F major, and is predominantly in 4 4 meter. This musical format of writing a song as a suite with changes in style, tone, and tempo throughout was uncommon in most mainstream pop and rock music, but common in progressive rock, a genre which had reached its artistic and commercial zenith between 1970 and 1975 in the music of British bands such as Jethro Tull, Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator, and Curved Air.[36] The music of progressive rock was characterised by dramatic contrasts, frequent shifts in tempo and in rhythmic character from one section of a composition to the next.[37] Bands from the genre blended rock with classical music, including its structural features, compositional practices, and instrumentation.[38] Queen had embraced progressive rock as one of their many diverse influences.[39] "Bohemian Rhapsody" parodies many different elements of opera by using bombastic choruses, sarcastic recitative, and distorted Italian operatic phrases.[40] An embryonic version of this style had already been used in Mercury's earlier compositions for the band's "My Fairy King" (1973) and "The March of the Black Queen" (1974). Intro (0:00–0:49) The song begins with a close five-part harmony a cappella introduction in B♭ major—as evidenced by the presence of a V–I cadence (F7–B♭) multi-track recordings of Mercury although the video has all four members lip-syncing this part. The lyrics question whether life is "real" or "just fantasy caught in a landslide" before concluding that there can be "no escape from reality". The section is nearly entirely in 4/4 time, with the exception of measure 3 ("Caught in a landslide, no es—") switching to 5/4 time, then returning to 4/4 after.[41] After 20 seconds, the grand piano enters, the song modulates briefly to E♭ major via another perfect cadence (B♭7–E♭) and Mercury's voice alternates with the other vocal parts. The narrator introduces himself as "just a poor boy" but declares that he "needs no sympathy" because he is "easy come, easy go" and then "little high, little low" (when heard in stereo, the words "little high" come from the left speaker and "little low" comes from the right, the other respective speaker plays the piano at the same time); chromatic side-slipping on "easy come, easy go" highlights the dream-like atmosphere. The end of this section is marked by the bass entrance and the cross-handed piano vamp in B♭. Ballad (0:49–2:37) "Mama, just killed a man" Duration: 17 seconds.0:17 This sample features the distinctive piano phrase in B♭ and the first line of the first verse. Problems playing this file? See media help. The piano begins in B♭ major along with the entrance of John Deacon's bass guitar, marking the onset of this section. After it plays twice, Mercury's vocals enter. Throughout the section, the vocals evolve from a softly sung harmony to an impassioned solo performance by Mercury. The narrator explains to his mother that he has "just killed a man", with "a gun against [the man's] head" and in doing so, has thrown his life away. This "confessional" section, Whiteley comments, is "affirmative of the nurturant and life-giving force of the feminine and the need for absolution".[34] In the middle of the verse (1:19), Taylor's drums enter, and a descending chromatic run leads to a temporary modulation to E♭ major (up one fourth). The narrator makes the second of several invocations to his "mama" in the new key, continuing the original theme. The narrator explains his regret over "mak[ing] you cry" and urging "mama" to "carry on as if nothing really matters". A brief, descending variation of the piano phrase connects to the second verse. Then the piano intro plays, marking the start of the second verse. As the ballad proceeds into its second verse, the speaker confesses how ashamed he is by his act of murder (as May enters on guitar and mimics the upper range of the piano at 1:50). May imitates a bell tree during the line "sends shivers down my spine", by playing the strings of his guitar on the other side of the bridge. The narrator bids the world goodbye announcing he has "got to go" and prepares to "face the truth" admitting "I don't want to die / I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all". This is where the guitar solo enters. Guitar solo (2:37–3:05) Towards the end of the ballad section, the band builds in intensity, incorporating a guitar solo (in E♭ major) played and composed by Brian May. The intensity continues to build, but once the bass line completes its descent establishing modulation to the new key (A major), the entire band cuts out abruptly at 3:03 except for quiet, staccato A major quaver (eighth-note) chords on the piano, marking the start of the "Opera" section. Opera (3:05–4:07) "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?" Duration: 13 seconds.0:13 The operatic segment enters immediately as May's solo abruptly concludes. This vast shift in style is just one example of how the song rapidly changes throughout its running time. Problems playing this file? See media help. A rapid series of rhythmic and harmonic changes introduces a pseudo-operatic midsection, which contains the bulk of the elaborate vocal multi-tracking, depicting the narrator's descent into hell. While the underlying pulse of the song is maintained, the dynamics vary greatly from bar to bar, from only Mercury's voice accompanied by a piano to a multi-voice choir supported by drums, bass, piano, and timpani. The choir effect was created by having May, Mercury, and Taylor repeatedly sing their vocal parts, resulting in 180 separate overdubs. These overdubs were then combined into successive submixes. According to Roger Taylor, the voices of May, Mercury, and himself combined created a wide vocal range: "Brian could get down quite low, Freddie had a powerful voice through the middle, and I was good at the high stuff." The band wanted to create "a wall of sound, that starts down and goes all the way up".[17] The band used the bell effect for lyrics "Magnifico" and "let me go". Also, on "let him go", Taylor singing the top section carries his note on further after the rest of the "choir" have stopped singing. Lyrical references in this passage include Scaramouche, the fandango, Galileo Galilei, Figaro, and Beelzebub, with cries of "Bismillah! [Arabic: "In the name of God!"] We will not let you go!", as rival factions fight over his soul, some wishing to "let [him] go" and "spare him his life from this monstrosity", with others sending him "thunderbolts and lightning – very, very frightening [to him]". In Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography, Lesley-Ann Jones theorises that it is also a figurative representation of the four members: Mercury, May, Taylor, and Deacon respectively. The section concludes with a full choral treatment of the lyric "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me!", on a block B♭ major chord. Roger Taylor tops the final chord with a falsetto B♭ in the fifth octave (B♭5). Using the 24-track technology available at the time, the "opera" section took about three weeks to finish.[16] Baker said, "Every time Freddie came up with another Galileo, I would add another piece of tape to the reel."[19] Baker recalls that they kept wearing out the tape, which meant having to do transfers.[16] Hard rock (4:07–4:54) The operatic section leads into a rock interlude with a guitar riff written by Mercury. At 4:15, a quadruple-tracked Mercury (in stereo, the four parts are panned two on the left and two on the right) sings angry lyrics addressed to an unspecified "you", accusing them of betrayal and abuse and insisting "can't do this to me, baby", before the final lines conclude that the singer "just gotta get right outta" an unspecified "here". Three ascending guitar runs follow. Mercury then plays a similar B♭ run on the piano, as the song builds up to the finale with a ritardando. Outro (4:54–5:55) After Mercury plays ascending octaves of notes from the B♭ mixolydian mode (composed of the notes from the E♭ scale), the song then returns to the tempo and form of the introduction, initially in E♭ major, before quickly modulating to C minor, only to soon go through an abrupt short series of modulations, bringing it back to C minor again in time for the final "nothing really matters" section. A guitar accompanies the chorus "ooh, ooh yeah, ooh yeah". A double-tracked twin guitar melody is played through an amplifier designed by John Deacon, affectionately nicknamed the "Deacy Amp". Mercury's line "Nothing really matters ..." appears again, "cradled by light piano arpeggios suggesting both resignation (minor tonalities) and a new sense of freedom in the wide vocal span".[42] After the line "nothing really matters" is repeated multiple times, the song finally concludes in the key of E♭ major, but then changes again to F major just before it ends. The final line, "Any way the wind blows", is followed by the quiet sound of a large tam-tam that finally expels the tension built up throughout the song. Lyrics The New York Times commented that "the song's most distinct feature is the fatalistic lyrics". Mercury refused to explain his composition other than to say it was about relationships; the band is still protective of the song's secret.[16] Brian May supports suggestions that the song contained veiled references to Mercury's personal traumas. He recalls "Freddie was a very complex person: flippant and funny on the surface, but he concealed insecurities and problems in squaring up his life with his childhood. He never explained the lyrics, but I think he put a lot of himself into that song."[43] May, though, says the band had agreed that the core of a lyric was a private issue for the composer.[16] In a BBC Three documentary about the making of "Bohemian Rhapsody", Roger Taylor maintains that the true meaning of the song is "fairly self-explanatory with just a bit of nonsense in the middle".[17] It's one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them ... "Bohemian Rhapsody" didn't just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not? — Freddie Mercury[44] Despite this, critics, both journalistic and academic, have speculated over the meaning behind the song's lyrics. Some believe the lyrics describe a suicidal murderer haunted by demons or depict events just preceding an execution. The latter explanation points to Albert Camus's novel The Stranger, in which a young man confesses to an impulsive murder and has an epiphany before he is executed, as probable inspiration. When the band released a Greatest Hits cassette in Iran, a leaflet in Persian was included with translation and explanations.[45] In the explanation, Queen states that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is about a young man who has accidentally killed someone and, like Faust, sold his soul to the devil. On the night before his execution, he calls for God saying, "Bismillah" ("In the name of God" in Arabic), and with the help of angels, regains his soul from Shaitan (the devil in Arabic).[46] Other critics interpreted the lyrics as Mercury's way of dealing with personal issues.[16] Music scholar Sheila Whiteley observes that Mercury reached a turning point in his personal life in the year he wrote "Bohemian Rhapsody".[34] He had been living with Mary Austin for seven years but had just embarked on his first love affair with a man. She suggests that the song provides an insight into Mercury's emotional state at the time, "living with Mary ('Mamma', as in Mother Mary) and wanting to break away ('Mamma mia let me go')".[42] Others suggest it as a veiled reference to coming out, and dealing with the repercussions of the sodomy laws of the time.[47] In addition, the song can be interpreted as coming from the perspective of a person on death row, reflecting on their life and preparing for their last moments. Still others believe the lyrics were only written to fit with the music, and had no intended meaning; the D.J., television entertainer, and comedian Kenny Everett, who played an influential role in popularising the single on his radio show on Capital Radio, quoted Mercury as claiming the lyrics were simply "random rhyming nonsense".[43] Release One of Side-A labels of the US single release When the band wanted to release the single in 1975, various executives suggested to them that due to its length of 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit.[48] Mercury commenting on the length of the song: It had a very big risk factor. The radios didn't really like it initially because it was too long and the record companies said you can't market it that way, and after me having virtually put the three songs together, they wanted me to sort of slice it up again, so I said no way. They said nobody would play it, it's too long and I just said it either goes out in its entirety or not at all. So it was a big risk, it was either going to be a big flop because nobody would play it or something would happen and luckily it became a major hit.[49] The song was played to other musicians who commented the band had no hope of it ever being played on radio.[17] According to Baker, he and the band bypassed this corporate assessment by playing the song for Everett: "we had a reel-to-reel copy but we told him he could only have it if he promised not to play it. 'I won't play it,' he said, winking ..."[19] The plan worked — Everett teased his listeners by playing only parts of the song. Audience demand intensified when Everett played the full song on his show 14 times in 2 days.[16] Hordes of fans attempted to buy the single the following Monday, only to be told by record stores that it had not yet been released.[19] The same weekend, Paul Drew, who ran the RKO General stations in the U.S., heard the track on Everett's show in London. Drew managed to get a copy of the tape and started to play it in the U.S., which forced the hand of Queen's U.S. label, Elektra Records. In an interview with Sound on Sound, Baker observed that "it was a strange situation where radio on both sides of the Atlantic was breaking a record that the record companies said would never get airplay!"[19] Eventually the unedited single was released, with "I'm in Love with My Car" as the B-side. Following Everett's escapade in October 1975, Eric Hall, a record plugger, gave a copy to David "Diddy" Hamilton to play on his weekday Radio One show. Hall stated "Monster, Monster! This could be a hit!"[50] The song became the 1975 UK Christmas number one, holding the top position for nine weeks.[42] "Bohemian Rhapsody" was the first song ever to get to number one in the UK twice with the same version,[51] and is also the only single to have been Christmas number one twice with the same version. The second was upon its re-release (as a double A-side single with "These Are the Days of Our Lives") in 1991, following Mercury's death, staying at number one for five weeks.[52] The re-released version sold 673,000 copies in 1991 in the UK.[53] In the US, the single was also a success, although initially to a lesser extent than in the UK. The single, released in December 1975, reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of one million copies.[54] In a retrospective article, Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone explained why the song performed less strongly in the US charts by saying that it is "the quintessential example of the kind of thing that doesn't exactly go over well in America".[17] Its chart run of 24 weeks, however, placed it at number 18 on Billboard's year-end chart, higher than some number 1s of the year.[55] With the Canadian record-buying public, the single fared better, reaching number one in the RPM national singles chart for the week ending 1 May 1976.[56] In the US, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was re-released as a double A-side cassette single with "The Show Must Go On" in January 1992, two months after the death of Freddie Mercury, with proceeds going to the Magic Johnson Foundation for AIDS research. The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart after 16 years, reaching number two, and spending 17 weeks on the chart.[57] After the release of the Queen biopic named after the song, it re-entered the charts for a third time at number 33, marking 26 years since it last charted.[58] In March 2021 it was certified Diamond (10× platinum) in the US for combined digital sales and streams equal to 10 million units.[59] It had sold 4.4 million digital copies in the US as of September 2017.[60] Promotional video Though some artists had made video clips to accompany songs (including Queen themselves; for example, their earlier singles "Keep Yourself Alive", "Liar", "Seven Seas of Rhye" and "Killer Queen" already had "pop promos", as they were known at the time), it was only after the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that it became a regular practice for record companies to produce promotional videos for artists' single releases.[61] The Guardian stated it "ensured videos would henceforth be a mandatory tool in the marketing of music".[8] These videos could then be shown on television shows around the world, such as the BBC's Top of the Pops, without the need for the artist to appear in person. A promo video also allowed the artist to have their music broadcast and accompanied by their own choice of visuals rather than dancers such as Pan's People. According to May, the video was produced so that the band could avoid miming on Top of the Pops, since they would have looked off miming to such a complex song.[43] He also said that the band knew they would be set to appear at Dundee's Caird Hall on tour, a date which clashed with the programme, thus a promo would solve the issue.[17] The video has been hailed as launching the MTV age.[17][62] The "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video was shot at Elstree Studios in November 1975 The band used Trillion, a subsidiary of Trident Studios, their former management company and recording studio. They hired one of their trucks and got it to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, where the band were rehearsing for their tour. The video was directed by Bruce Gowers, who had directed a video of the band's 1974 performance at the Rainbow Theatre in London, and was recorded by cameraman Barry Dodd and assistant director/floor manager Jim McCutcheon. The video was recorded in just four hours on 10 November 1975, at a cost of £4,500.[20] Gowers reported that the band was involved in the discussion of the video and the result, and "was a co-operative to that extent, but there was only one leader."[17] It became the first record to be pushed into the forefront by virtue of a video. Queen were certainly the first band to create a 'concept' video. The video captured the musical imagery perfectly. You cannot hear that music without seeing the visuals in your mind's eye. — Rock DJ Tommy Vance.[63] The video opens with a shot of the four band members standing in diamond formation with their heads tilted back in near darkness as they sing the a cappella part.[64] The lights fade up, and the shots cross-fade into close-ups of Mercury. The composition of the shot is the same as Mick Rock's cover photograph for their second album Queen II. The photo, inspired by a photograph of actress Marlene Dietrich, was the band's favourite image of themselves.[17] The video then fades into them playing their instruments. In the opera section of the video, the scene reverts to the Queen II standing positions, after which they perform once again on stage during the hard rock segment. In the closing seconds of the video Roger Taylor is depicted stripped to the waist, striking the tam-tam in the manner of the trademark of the Rank Organisation's Gongman, familiar in the UK as the opening of all Rank film productions.[65] All of the special effects were achieved during the recording, rather than editing. The visual effect of Mercury's face cascading away (during the echoed lines "Magnifico" and "Let me go") was accomplished by pointing the camera at a monitor, giving visual feedback, a glare analogous to audio feedback. The honeycomb illusion was created using a shaped lens. The video was edited within five hours because it was due to be broadcast the same week in which it was taped. The video was sent to the BBC as soon as it was completed and aired for the first time on Top of the Pops in November 1975.[17] Critical reception Although the song has become one of the most revered in popular music history,[66] the initial critical reaction was mixed. The UK music papers reacted with bemusement, recognising that the song was original and technically accomplished, but they mostly remained indifferent. Pete Erskine of NME observed that, "It'll be interesting to see whether it'll be played in its entirety on the radio. It's performed extremely well, but more in terms of production than anything else... Someone somewhere has decided that the boys' next release must sound 'epic'. And it does. They sound extremely self-important."[67] Allan Jones of Melody Maker was unimpressed, describing the song as "a superficially impressive pastiche of incongruous musical styles" and that Queen "contrived to approximate the demented fury of the Balham Amateur Operatic Society performing The Pirates of Penzance... 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is full of drama, passion and romance and sounds rather like one of those mini-opera affairs that Pete Townshend used to tack on to the end of Who albums", before concluding, "The significance of the composition eludes me totally, though I must admit to finding it horrifically fascinating. It's likely to be a hit of enormous proportions despite its length."[68] Ray Fox-Cumming of Record Mirror was also left unmoved, saying, "It has no immediate selling point whatsoever: among its many parts. there's scarcely a shred of a tune and certainly no one line to latch onto. There's no denying that it's devilishly clever, encompassing everything from bits of operatic harmonies to snatches that sound like Sparks and David Cassidy, but, in the end the whole adds up to less than the sum of its parts." He did, however, say that it was "unthinkable" that it wouldn't be a hit.[69] The most positive review came from Sounds, which called it "impossibly disjointed and complex, but a dazzlingly clever epic from the fevered mind of Freddie Mercury".[70] Cash Box called it "a softly sung ode to the prospect of moving on from staid ways" with "good singing" and "good production."[71] Record World called it "a majestic vocal performance that takes on operatic proportions."[72] Legacy Musical impact The Queen Extravaganza performing the song at the Fox Theatre, Detroit in 2012 In 1976, when asked for his opinion on "Bohemian Rhapsody", the Beach Boys' leader Brian Wilson praised the song as "the most competitive thing that's come along in ages" and "a fulfillment and an answer to a teenage prayer—of artistic music".[73] Producer Steve Levine said the track broke "all sonic production barriers" in a fashion similar to the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" (1966), which also consisted of disparate music sections recorded separately,[74] Phil Spector's "Be My Baby" (1963), and 10cc's "I'm Not in Love" (1975).[75] Greg Lake, whose song "I Believe in Father Christmas" was kept from number one in the UK by "Bohemian Rhapsody" when it was released in 1975, acknowledged that he was "beaten by one of the greatest records ever made", describing it as "a once-in-a-lifetime recording".[76] Addressing the song's enduring popularity, author and music lecturer Jochen Eisentraut wrote in 2012: "A year before punk made it unfashionable, progressive rock had an astounding success with the theoretically over-length (nearly 6-minute) single 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which bore many of the hallmarks of the 'prog' genre". He said it was "unique at this point to hear a hit single in this style", it was "more accessible than other music of the genre" and was "able to communicate beyond the usual confines of the style".[6] Author and progressive rock historian Stephen Lambe called it a "remarkable" single and said it "provides a neat but coincidental bridge between prog in its prime and the move to more aggressive songwriting", suggesting the song "feels like a grotesque (although probably unintentional) parody of progressive rock".[66] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide described it as "either a prog-rock benchmark or the most convoluted novelty song ever recorded".[77] Writing for the BBC in 2015, the Chicago Tribune's music critic Greg Kot called it a "prog-rock pocket operetta" and said the song's "reign as a work of wigged-out genius rather than a dated gimmick testifies to its go-for-broke attitude—one that has resonated across generations".[28] In 2009, The Guardian's music critic, Tom Service, examined the song's relationship with the traditions of classical music, describing its popularity as "one of the strangest musical phenomena out there": The precedents of "Bohemian Rhapsody" are as much in the 19th-century classical traditions of rhapsodic, quasi-improvisational reveries—like, say, the piano works of Schumann or Chopin or the tone-poems of Strauss or Liszt—as they are in prog-rock or the contemporary pop of 1975. That's because the song manages a sleight of musical hand that only a handful of real master-musicians have managed: the illusion that its huge variety of styles—from intro, to ballad, to operatic excess, to hard-rock, to reflective coda—are unified into a single statement, a drama that somehow makes sense. It's a classic example of the unity in diversity that high-minded musical commentators have heard in the symphonies of Beethoven or the operas of Mozart. And that's exactly what the piece is: a miniature operatic-rhapsodic-symphonic-tone-poem.[5] A comparison was also made between the song and Led Zeppelin's 1971 epic "Stairway to Heaven" by music writers Pete Prown and HP Newquist. They observed both songs were "a slow, introspective beginning and gradual climb to a raging metal jam and back again", with the notable distinction being "while Zeppelin meshed folk influences with heavy metal, Queen opted for the light grandeur of the operetta as part of its hard rock". They said "for sheer cleverness alone, not to mention May's riveting electric work, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' rightfully became one of the top singles of 1975 and established Queen in the elite of seventies rock bands".[30] In 2015, The Economist described it as "one of the most innovative pieces of the progressive rock era". It wrote "though Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and the Beatles' Paul McCartney had experimented with symphonic elements, and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and Pete Townshend of the Who had created narrative albums with distinct 'movements', none had had the audacity to import a miniature opera into rock music."[31] Wayne's World In 1992, the song enjoyed renewed popularity in the United States after being featured in a scene in the film Wayne's World, in which the titular character and his friends headbang in a car to the hard rock part near the end of the song.[78] The film's director, Penelope Spheeris, was hesitant to use the song, as it did not entirely fit with the lead characters, who were fans of less flamboyant hard rock and heavy metal. Mike Myers insisted that the song fit the scene.[79] According to music scholar Theodore Gracyk, by 1992, when the film was released, even "classic rock" stations had stopped playing the almost six-minute song. Gracyk suggests that beginning the tape in the middle of the song after "the lyrics which provide the song's narrative ... forces the film's audience to respond to its presence in the scene without the 'commentary' of the lyrics".[80] Helped by the song, the soundtrack album of the film was a major hit.[81] In connection with this, a new video was released, interspersing excerpts from the film with footage from the original Queen video, along with some live footage of the band. Myers was horrified that the record company had mixed clips from Wayne's World with Queen's original video, fearing that this would upset the band. He said, "they've just whizzed on a Picasso." He asked the record company to tell Queen that the video was not his idea and that he apologised to them. The band, though, sent a reply simply saying, "Thank you for using our song." This astonished Myers, who responded, "Thank you for even letting me touch the hem of your garments!"[82] The Wayne's World video version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" won Queen its only MTV Video Music Award for "Best Video from a Film".[83] When remaining members Brian May and Roger Taylor took the stage to accept the award, Brian May was overcome with emotion and said that "Freddie would be tickled." In the final scene of the video, a pose of the band from the video from the original "Bohemian Rhapsody" clip morphs into an identically posed 1985 photo, first featured in the "One Vision" video. In the 2018 Queen biopic feature film Bohemian Rhapsody, Myers makes a cameo as a fictional record executive who pans the song and refuses to release it as a single, proclaiming that it is too long for radio and that it is not a song that "teenagers can crank up the volume in their car and bang their heads to", a reference to the aforementioned scene in Wayne's World.[84] Achievements and accolades The song has won numerous awards and has been covered and parodied by many artists. At the 19th Annual Grammy Awards in February 1977, "Bohemian Rhapsody" received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus and Best Arrangement for Voices.[85][86] In October 1977, only two years after its release, the British Phonographic Industry named "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the best British single of the period 1952–77.[80] It is a regular entry in greatest-songs polls, and it was named by the Guinness Book of Records in 2002 as the top British single of all time.[16] The song is also listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[87] In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[12] As of 2004, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the second most-played song on British radio, in clubs and on jukeboxes collectively, after Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[88] On 30 September 2007 for BBC Radio 1's 40th birthday, it was revealed on The Radio 1 Chart Show that "Bohemian Rhapsody" had been the most played song since Radio 1's launch.[89] In December 2018, "Bohemian Rhapsody" officially became the most-streamed song from the 20th century, surpassing Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine".[13][90] "Bohemian Rhapsody" also became the most-streamed classic rock song of all time.[13] The number of downloads of the song and original video exceeded 1.6 billion downloads across global on-demand streaming services.[90] The video surpassed one billion views on YouTube in July 2019, making it the oldest music video to reach one billion on the platform, and the first pre-1990s song to reach that figure.[91][92] In 2022, the single was selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[93] Polls In a 2001 poll of more than 50,000 readers of The Observer newspaper and viewers of British TV's Channel 4 for the 100 best number-one singles of all time, the song came second to John Lennon's "Imagine".[94] In a 2002 poll of more than 31,000 people conducted for Guinness World Records' British Hit Singles, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted Britain's favourite single, beating Lennon's "Imagine" to the top spot.[95] In 2002, it came in 10th in a BBC World Service poll to find the world's favourite song.[96] In the Netherlands, Bohemian Rhapsody has been in the top five of the annual year's end "Top 100 Aller Tijden" ("All-Time Top 100 [Singles]") since 1977, topping the list eight times, more than any other artists.[97] Since 1999, the Dutch "Top 2000" pop music poll supplanted the Top-100, to list and play the 2,000 all-time greatest songs annually in December, and the song has been ranked first in all but five years (2005, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2020, when it was runner up).[98] In a 2012 readers poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted the best vocal performance in rock history.[99] In 2010, the song ranked at 166 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list,[100] and was re-ranked at number 17 in 2021.[10] In 2012, the song topped an ITV poll in the UK to find "The Nation's Favourite Number One" over 60 years of music, ahead of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" (number two), Adele's "Someone like You" (number three), Oasis' "Don't Look Back in Anger" (number four) and The Beatles' "Hey Jude" (number five).[9] The song was also ranked number five in RadioMafia's list of "Top 500 Songs".[101] Cover versions Robbie Williams on stage in Poland in 2015 performing the song with the Queen image in the background See also: List of Bohemian Rhapsody cover versions Over two dozen artists have recorded or performed cover versions of "Bohemian Rhapsody", including charted single releases by: Bad News – a 1986 spoof version produced by Brian May which reached UK number 44 The Braids – an R&B version recorded for the soundtrack to the 1996 film High School High and which peaked at UK number 21, US number 42, and Canada number 13[102] Panic! at the Disco – a version recorded for the soundtrack of the 2016 film Suicide Squad and which peaked at UK number 80, US number 64 and Canada number 47[103] A video cover featuring The Muppets also went viral[104] and was subsequently released as a single in late 2009, peaking at number 32 in the UK.[105] "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1993 album Alapalooza includes a version of the song entitled "Bohemian Polka", which is a rearrangement of the entire song as a polka.[106][107] 40th anniversary To mark the 40th anniversary of "Bohemian Rhapsody", the song was released on a limited edition 12" vinyl with the original B-side "I'm In Love With My Car" on 27 November 2015 for Record Store Day 2015. Queen also released A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith 75, on CD, DVD-Video and Blu-ray. This includes the first live "professionally" recorded performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody".[108] However, the first recording and live performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was the performance on 14 November 1975 in Liverpool.[109] Auction From 4 August to 5 September 2023, the Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own exhibition was held at Sotheby's in New Bond Street, London where almost 1,500 items of Mercury's went on display before being sold across six auctions.[110] His Yamaha baby grand piano, which he used to compose "Bohemian Rhapsody", sold for £1.7 million, while his handwritten lyrics for the song went for £1.38 million.[110] A silver snake bangle worn by Mercury in the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video was sold for £698,500.[110] Live performances "Bohemian Rhapsody" live at Milton Keynes Bowl (1982) Duration: 26 seconds.0:26 In live performances, the operatic segment would be played from tape as it was too complicated for the band to perform live. As the heavy rock segment followed, the band would return to the stage. Problems playing this file? See media help. The a cappella opening was too complex to perform live, so Mercury tried various ways of introducing the song. When "Mustapha" became a live favourite, Mercury would often sub in that song's a cappella opening, which was easier to reproduce live as it was only one voice—this combination features in their 1979 live album Live Killers.[111] During their 1982 Hot Space Tour, and occasionally at other times, Mercury would do a piano improvisation (generally the introduction to "Death on Two Legs") that ended with the first notes of the song. Often, the preceding song would end, and Mercury would sit at the piano, say a quick word, and start playing the ballad section. At Live Aid where "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their opening song, Mercury commenced with the ballad section.[112] Three members of the group during a live performance in Hanover. From left to right, John Deacon (stood casually), Roger Taylor (playing, sat at drum kit), and Brian May (appears to be playing intensely). Behind Taylor is a tam-tam used at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody. Behind that is a large set of multicoloured lights raised above the stage. From left to right: Deacon, Taylor and May in concert in Hanover in 1979. Behind the drum kit is the tam-tam used at the end of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Initially following the song's release, the operatic middle section proved a problem for the band. Because of extensive multi-tracking, it could not be performed on stage.[113] The band did not have enough of a break between the Sheer Heart Attack and A Night at the Opera tours to find a way to make it work live, so they split the song into three sections that were played throughout the night. The opening and closing ballads were played as part of a medley, with "Killer Queen" and "March of the Black Queen" taking the place of the operatic and hard rock sections. In 1976 concerts where the same medley was played, the operatic section from the album would be played from tape as the introduction to the setlist. During this playback, Mercury would appear briefly to sing live for the line, "I see a little sillhouetto of a man".[114] As the song segued into the hard rock section, the band would emerge on the smoke-filled stage—the playback would end at this point, and the hard rock section would be performed live (without the final ballad section, which appeared later in the set). Footage of Mercury singing "Magnifico" in the operatic section of the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video during a Queen + Adam Lambert concert at the United Center, Chicago, June 2014. Starting with the A Day at the Races Tour in 1977, the band adopted their lasting way of playing the song live. The opening ballad would be played on stage, and after May's guitar solo, the lights would go down, the band would leave the stage, and the operatic section would be played from tape, while coloured stage lights provided a light show based around the voices of the opera section.[113] Most playings of the opera section from the tape would often be accompanied by a portion of the song's music video containing the footage used for the operatic portion of the song. Other playings would be played over montages of footage filmed from the band members' other experiences throughout their daily lives. A blast of pyrotechnics after Taylor's high note on the final "for me" would announce the band's return for the hard rock section and closing ballad. Queen played the song in this form all through the Magic Tour of 1986. This style was also used for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, with Elton John singing the opening ballad and then after the taped operatic section, Axl Rose singing the hard rock section. John and Rose sang the closing ballad part together in a duet.[115] "Bohemian Rhapsody" was performed by Queen + Paul Rodgers throughout their tours, accompanied by a video of Mercury.[116] Footage from the Live at Wembley '86 was used for the 2005–06 tour, and the 1981 Montreal performance used for the Rock the Cosmos Tour. As with the Queen tours, the band went backstage for the operatic section, which was accompanied by a video tribute to Freddie Mercury. When the hard rock section began, the lights came back up to the full band on stage, including Rodgers, who took over lead vocals. Rodgers duetted with the recording of Mercury for the "outro" section, allowing the audience to sing the final "Nothing really matters to me", while the taped Mercury took a bow for the crowd. Rodgers would then repeat the line, and the final line ("Any way the wind blows") was delivered with one last shot of Mercury smiling at the audience. Commenting upon this staging, Brian May says that they "had to rise to the challenge of getting Freddie in there in a way which gave him his rightful place, but without demeaning Paul in any way. It also kept us live and 'present', although conscious and proud of our past, as we logically should be."[16] Since 2012, May and Taylor have toured with former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert under the name Queen + Adam Lambert (following two one-off performances together in 2009 and 2011), with "Bohemian Rhapsody" regularly included at the end of their set.[117][118] Charts Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[119] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[120] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[121] 7 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[56] 1 Finland (Suomen Virallinen)[122] 10 Ireland (IRMA)[123] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[124] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[125] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[126] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[127] 4 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[128] 2 Spain (AFE)[129] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[130] 18 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[131] 4 UK Singles (OCC)[132] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[133] 9 US Cash Box[134] 6 West Germany (GfK)[135] 7 Chart (1991–1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[136] 5 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[137] 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[120] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[138] 18 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[139] 36 Denmark (IFPI)[140] 3 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[141] 3 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[122] 17 France (SNEP)[142] 15 Germany (GfK)[143] with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" 16 Ireland (IRMA)[144] with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[145] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[125] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[126] 16 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[131] 8 UK Singles (OCC)[146] with "These Are the Days of Our Lives" 1 US Billboard Hot 100[147] 2 US Cash Box[148] 1 Chart (2018–2019) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[136] 17 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[137] 30 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[120] 3 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[149] 1 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[150] 26 Canadian Digital Song Sales[151] 6 Colombia (Promúsica)[152] 12 France (SNEP Singles Téléchargés)[153] 3 France (SNEP Megafusion)[154] 21 France (SNEP Streaming)[155] 27 Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[156] 8 Hungary (Single Top 40)[157] 4 Hungary (Stream Top 40)[158] 3 Italy (FIMI)[159] 10 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[160] 11 Lithuania (AGATA)[161] 4 Malaysia (RIM)[162] 8 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[125] 26 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[126] 20 Portugal (AFP)[163] 21 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[164] 5 Singapore (RIAS)[165] 24 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[166] 26 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[130] 33 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[131] 21 UK Singles (OCC)[167] 45 US Billboard Hot 100[168] 33 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[169] 2 Chart (2020–2022) Peak position Global 200 (Billboard)[170] 97 Year-end charts Chart (1975) Position UK Singles (BMRB)[171] 22 Chart (1976) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[172][173] 2 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[174] 14 Canada RPM Top 100[175] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[176] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[177] 11 UK Singles (BMRB)[178][179] 35 US Billboard Hot 100[55] 18 US Cash Box Singles[180] 52 Chart (1991) Position UK Singles (Gallup)[181] 2 Chart (1992) Position Australia (ARIA)[182] 59 Belgium (Ultratop)[183] 45 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[184] 34 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[185] 28 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[186] 24 New Zealand (RIANZ)[187] 41 UK Singles (Gallup)[188] 15 US Billboard Hot 100[189] 39 US Cash Box Singles[190] 22 Chart (2006) Position UK Singles (OCC)[191] 199 Chart (2018) Position France (SNEP)[192] 146 Hungary (Single Top 40)[193] 40 Iceland (Tónlistinn)[194] 97 Portugal (AFP)[195] 122 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[196] 31 Chart (2019) Position Australia (ARIA)[197] 67 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[198] 7 France (SNEP)[199] 60 Hungary (Single Top 40)[200] 29 Italy (FIMI)[201] 73 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[202] 49 Latvia (LAIPA)[203] 75 Portugal (AFP)[204] 79 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[205] 95 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[206] 39 UK Singles (OCC)[207] 64 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[208] 7 US Rolling Stone Top 100[209] 67 Chart (2020) Position France (SNEP)[210] 158 Chart (2021) Position France (SNEP)[211] 177 Global 200 (Billboard)[212] 87 Portugal (AFP)[213] 146 Chart (2022) Position Global 200 (Billboard)[214] 75 Decade-end charts Chart (1970–1979) Position UK Singles (OCC)[215] 7 All-time charts Chart (2018) Position UK Singles (OCC)[216] 3 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Australia (ARIA)[217] 8× Platinum 560,000‡ Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[218] Platinum 60,000‡ Canada (Music Canada)[219] 7× Platinum 560,000‡ Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[220] 3× Platinum 270,000‡ Germany (BVMI)[221] 3× Gold 750,000‡ Italy (FIMI)[222] 5× Platinum 500,000‡ Japan (RIAJ)[223] Gold 100,000* New Zealand (RMNZ)[224] 7× Platinum 210,000‡ Portugal (AFP)[225] 4× Platinum 160,000‡ Spain (PROMUSICAE)[226] 5× Platinum 300,000‡ United Kingdom (BPI)[227] 5× Platinum 3,000,000‡ United States (RIAA)[54] Physical Gold 1,000,000^ United States (RIAA)[54] Digital Diamond 10,000,000‡ Streaming Greece (IFPI Greece)[228] Platinum 2,000,000† Japan (RIAJ)[229] Gold 50,000,000† * Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone. Queen comments on the song I always wanted to do something operatic. I wanted something with a mood setter at the start, going into a rock type of thing which completely breaks off into an opera section, a vicious twist and then returns to the theme. I don't really know anything about opera myself. Just certain pieces. I wanted to create what I thought Queen could do. It's not authentic... certainly not. It's no sort of pinch out of Magic Flute. It was as far as my limited capacity could take me.[230] — Freddie Mercury, 1976 I'm going to shatter some illusions, it was just one of those pieces I wrote for the album: just writing my batch of songs. In its early stages I almost rejected it, but then it grew. We started deciding on a single about halfway through. There were a few contenders—we were thinking of "The Prophet's Song" at one point—but then "Bohemian Rhapsody" seemed the one. There was a time when the others wanted to chop it around a bit, but I refused. If it was going to be released, it would be in its entirety. We knew it was very risky, but we had so much confidence in that song—I did anyway. I felt, underneath it all, that if it was successful it would earn a lot of respect. People were all going, You're joking, they'll never play it, you'll only hear the first few bars and then they'll fade it out. We had numerous rows. EMI were shocked—a six-minute single? You must be joking! The same in America—oh, you just got away with it in Britain.[231] — Freddie Mercury, 1976 When we finished the album, the Night at the Opera album, that was the track on it that we thought we were gonna release as a single in the UK first. And when we released it in Britain we didn't necessarily think it'd be released in America, cause we know even over here, you know, the AM tastes are even more [hesitates] stricter. Anyway we did have thoughts about even in the UK, perhaps editing it down at all, but we listened to it over and over again and there was no way we could edit it. We tried a few ideas, but if you edited it, you always lost some part of the song, so we had to leave it all in. And luckily it took off anyway.[232] — John Deacon, 1977 The vocal harmonies was something we wanted to do from the beginning, as we are always keen to do that kind of thing. We wanted to be a group that could do the heaviness of hard rock, but also have harmonies swooping around all over the place. We thought there was some real power and emotion in that combination. The guitar solo was pretty much off the cuff, except I think I had plenty of time to think about that one. I remember playing along with it in the studio for a while when other things were being done. I knew what kind of melody I wanted to play.[233] — Brian May, 1982 Personnel Source:[17] Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, piano, operatic vocals (middle register) Brian May – electric guitar, operatic vocals (low register) Roger Taylor – drums, timpani, gong, operatic vocals (high register) John Deacon – bass guitar See also List of Bohemian Rhapsody cover versions List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom List of highest-certified digital singles in the United States Citations Lemieux, Patrick; Unger, Adam (11 April 2018). Queen Chronology/Bohemian Rhapsody. Lulu.com. p. 24. ISBN 9781926462103. Retrieved 6 January 2023. August 24: Queen begins recording their fourth album with two weeks (September 7th) of sessions at Rockfield Studios Queen Chronology/Bohemian Rhapsody. Patrick Lemieux, Adam Unger. 11 April 2018. p. 24. ISBN 9781926462103. Retrieved 6 January 2023. Early September: Bohemian Rhapsody – the backing track is recorded during this time along with other "Opera" backing tracks Queen Chronology/Bohemian Rhapsody. Patrick Lemieux, Adam Unger. 11 April 2018. p. 24. ISBN 9781926462103. Retrieved 6 January 2023. Mid September -- November: following Rockfield sessions, Queen continues working on their 4th album in London Horton, Matthew (24 June 2015). "Queen: 20 Things You Probably Never Knew About 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". NME. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015. a masterful, if ludicrous, six-minute suite of operatic cock-rock Service, Tom (8 December 2009). "Bohemian Rhapsody: Mamma, we've killed a song". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015. Eisentraut, Jochen (2012). The Accessibility of Music: Participation, Reception, and Contact. Cambridge University Press. p. 111. 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Retrieved 20 April 2010. vte Queen Brian MayRoger Taylor Freddie MercuryJohn Deacon Studio albums QueenQueen IISheer Heart AttackA Night at the OperaA Day at the RacesNews of the WorldJazzThe GameFlash GordonHot SpaceThe WorksA Kind of MagicThe MiracleInnuendoMade in Heaven Live albums Live KillersLive MagicAt the BeebLive at Wembley '86Queen on Fire – Live at the BowlQueen Rock MontrealHungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in BudapestLive at the Rainbow '74A Night at the OdeonOn Air Compilations Greatest HitsGreatest Hits IIClassic QueenThe 12″ CollectionQueen RocksGreatest Hits IIIStone Cold ClassicsThe A–Z of Queen, Volume 1Absolute GreatestDeep Cuts, Volume 1 (1973–1976)Deep Cuts, Volume 2 (1977–1982)Deep Cuts, Volume 3 (1984–1995)IconQueen ForeverGreatest Hits in Japan Box sets The Complete WorksQueen CD Single BoxThe Crown JewelsThe Platinum Collection: Greatest Hits I, II & IIIThe Singles Collection Volume 1The Singles Collection Volume 2The Singles Collection Volume 3The Singles Collection Volume 4On Air Extended plays Queen's First E.P.Five Live (with George Michael) Soundtracks Flash GordonBohemian Rhapsody Videography We Will Rock YouLive in RioQueen at WembleyWe Are the Champions: Final Live in JapanThe Freddie Mercury Tribute ConcertGreatest Video Hits 1Queen RocksGreatest Video Hits 2Queen on Fire – Live at the BowlQueen Rock MontrealHungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in BudapestLive at the Rainbow '74A Night at the Odeon Tours A Day at the Races TourNews of the World TourJazz TourCrazy TourThe Game TourHot Space TourThe Works TourThe Magic Tour Tributes One Night of QueenQueen at the BalletQueen Extravaganza TourDragon Attack: A Tribute to QueenStone Cold Queen: A TributeKiller Queen: A Tribute to QueenA Night at the Hip HoperaGod Save the QueenTie Your Mix Down: A Queen Tribute Related DiscographySongsAwards and nominationsConcert toursThe Story of Bohemian RhapsodyQueen + Paul Rodgers (The Cosmos Rocks)Queen + Adam LambertSmileThe CrossThe Brian May BandQueen: The EyeWe Will Rock You (musical) We Will Rock You: 10th Anniversary TourDeacy AmpMercury Phoenix TrustMountain StudiosRed SpecialSpike EdneyJim BeachJohn ReidList of "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover versionsSingStar QueenBohemian Rhapsody (film) accoladesThe Queen Family Singalong Category vte Queen songs Queen "Keep Yourself Alive""Liar" Queen II "Seven Seas of Rhye" Sheer Heart Attack "Killer Queen""Now I'm Here""Flick of the Wrist""Lily of the Valley""Stone Cold Crazy""Brighton Rock" A Night at the Opera "Bohemian Rhapsody""You're My Best Friend""Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)""I'm in Love with My Car""'39""Sweet Lady""The Prophet's Song""Love of My Life""Good Company""God Save the Queen" A Day at the Races "Somebody to Love""Tie Your Mother Down""Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)""Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy""Long Away" News of the World "We Will Rock You""We Are the Champions""Spread Your Wings""It's Late""Sheer Heart Attack" Jazz "Bicycle Race""Fat Bottomed Girls""Don't Stop Me Now""Mustapha""Jealousy" The Game "Crazy Little Thing Called Love""Save Me""Play the Game""Another One Bites the Dust""Need Your Loving Tonight" Flash Gordon "Flash's Theme" Hot Space "Under Pressure""Body Language""Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)""Calling All Girls""Staying Power""Back Chat" The Works "Radio Ga Ga""I Want to Break Free""It's a Hard Life""Hammer to Fall""Is This the World We Created...?" A Kind of Magic "One Vision""A Kind of Magic""Princes of the Universe""Friends Will Be Friends""Pain Is So Close to Pleasure""Who Wants to Live Forever""One Year of Love" The Miracle "I Want It All""Breakthru""The Invisible Man""Scandal""The Miracle" Innuendo "Innuendo""I'm Going Slightly Mad""Headlong""These Are the Days of Our Lives""The Show Must Go On""I Can't Live with You""Ride the Wild Wind" Made in Heaven "Heaven for Everyone""A Winter's Tale""Too Much Love Will Kill You""I Was Born to Love You""Let Me Live""You Don't Fool Me""Made in Heaven""Mother Love" Queen Rocks "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)" Queen Forever "Let Me in Your Heart Again""Love Kills""There Must Be More to Life Than This" Other songs "Thank God It's Christmas""Face It Alone" Category vte Brit Award for Song of the Year 1970s "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen / "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum (1977) 1980s "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (1982)"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners (1983)"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club (1984)"Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1985)"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears (1986)"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys (1987)"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (1988)"Perfect" by Fairground Attraction (1989) 1990s "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins (1990)"Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (1991)"These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen (1992)"Could It Be Magic" by Take That (1993)"Pray" by Take That (1994)"Parklife" by Blur (1995)"Back for Good" by Take That (1996)"Wannabe" by Spice Girls (1997)"Never Ever" by All Saints (1998)"Angels" by Robbie Williams (1999) 2000s "She's the One" by Robbie Williams (2000)"Rock DJ" by Robbie Williams (2001)"Don't Stop Movin'" by S Club 7 (2002)"Just a Little" by Liberty X (2003)"White Flag" by Dido (2004)"Your Game" by Will Young (2005)"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay (2006)"Patience" by Take That (2007)"Shine" by Take That (2008)"The Promise" by Girls Aloud (2009) 2010s "Beat Again" by JLS (2010)"Pass Out" by Tinie Tempah featuring Labrinth (2011)"What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction (2012)"Skyfall" by Adele (2013)"Waiting All Night" by Rudimental featuring Ella Eyre (2014)"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015)"Hello" by Adele (2016)"Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix (2017)"Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man (2018)"One Kiss" by Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa (2019) 2020s "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi (2020)"Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles (2021)"Easy on Me" by Adele (2022)"As It Was" by Harry Styles (2023)"Escapism" by Raye featuring 070 Shake (2024)"Guess" by Charli XCX featuring Billie Eilish (2025) vte Works based on Faust Folk legend FaustJohann Georg FaustDeal with the Devil in popular cultureSimon MagusTheophilus of AdanaErdgeistMephistophelesPan TwardowskiStingy Jack Seminal works Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587 chapbook)Doctor Faustus (1592 play)Cenodoxus (1602, play)Goethe's Faust (1808 play) Faust, Part OneFaust, Part Two Prose "Bearskin""Daniel and the Devil"Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)"The Devil and Tom Walker" (1824)St. John's Eve (1830)Auriol (1844)Chasse-galerie (1892)The Sorrows of Satan (1896)Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician (1898)The Master and Margarita (1929–1940)Mephisto (1936)"The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1937)None but Lucifer (1939)Doktor Faustus (1947)The Devil in Velvet (1951)The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (1954)Gimmicks Three (1956)The Devil to Pay in the Backlands (1956)That Hell-Bound Train (1958)For a Breath I Tarry (1966)The Damnation Game (1986)Eric (1990)The Devil's Own Work (1991)Jack Faust (1997)Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (2009)The Last Faust (2019) Plays Gretchen (1879)Damn Yankees (1955)Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1955)The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon (1965)Temptation (1986) Operas Faust (1816, Spohr)La damnation de Faust (1846, Berlioz)Faust (1859, Gounod)Mefistofele (1868, Boito)Le petit Faust (1869, Hervé)Faust and Marguerite (1855, Lutz)Faust up to Date (1888, Lutz)Doktor Faust (1916–1925, Busoni)Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights (1938)The Rake's Progress (1951, Stravinsky)Reuben, Reuben (1955)Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1994)Faustus, the Last Night (2006) Ballets Faust ballets Classical music Gretchen am Spinnrade (1814, Schubert)Faust Overture (1840, Wagner)Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Âges' 2nd movement "Quasi-Faust" (1847, Alkan)Scenes from Goethe's Faust (1853, Schumann)Part II of Symphony No. 8 (1906–07, Mahler)Faust Symphony (1854–1857, Liszt)Mephisto Waltzes (Liszt)Gothic Symphony (Brian)Bagatelle sans tonalité (Liszt) Other music Albums Epica Saga EpicaThe Black HaloBeethoven's Last NightThe Black Rider Songs "Mephisto Polka" (1859–1885)"Cross Road Blues" (1936)"Friend of the Devil" (1970)"Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975)"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (1979)"Faustian Echoes" (2012)"The Mephistopheles of Los Angeles" (2015) Films The Laboratory of Mephistopheles (1897)Faust and Marguerite (1900)The Damnation of Faust (1903)Faust and Marguerite (1904)The Student of Prague (1913)Rapsodia satanica (1915)The Student of Prague (1926)Faust (1926)The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)Alias Nick Beal (1949)The Legend of Faust (1949)Beauty and the Devil (1950)Marguerite de la nuit (1955)Damn Yankees (1958)Faust (1960)Bedazzled (1967)Doctor Faustus (1967)El extraño caso del doctor Fausto (1969)Mephisto (1981)Doctor Faustus (1982)Oh, God! You Devil (1984)Crossroads (1986)Faust (1994)Bedazzled (2000)Faust: Love of the Damned (2000)Fausto 5.0 (2001)I Was a Teenage Faust (2002)Shortcut to Happiness (2007)Goat Story (2008)Faust (2011)The Last Faust (2019)Doctor Faustus (2021) Television Episodes "Printer's Devil" (1963)"The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (2003) Other The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978)When the Devil Calls Your Name (2019) Musicals Damn Yankees (1955)Randy Newman's Faust (1995)Success! (1993)Faust (2003)Disco Inferno (2004) Comics Gods' Man (1929)Faust (manga) (1950)Doctor Faustus (comics) (1968)Faust (comics) (1987)Frau Faust (2014) Art Mephistopheles and MargarettaPaintings Category vte Wayne's World Films Wayne's World (1992) soundtrackWayne's World 2 (1993) soundtrack Video games Wayne's World (1993) Miscellaneous "Bohemian Rhapsody"Aurora, IllinoisHurler (roller coaster)... Not! People Dana CarveyLorne MichaelsMike Myers vte UK Christmas number-one singles in the 1970s "I Hear You Knocking" (Dave Edmunds, 1970)"Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" (Benny Hill, 1971)"Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" (Jimmy Osmond, 1972)"Merry Xmas Everybody" (Slade, 1973)"Lonely This Christmas" (Mud, 1974)"Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen, 1975)"When a Child Is Born" (Johnny Mathis, 1976)"Mull of Kintyre" (Wings, 1977)"Mary's Boy Child" (Boney M., 1978)"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (Pink Floyd, 1979) Complete list vte UK Christmas number-one singles in the 1990s "Saviour's Day" (Cliff Richard, 1990)"Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives" (Queen, 1991)"I Will Always Love You" (Whitney Houston, 1992)"Mr Blobby" (Mr Blobby, 1993)"Stay Another Day" (East 17, 1994)"Earth Song" (Michael Jackson, 1995)"2 Become 1" (Spice Girls, 1996)"Too Much" (Spice Girls, 1997)"Goodbye" (Spice Girls, 1998)"I Have a Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun" (Westlife, 1999) Complete list vte MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film "Wild Wild Life" (1987)"La Bamba" (1988)"When Love Comes to Town" (1989)"Cradle of Love" (1990)"Wicked Game" (1991)"Bohemian Rhapsody" (1992)"Would?" (1993)"Streets of Philadelphia" (1994)"Kiss from a Rose" (1995)"Gangsta's Paradise" (1996)"Men in Black" (1997)"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (1998)"Beautiful Stranger" (1999)"Try Again" (2000)"Lady Marmalade" (2001)"Hero" (2002)"Lose Yourself" (2003) Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata International VIAF National GermanyFranceBnF data Other MusicBrainz work Categories: 1975 songs1975 singles1976 singles1991 singles1992 singlesArt rock songsBrit Award for British SingleChristmas number-one singles in the United KingdomDutch Top 40 number-one singlesElektra Records singlesEMI Records singlesGrammy Hall of Fame Award recipientsHollywood Records singlesIrish Singles Chart number-one singlesMusic based on the Faust legendNumber-one singles in AustraliaNumber-one singles in New ZealandNumber-one singles in SpainParlophone singlesProgressive pop songsQueen (band) songsRPM Top Singles number-one singlesSong recordings produced by Roy Thomas BakerSongs about crimeSongs about deathSongs written by Freddie MercurySymphonic rock songsThe Flaming Lips songsThe Muppets songsPanic! at the Disco songsUK singles chart number-one singlesUnited States National Recording Registry recordingsVirgin EMI Records singles List of best-selling singles Article Talk Read View source View history Tools Page semi-protected From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources. 1942 10-inch 78 rpm release of the single "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby 1997 7-inch 45 rpm release of "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight", double A-side single by Elton John This is a compendium of the best-selling music singles. The criterion for inclusion is to sell at least ten million copies worldwide. The singles listed here were cited by reliable sources from various media, such as digital journalism, newspapers, magazines, and books. According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.[1] The song, recognized as "the best-selling single of all time", was released before the pop/rock singles-chart era and "was listed as the world's best-selling single in the first-ever Guinness Book of Records (published in 1955) and—remarkably—still retains the title more than 50 years later". Guinness World Records also states that double A-side charity single "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" (1997) by Elton John (rewritten as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, rather than Marilyn Monroe in the original 1973 version), is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33 million copies". This makes it the second-best-selling physical single of all time.[1] Two best-selling singles lists are displayed here relating first to physical singles (mainly CD and vinyl singles) and second to digital singles (digitally downloaded tracks which first became available to purchase in the early 2000s). Best-selling physical singles 15 million physical copies or more Artist Single Released Sales (in millions) Source Bing Crosby "White Christmas" 1942 50 [1] Elton John "Something About the Way You Look Tonight"/"Candle in the Wind 1997" 1997 33 [1] Bing Crosby "Silent Night" 1935 30 [2] Tino Rossi "Petit Papa Noël" 1946 30 [3] Bill Haley & His Comets "Rock Around the Clock" 1954 25 [4][5] Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" 1992 24 [6][7] Elvis Presley "It's Now or Never" 1960 20 [8][9] USA for Africa "We Are the World" 1985 20 [10] The Ink Spots "If I Didn't Care" 1939 19[disputed – discuss] [11] Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" 1997 18 [12] Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas Is You" 1994 16 [13] Baccara "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" 1977 16 [14] Bryan Adams "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" 1991 15 [15] John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John "You're the One That I Want" 1978 15 [16] 10–14.9 million copies Artist Single Released Sales (in millions) Source Scorpions "Wind of Change" 1991 14 [17] The Andrews Sisters "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" 1937 14 [18] Prince Nico Mbarga "Sweet Mother" 1976 13 [19] Kyu Sakamoto "Sukiyaki" 1963 13 [20] Gene Autry "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" 1949 12.5 [21] O-Zone "Dragostea din tei" 2003 12 [22][23] The Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 1963 12 [8] Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman "Time to Say Goodbye" 1996 12 [24] Village People "Y.M.C.A." 1978 12 [25] Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 1984 11.7 [26] Los del Río "Macarena" 1995 11 [27] Cher "Believe" 1998 11 [28][29] Carl Douglas "Kung Fu Fighting" 1974 11 [30][31] George McCrae "Rock Your Baby" 1974 11 [8] Mills Brothers "Paper Doll" 1943 11 [8] Roger Whittaker "The Last Farewell" 1975 11 [32] ABBA "Fernando" 1976 10 [33] Roy Acuff "Wabash Cannonball" 1942 10 [8] Paul Anka "Diana" 1957 10 [34][35] Toni Braxton "Un-Break My Heart" 1996 10 [36] George Harrison "My Sweet Lord" 1970 10 [37] Middle of the Road "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" 1971 10 [8] The Monkees "I'm a Believer" 1966 10 [8][38] Patti Page "Tennessee Waltz" 1950 10 [39][40][41] The Penguins "Earth Angel" 1954 10 [42] Elvis Presley "Hound Dog" 1956 10 [43] Procol Harum "A Whiter Shade of Pale" 1967 10 [8] Boney M. "Rivers of Babylon" 1978 10 [44] Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time" 1998 10 [45] The Knack "My Sharona" 1979 10 [46][47] Highest-certified singles A list of the best selling singles released before 2000, based on worldwide certified unit sales (including both digital sales and equivalent track streams) Artist Single Released Certified sales Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas Is You" 1994 28.9 Million Elton John "Candle in the Wind 1997" 1997 28.7 Million Journey "Don't Stop Believin'" 1981 25.8 Million Michael Jackson "Thriller" 1983 23.1 Million Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" 1983 18 Million Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" 1975 17 Million Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 1991 16.3 Million AC/DC "Thunderstruck" 1990 16.1 Million Toto "Africa" 1982 15.4 Million Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer" 1986 14.6 Million Goo Goo Dolls "Iris" 1998 14.3 Million Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" 1992 14 Million AC/DC "Back in Black" 1980 13.3 Million Michael Jackson "Beat It" 1983 12.3 Million Queen "We Will Rock You" 1977 12.1 Million Queen "Another One Bites the Dust" 1980 12.1 Million Whitney Houston "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" 1987 11.6 Million George Michael "Careless Whisper" 1984 11.1 Million Wham! "Last Christmas" 1984 11 Million AC/DC "You Shook Me All Night Long" 1980 10.9 Million Earth, Wind & Fire "September" 1978 10.4 Million Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" 1997 10.3 Million Brenda Lee "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" 1958 10.2 Million AC/DC "Highway to Hell" 1978 10.2 Million Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" 1982 10.1 Million Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time" 1998 10 Million Cyndi Lauper "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" 1983 10 Million Best-selling digital singles 15 million digital copies or more Artist Single Released Sales (in millions) Source Xiao Zhan "Spotlight" 2020 54.3 [48] Ed Sheeran "Shape of You" 2017 41.5[a] [49][50] Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee "Despacito" 2017 36.1[a] [49][50] Rihanna featuring Drake "Work" 2016 32.5[a] [51] The Chainsmokers and Coldplay "Something Just Like This" 2017 21.5[a] [49][50] Ed Sheeran "Perfect" 2017 21.4[a] [49][50] Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth "See You Again" 2015 20.9[a] [52] The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey "Closer" 2016 20.7[a] [53][49] Adele "Rolling in the Deep" 2011 20.6 [54][55][56] Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk" 2015 20[a] [52] Billie Eilish "Bad Guy" 2019 19.5[a] [57] Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud" 2015 19.5[a] [52] Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug "Havana" 2017 19.0[a] [49][50] Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus "Old Town Road" 2018 18.4[a] [57] Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" 2011 18.0 [58] Taylor Swift "Love Story" 2008 18.0[a] [59] Adele "Someone Like You" 2011 17.0 [60] Rihanna "Needed Me" 2016 17.0[a] [51] Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello "Señorita" 2019 16.1[a] [57] Imagine Dragons "Radioactive" 2012 16[a] [61] "Believer" 2017 15.4[a] [62][63] Drake "God's Plan" 2018 15.3[a] [50] 10–14.99 million copies Artist Single Released Sales (in millions) Source Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell "Blurred Lines" 2013 14.8[a] [64] Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera "Moves Like Jagger" 2011 14.4 [65] Kesha "Tik Tok" 2009 14 [66] Lady Gaga "Poker Face" 2008 14 [67] Pharrell Williams "Happy" 2013 13.9[a] [68] Maroon 5 "Sugar" 2015 13.5[a] [52] Post Malone and Swae Lee "Sunflower" 2018 13.4[a] [57] Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz "Thrift Shop" 2012 13.4[a] [64] Ariana Grande "7 Rings" 2019 13.3[a] [57] Katy Perry featuring Juicy J "Dark Horse" 2013 13.2[a] [68] Major Lazer & DJ Snake featuring MØ "Lean On" 2015 13.1[a] [52] Gotye featuring Kimbra "Somebody That I Used to Know" 2011 13 [69] Ellie Goulding "Love Me like You Do" 2015 12.6[a] [52] Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla "One Dance" 2016 12.5[a] [53] Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are" 2010 12.5 [70] Adele "Hello" 2015 12.3[a] [52] John Legend "All of Me" 2013 12.3[a] [68] Jason Mraz "I'm Yours" 2008 12.2 [71][72][73][74] Flo Rida featuring Kesha "Right Round" 2009 12 [75] Flo Rida featuring T-Pain "Low" 2007 12 [76] Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" 2009 12 [77] Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B "Girls Like You" 2018 11.9[a] [50] Justin Bieber "Love Yourself" 2015 11.7[a] [53] Tones and I "Dance Monkey" 2019 11.4[a] [57] Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc "Wake Me Up" 2013 11.1[a] [64] Sia featuring Sean Paul "Cheap Thrills" 2016 11.1[a] [53] Meghan Trainor "All About That Bass" 2014 11[a] [68] Tia Ray "Be Apart" 2018 10.9[a] [50] Idina Menzel "Let It Go" 2013 10.9[a] [68] Justin Bieber "Sorry" 2015 10.8[a] [53] Lukas Graham "7 Years" 2015 10.4[a] [53] Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber "I Don't Care" 2019 10.3[a] [57] Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper "Shallow" 2018 10.2[a] [57] The Chainsmokers featuring Daya "Don't Let Me Down" 2016 10.2[a] [53] Lorde "Royals" 2013 10 [78] Bruno Mars "Grenade" 2010 10.2 [70] Mike Posner "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" 2015 10[a] [53] Shakira featuring Freshlyground "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" 2010 10 [79] Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean "Hips Don't Lie" 2006 10 [80] Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis "Just Dance" 2008 10 [81] By stream equivalent units Beginning in 2020, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry began reporting the best-selling singles of each year in terms of subscription streams equivalent units. The methodology used converts all digital formats, including digital download sales, paid subscription streaming, and free ad-supported streaming, into a single figure.[82] Artist Single Released Units (in billions) Source The Weeknd "Blinding Lights" 2019 5.31 [82][83][84] The Weeknd "Save Your Tears" 2020 4.66 [83][84][85] The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber "Stay" 2021 3.81 [83][84] Harry Styles "As It Was" 2022 3.74 [84][85] Dua Lipa "Levitating" 2020 2.99 [83][84] Ed Sheeran "Bad Habits" 2021 2.77 [83][84] Miley Cyrus "Flowers" 2023 2.70 [85] Taylor Swift "Cruel Summer" 2019 2.56 [85][86] Tones and I "Dance Monkey" 2019 2.34 [83] Benson Boone "Beautiful Things" 2024 2.11 [86] Rema and Selena Gomez "Calm Down" 2022 1.89 [85] SZA "Kill Bill" 2022 1.84 [85] Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso" 2024 1.79 [86] The Weeknd and Ariana Grande "Die for You" 2023 1.78 [85] BTS "Butter" 2021 1.76 [83] Glass Animals "Heat Waves" 2020 1.75 [84] Olivia Rodrigo "Drivers License" 2021 1.73 [83] Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon "Peaches" 2021 1.72 [84] Teddy Swims "Lose Control" 2023 1.70 [86] Roddy Ricch "The Box" 2019 1.67 [83] Saint Jhn "Roses" 2019 1.64 [83] Dua Lipa "Don't Start Now" 2019 1.62 [83] Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U" 2021 1.61 [83] Lil Nas X "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" 2021 1.60 [83] Future featuring Drake "Life Is Good" 2020 1.57 [83] Billie Eilish "Birds of a Feather" 2024 1.52 [86] Shaboozey "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" 2024 1.51 [86] Best-selling singles by year worldwide Claimed sales Year Artist Single Source 1966 Barry Sadler "The Ballad of the Green Berets" [87] 1968 The Beatles "Hey Jude" [88] 1969 The Archies "Sugar, Sugar" [89] 1990 Madonna "Vogue" [90] 1996 Fugees "Killing Me Softly" [91] 1998 Celine Dion "My Heart Will Go On" [92] IFPI Report (since 2007) Year Artist Single Sales (in millions)[b] Source 2007 Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend" 7.3 [93] 2008 Lil Wayne "Lollipop" 9.1 [94] 2009 Lady Gaga "Poker Face" 9.8 [72] 2010 Kesha "Tik Tok" 12.8 [95] 2011 Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are" 12.5 [70] 2012 Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" 12.5 [96] 2013 Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell "Blurred Lines" 14.8 [64] 2014 Pharrell Williams "Happy" 13.9 [68] 2015 Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth "See You Again" 20.9 [52] 2016 Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla "One Dance" 12.5 [53] 2017 Ed Sheeran "Shape of You" 26.6 [49] 2018 Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug "Havana" 19.0 [49][50] 2019 Billie Eilish "Bad Guy" 19.5 [57] 2020 The Weeknd "Blinding Lights" —[a] [82] 2021 The Weeknd "Save Your Tears" —[b] [83] 2022 Harry Styles "As It Was" —[c] [84] 2023 Miley Cyrus "Flowers" —[d] [85] 2024 Benson Boone "Beautiful Things" —[e] [86] See also Record production portal List of best-selling singles by country List of best-selling singles in the United States List of best-selling Latin singles in the United States List of best-selling sheet music List of best-selling music artists List of best-selling albums List of best-selling albums by country List of best-selling albums of the 21st century List of highest-certified music artists in the United States: This lists the top 100 certified music artists (albums), and the top 50 certified music artists (digital singles). 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ISBN 0-214-20480-4. vte Lists of best-selling singles Asia-Pacific AustraliaJapanSouth Korea Europe BelgiumFinlandFranceGermanyItalyNetherlandsSpainUnited Kingdom North America CanadaMexicoUnited States South America Brazil Related topics By countryBy girl groupsSheet music vte Music industry Major companies and organizations Representatives AMPROFONARIABVMIBPIMusic CanadaFIMIIFPI (worldwide)PMBPROMUSICAERIAASNEP Publishers BMG Rights ManagementSony Music PublishingUniversal Music Publishing GroupWarner Chappell MusicDisney Music Publishing Record labels Major: SonyUniversalWarnerIndependent: ConcordIndependent UK record labelsAAMG Retailers AmazonDigital music stores (iTunes Store)FnacHMVKaspienVirgin Megastores Live music CTS EventimLive NationLiveStyleTicketmaster Major genres BluesCountryEasy listeningElectronicExperimentalFolkGospelHip hopJazzLatinMetalNew AgePopReggaeRhythm and bluesRockWorld Sectors and roles Album cover designArtists and repertoire (A&R)Disc jockeyDistributionEntertainment lawMusic educationMusic executiveMusic and fashionMusic journalismMusic publisherMusic storeMusic venueMusical instrumentsProfessional audio storePromotionRadio promotionRecord labelRecord shopRoad crewTalent managerTour promoter Production ArrangementSongwriter ComposerLyricistConductorDisc jockeyHip hop producerHorn sectionRecord producerRhythm sectionOrchestratorSession musician Backup singerGhost singerVocal coachGhostwriterSound engineer Release formats Single (Extended play (EP), 12" single, Cassette single, CD single, Maxi single)Album Double album, MixtapeMusic videoPromotional recordingPhonograph recordEight-trackCompact cassetteCDDVDAirplayMusic downloadMusic streaming service Live shows ConcertConcert tourConcert residencyMusic festivalMusic competition Charts ARIA ChartsBillboard Hot 100Billboard Argentina Hot 100Billboard Brasil Hot 100Canadian Hot 100Circle ChartG-Music chartIrish Singles ChartItalian singles chartGfK Entertainment chartsEntertainment Monitoring AfricaOricon chartsNew Zealand singles chartRolling Stone Top 100Sino ChartSNEP singles chartSverigetopplistanUK singles chart Publications BillboardHitQuartersHot PressKerrang!MojoMusica e dischiNMEQRolling StoneSmash HitsTop of the Pops Television Channels Channel VCMTFuseMnetMTVMTV2Tr3sMuchMusicThe Music FactoryVivaVH1The Country Network Series Idol franchisePopstarsStar AcademyThe FourThe VoiceThe X FactorRising Star Achievements Music awardBest-selling music artists In: BrazilFinlandGermanyJapanUnited Kingdom (Females)United StatesGenre: GospelLatinNationality: BelgianBrazilianBritishItalianSwedishBest-selling albums by countryBest-selling singles by countryHighest-paid musiciansHighest-grossing live music artistsHighest-grossing concert tours by womenLatinMost-attended concert toursMost-attended concertsGlobal Recording Artist of the YearWealthiest musical artists Other Album eraAlbum-equivalent unitA-side and B-sideBackmaskingBootleg recordingChristian music industryEnvironmental impactHidden trackLargest music dealsLargest recorded music marketsMost expensive albumsMost valuable recordsMusic certificationParental AdvisoryRecord salesSurprise albumWhite label Record production portal Category vte IFPI Global Year-End Charts Artist of the Year One Direction (2013)Taylor Swift (2014)Adele (2015)Drake (2016)Ed Sheeran (2017)Drake (2018)Taylor Swift (2019)BTS (2020–2021)Taylor Swift (2022–2024) Album of the Year Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park (2001)The Eminem Show by Eminem (2002)Come Away with Me by Norah Jones (2003)Confessions by Usher (2004)X&Y by Coldplay (2005)High School Musical by Various Artists (2006)High School Musical 2 by Various Artists (2007)Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay (2008)I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle (2009)Recovery by Eminem (2010)21 by Adele (2011)21 by Adele (2012)Midnight Memories by One Direction (2013)Frozen by Various Artists (2014)25 by Adele (2015)Lemonade by Beyoncé (2016)÷ by Ed Sheeran (2017)The Greatest Showman by Various Artists (2018)5x20 All the Best!! 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PicClick Insights - Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Song Music Box Pop 70s 80s Retro Vintage Wood Carved USA PicClick Exclusive
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Popularity - Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Song Music Box Pop 70s 80s Retro Vintage Wood Carved USA
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