We Will Rock You (live)

"We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album News of the World, written by guitarist Brian May.[3] Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004,[4] and the RIAA it placed at number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001. In 2009, "We Will Rock You" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[5][6]

Other than the last 30 seconds, which contains a guitar solo by May, the song is generally set in a cappella form, using only stomping and clapping as a rhythmic body percussion beat. In 1977, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were issued together as a worldwide top 10 single.[7] Soon after the album was released, many radio stations played the songs consecutively, without interruption.[8]

Since its release, "We Will Rock You" has been covered, remixed, sampled, parodied, referred to, and used by multiple recording artists, TV shows, films and other media worldwide.[9][10] It has also become a popular stadium anthem at sports events around the world, mostly due to its simple rhythm.[11][12] On 7 October 2017, Queen released a Raw Sessions version of the track to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of News of the World. It features a radically different approach to the guitar solo and includes May`s count-in immediately prior to the recording.[13]

Music

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

We did an encore and then went off, and instead of just keeping clapping, they sang "You`ll Never Walk Alone" to us, and we were just completely knocked out and taken aback – it was quite an emotional experience really, and I think these chant things are in some way connected with that.[15]

"We Will Rock You"

The "stomp, stomp, clap" beat throughout "We Will Rock You" was created by the band overdubbing sounds of themselves stamping and clapping many times, and adding delay effects to create a sound that made it seem as if many people were participating.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

One version was used as the opening track on 1977`s News of the World. This consists of a stomp-stomp-clap-pause beat, and a power chorus, being somewhat of an anthem. The stamping effects were created by the band overdubbing the sounds of themselves stomping on the Wessex drum riser[16] and clapping many times and adding delay effects to make it sound like many people were participating. The durations of the delays were in the ratios of prime numbers, a technique now known as non-harmonic reverberation.[17] A tape loop is used to repeat the last phrase of the guitar solo three times as opposed to Brian May playing it three separate times on the recording.[18] The "stomp, stomp, clap" sounds were later used in the Queen + Paul Rodgers song "Still Burnin`".[19]

When performed live, the song is usually followed by "We Are the Champions", as they were designed to run together.[7] The songs are often paired on the radio and at sporting events, where they are frequently played.[7] They were the last two songs Queen performed at Live Aid in 1985.[20]

We Will Rock You - fast version

Queen also performed an alternative version of "We Will Rock You" known as the "fast version", featuring a faster-feeling tempo and a full band arrangement. The band would frequently use this version to open their live sets in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as heard on the albums Live Killers (1979), Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (2004), Queen Rock Montreal (2007), and the expanded edition of News of the World (2011).

A studio version was made for John Peel`s BBC Radio 1 show at the Maida Vale Studios on 28 October 1977 and first broadcast soon after on 14 November. It includes a separate section that begins with an abridged session version of the original comprising the first verse, chorus and guitar outro - this part has become known as We Will Rock You (slow). Between the two parts there is a brief reading of Hermann Hesse`s novel Siddhartha, used in a BBC Radio documentary. This audio was found on the BBC tapes being reused to record the session and was retained by the band.

This full BBC session version of We Will Rock You was broadcast on Alan Freeman`s Final Saturday Rock Show on Radio 1 on 26 August 1978, has also been played on Radio 1`s The Friday Rock Show and more recently on Johnie Walker`s Sounds Of The Seventies and Vernon Kay`s weekday morning show, both on BBC Radio 2.

The fast version is also used as the curtain call music for the musical of the same title, after the finale, which is a pairing of the original "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". In 2002, the fast version was officially released on a promo single distributed by the tabloid The Sun, and can also be found on The Best of King Biscuit Live Volume 4, and In The Mirror - The Lost BBC Sessions.

Music video

The music video for "We Will Rock You" was filmed in 1978 at the back garden of Roger Taylor`s mansion.[21] It sees the band lip synching the song, hand clapping with gloves and foot stomping on a frozen ground.[21] In an interview with Billboard, Taylor spoke on filming the video:

We shot it on the grounds of a country house I`d just bought in Surrey and we hadn`t completed the sale, so we weren`t allowed in the house. We figured, `we might as well shoot it here.` It was absolutely freezing cold and we did three takes.[22]

Personnel

Information is based on the album`s liner notes[23]

• Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping
• Brian May – guitars, backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping
• Roger Taylor – backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping
• John Deacon – hand claps, foot stamping
• Elizabeth Edwards – backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping[24]
• Andrew Turner – backing vocals, hand claps, foot stamping[24]

Chart performance

Certifications

Certifications for We Will Rock You

Notable cover versions

Five + Queen version

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

The song charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, making it Five`s second number-one single, and their ninth consecutive top-ten hit.[58]

Track listings

"Megamix" consists of four songs by Five: "Don`t Wanna Let You Go", "If Ya Gettin` Down", "Keep On Movin`", and "We Will Rock You".

UK CD1[59]

1. "We Will Rock You" (radio edit) – 3:08
2. "Keep On Movin`" (The Five-A-Side Mix) – 3:32
3. "We Will Rock You" (UK version) – 2:57
4. "We Will Rock You" (video—enhanced track)

UK CD2[60]

1. "We Will Rock You" (radio edit) – 3:08
2. "We Will Rock You" (UK version) – 2:57
3. "Megamix" – 4:19
4. "Megamix" video (enhanced track)

UK cassette single[61]

1. "We Will Rock You" (radio edit) – 3:08
2. "We Will Rock You" (UK version) – 2:57
3. "Keep On Movin`" (The Five-A-Side Mix) – 3:32
4. "Megamix" – 4:19

European CD single[62]

1. "We Will Rock You" (radio edit) – 3:08
2. "We Will Rock You" (UK version) – 2:57
3. "Megamix" – 4:19

Australian CD single[63]

1. "We Will Rock You" (radio edit) – 3:08
2. "We Will Rock You" (UK version) – 2:57
3. "Megamix" – 4:19
4. "Keep On Movin`" (The Five-A-Side Mix) – 3:32
5. "We Will Rock You" (video—enhanced track)

Charts

Certifications

KCPK version

A remix by KCPK, sung by a chorus of children under the name Forever Young, was released in a series of animated Evian adverts which aired in France, Germany and Belgium. The remix was later released as a single and entered the local charts.[94]

Megan Thee Stallion version

American rapper Megan Thee Stallion covered "We Will Rock You" in a September 2024 Pepsi television advertisement.[106] On September 5, 2024, the song, sampling the original chorus, was released as a single; Queen are credited as co-lead artists.[107]

Other versions

• 1992: American glam metal band Warrant covered the song for the film Gladiator.[108] The song charted at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100.[109]
• 2004: American pop singers Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Pink used this song in an international commercial Pepsi campaign along with Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias, and the song was released on the Pepsi Music 2004: (Dare for More) CD.[110]
• 2021: British rock band The Struts, whose lead singer Luke Spiller is strongly influenced by Mercury, recorded their version of the song as non-album single.
• 2025: American rapper Pitbull and producer RedOne made a remake for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.[111]

Sampling

• 1992: American rapper Ice Cube sampled the beat in his song "When Will They Shoot?", from his album The Predator.[112]
• 2002: American rapper Eminem interpolated the "stomp-stomp-clap" beat in his song "`Till I Collapse" from his album The Eminem Show and also used a similar pattern in the songs "Puke" from his album Encore and "Cinderella Man" from his album Recovery.[113]
• 2003: The J-Kwon song "Tipsy" directly samples the "We Will Rock You" beat, but reworked into a different beat.[112][114]
• 2011: American pop singer Katy Perry interpolated the "stomp-stomp-clap" beat in her song "E.T".[115]
• 2011: Beyoncé interpolated the "stomp-stomp-clap" beat in her song "Dreaming", featured on the Japanese edition of her 4th album 4.[116]
• 2011: Lady Gaga sampled the "stomp-stomp-clap" in her song "You and I", which also features the band`s guitarist Brian May, from Gaga`s album Born This Way.[112][117]
• 2012: One Direction interpolated the "stomp-stomp-clap" and references "Rock" in their song "Rock Me" featured on their second album Take Me Home.[118]
• 2012: Kesha interpolated the "stomp-stomp-clap" in her song "Gold Trans Am", featured on the deluxe edition of her second album, Warrior.[119]

Live cover performances

1990s

• 1992: Guns N` Roses lead singer Axl Rose performed the song with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.[120]
• 1992: U2 used the song as a set list opener before they performed on stage during the Zoo TV Tour.[121]
• 1993: Nirvana performed it in S? pounds o Paulo, Brazil, changing the lyrics to "we will fuck you".[122]
• 1996: Alanis Morissette and her band ended the first encore of her "Can`t Not" Tour (following the song, "You Learn") with a cover of the song, with Alanis playing the "stomp-stomp-clap" rhythm on drums.[citation needed]

2000s

• 2003: English singer and songwriter Robbie Williams performed the song live at Knebworth.[123]
• 2007, 2010: Japanese pop singer Kumi Koda covered this in her a-nation `07 performance, and three years later in a medley at her 10th anniversary concert at the Tokyo Dome.[124]
• 2008: Canadian singer Celine Dion performed a Queen medley with "We Will Rock You" and "The Show Must Go On" in her Taking Chances World Tour.[125]
• 2009: American guitarist Joe Perry from Aerosmith and singer Katy Perry covered the song at the MTV`s Video Music Awards 2009.[126]

2010s

• 2011: American rock band My Chemical Romance performed the song with Queen guitarist Brian May at the Reading Festival.[127]
• 2011: Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton covered the song on The Voice (U.S.).[128]
• 2012: English pop singer Jessie J performed the song live with Brian May and Roger Taylor at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on 12 August.[129]
• 2012: English rapper Dappy covered the song live alongside Brian May for BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. The song later appeared on UK chart-topping album BBC Radio 1`s Live Lounge 2012.[130]

2020s

• In a pre-recorded comedy segment at the opening of the Platinum Party at the Palace on 4 June 2022, Queen Elizabeth II and Paddington Bear tapped their tea cups to the beat of "We Will Rock You" before Queen + Adam Lambert performed the song live outside Buckingham Palace.[131][132]

Remixes

• 1991: Rick Rubin produced remixes of "We Will Rock You", for an EP released by Hollywood Records. The "Ruined Remix" also contains contributions by Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.[133]
• 1991: Emergency Broadcast Network achieved an underground hit with their remix of the song with a speech by U.S. president George H. W. Bush.[134]
• 2004: Scum Of The Earth made a remix of "We Will Rock You" titled as "Pornstar Champion" for their debut album, Blah...Blah...Blah...Love Songs for the New Millennium[135]
• 2011: Geddy (a.k.a. Armageddon), former member from hip hop group Terror Squad, mashed up "I Want It All" and "We Will Rock You" for the soundtrack to the 2011 film Sucker Punch.[136][137]
• 2012 : Helmut VonLichten (formerly of E.S. Posthumus) mixed this song with an orchestral version of "Posthumus Zone" for CBS`s Super Bowl 50 coverage.[138][139] This mashup was later used for the 2015 film Pixels.
• 2014 : Canadian dubstep producer Excision and downlink remixed this song in the track Rock You.[citation needed]

Parodies and references to the song

• 1987: Henry Rollins did a parody of "We Will Rock You" titled "I Have Come to Kill You".[140]
• 1998: Friends episode "The One Where Ross Moves In" - [S05E07]: Ross moves into Joey and Chandler`s apartment. As time goes by, Ross reveals he`s quite annoying by imposing a lot of changes to the norm of the apartment. One being the changing of the answering machine message to the tune of "We Will Rock You" by Queen, to which Ross alters the lyrics to "We Will, We Will Call You Back!".
• 2000: In The 10th Kingdom the parody are WE WILL SHEAR YOU.
• 2010: The cast of the Off-Broadway musical Avenue Q performed covers of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" in a video spoof of the Muppets` "Bohemian Rhapsody".[141]
• 2012: In the 12 March edition of WWE Raw, The Rock performed his version during the Rock Concert segment by adding references to Team Bring It and fans chanting "Cena Sucks" in the chorus while taking aim at John Cena before they square off at WrestleMania XXVIII.[142]
• 2014: Indonesian singer Ahmad Dhani made a controversial political campaign video with a parody of the song to support presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto for the 2014 Indonesian presidential election. Dhani wore Heinrich Himmler`s SS Uniform in the video.[143]
• 2015: In The Big Bang Theory episode "The Bachelor Party Corrosion" Raj, Howard and Leonard sing a modified version of the song called, "We Will Percussive Shock You" and Sheldon burst out singing the first verse of the original song, which he then credited to his eidetic memory, mentioned that in this instance it was a `curse.`[144]
• 2023: The intro from "We Will Rock You" was the first music transmitted from lucid dreams into reality in real-time.[145][146] The study was published in Dreaming, an American Psychological Association peer-reviewed journal.[147]
• 2023: In Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom the parody are ANTIVIRUS.

See also

• List of number-one singles of 1978 (France)
• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2000s