The lead vocal is very demanding and strident (highest point is a C5 both belted and in falsetto), with one of Mercury's most notable performances taking place at the Live Aid concert, at Wembley Stadium, London in 1985. Mercury employed many jazz chords (major and minor 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th harmonies), and the choruses featured these voiced as four- and five-part vocal harmonies. May overdubbed some guitar sections, initially subtle, but building to a 'solo' played simultaneously with the last chorus. Musically, it is based on Mercury's piano part, with Roger Taylor and John Deacon providing a drums and bass guitar backing. Problems playing this file? See media help. It's very unifying and positive.' įeaturing Mercury on piano, Classic FM called 'We Are the Champions' a 'bombastic monument of an anthem', with 'its soaring, triumphant melody known at sporting events and award ceremonies the world over'. It embodies numerous elements of arena rock, with Brian May stating, 'We wanted to get the crowds waving and singing. Written by Freddie Mercury, 'We Are the Champions' was built on audience response following a concert at Bingley Hall, Stafford in which the audience sang ' You'll Never Walk Alone' to the band.

It also presents for the first time the original recorded length of the track, which is two choruses more than the 1977 edited single. It was made from previously unheard vocal and instrumental takes from the original multi-track tapes.

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. The song has also been covered by many artists. 'We Are the Champions' has become an anthem for victories at sporting events, including as an official theme song for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and has been often used or referenced in popular culture. Brian May called the song 'unifying and positive'. Written with audience participation in mind, Mercury said 'We' in the song’s title refers to everyone who is singing it. In 2011, a team of scientific researchers concluded that the song was the catchiest in the history of popular music. In 2009 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and was voted the world's favourite song in a 2005 Sony Ericsson world music poll. The song was a worldwide success, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number three in Canada and the top ten in many other countries.

Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems. ' We Are the Champions' is a song by the British rock band Queen, first released on their 1977 album News of the World. ' We Are the Champions' / ' We Will Rock You'

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