"We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, released from the band's sixth album ''

News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one ...

'' (1977). Written by lead singer

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.“We Are the Champions: Song Review”
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

''. Retrieved 21 January 2011 The song was a worldwide success, reaching number two in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US, number three in Canada and the top ten in many other countries. In 2009 it was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

and was voted the world's favourite song in a 2005

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world music poll. In 2011, a team of scientific researchers concluded that the song was the catchiest in the history of popular music."Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ is the catchiest song ever, say scientists"
NME. Retrieved 13 June 2021"Scientists Say Queen's "We Are The Champions" is the Catchiest Song Ever"
''Guitar World''. Retrieved 13 June 2021
''The Independent''. Retrieved 13 June 2021 Written with audience participation in mind, Mercury said "We" in the song’s title refers to everyone who is singing it.

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

called the song "unifying and positive". "We Are the Champions" has become an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...

for victories at

sporting events Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...

, including as an official theme song for the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

, and has been often used or referenced in popular culture. The song has also been covered by many artists. 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 was made from previously unheard vocal and instrumental takes from the original multi-track tapes. It also presents for the first time the original recorded length of the track, which is two choruses more than the 1977 edited single.

Music

Written by

, "We Are the Champions" was built on audience response following a concert at

Bingley Hall, Stafford Bingley Hall (also known as New Bingley Hall to distinguish itself from the Bingley Hall in Birmingham) is an exhibition hall located in Stafford, England, on the site of the Staffordshire County Showground. During the 1970s and 1980s it was a ve ...

in which the audience sang " You'll Never Walk Alone" to the band. It embodies numerous elements of

arena rock Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...

, with

stating, "We wanted to get the crowds waving and singing. It's very unifying and positive." Musically, it is based on Mercury's piano part, with Roger Taylor and

John Deacon John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", "Another One Bit ...

providing a drums and bass guitar backing. May overdubbed some guitar sections, initially subtle, but building to a "solo" played simultaneously with the last chorus. 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. 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 Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

concert, at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

, London in 1985. The single featured "

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

", which preceded the song on the album, as its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The two songs were often played consecutively at the close of

concerts, and are customarily played together on radio broadcasts (in album order). Keeping with tradition, the two songs were also used to close the 1992

Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, ...

with all the show's acts joining in behind the lead vocal of

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Reception

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'' said that it contains "heroic lyrics and rapid changes in dynamics and emotional intensity" and praised guitarist

's "dark backing lines and rippling fills."

Music video

The video for "We Are the Champions" was filmed at a special video shoot with fan club members at the

New London Theatre The Gillian Lynne Theatre (formerly New London Theatre) is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden. The Winter Garden Theatre formerly occupied the site until 1965 ...

on 6 October 1977 and was directed by Derek Burbridge. Mercury performs in a trademark Harlequin outfit – a half black, half white version – in front of an enthusiastic crowd who wave Queen scarves in a manner similar to English football fans. An alternate version which starts in monochrome before blasting into colour as the drums and guitars kick in was broadcast on the BBC's '' Top of the Pops 2'' and comprises alternate footage shot on the same day.

Legacy

In 2011, a team of scientific researchers concluded that "We Are the Champions" was the catchiest song in the history of pop music, despite its not reaching #1 in the charts in any major market. Dr. Daniel Mullensiefen said of the study: "Every musical hit is reliant on maths, science, engineering and technology; from the physics and frequencies of sound that determine pitch and harmony, to the hi-tech digital processors and synthesisers which can add effects to make a song catchier. We’ve discovered that there’s a science behind the sing-along and a special combination of neuroscience, math and cognitive psychology that can produce the elusive elixir of the perfect

sing-along Sing-along, also called community singing or group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, kids' songs, spiritual ...

song." The song is popular at sporting events, often being played after a major victory by the home team. For example, it was played at Highmark Stadium after the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the 2021 NFL playoffs.

Chart performances

In 1977–1978, "We Are the Champions" was released as a single in many countries, reaching number 2 on the

. number 4 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' in the US, number 3 in Canada, the top 10 in

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Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, and top 15 in

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Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

. In 1992, 1993 and 1998, the single was re-released in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, totalling 45 weeks on the chart and peaking respectively at #19, #14, and #10 during the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for t ...

Personnel

Information is based on the album's Liner NotesQueen. ''News of the World'' (Album Notes). EMI. 1977. *

– lead and backing vocals, piano *

– electric guitar, backing vocals * Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals *

– bass guitar

Track listings

; 7" single (1977 release) # "We Are the Champions" – 3:00 # "

" – 2:00 ; 3" CD single (1988 release) # "We Are the Champions" – 3:02 # "We Will Rock You" – 2:02 # "Fat Bottomed Girls" – 3:23 ; CD single (1992 release) # "We Are the Champions" – 2:59 # "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions" – 5:00

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Crazy Frog version

A cover version by Crazy Frog titled "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" was released as a single on 5 June 2006, to coincide with the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

. Vocal arrangements include a sample portion of

's original recording.

Music video

The music video depicts Crazy Frog in bed dreaming that he is competing in a football match against Killbots. When the music video was originally released online, it appeared as it was released. However, the current version lacks the ball being kicked and the accompanying sound effects. After being internationally released, it was shown before the animated movie ''

Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, people in ...

''.

Chart performance

The single had its greatest success in France. It went straight to #1 on 10 June 2006, and stayed at this position for five weeks. It remained for nine weeks in the Top 10, seventeen weeks in the top fifty, and twenty five weeks in the chart. On 30 August 2006, it was certified Gold disc two months after its release by SNEP, the French certifier, and became the fifteenth best selling single in 2006 in that country.

Track listings

;CD single # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (radio edit) – 2:57 # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (club mix) – 5:49 ;Maxi single # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (radio edit) – 2:57 # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (house mix) – 6:04 # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (club mix) – 5:51 # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (club mix dub) – 5:17 # "We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong)" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Hank Marvin version

In 1992 Hank Marvin recorded a version of the song featuring Brian May on the guitar. Royalties from the single were donated to the Terrence Higgins Trust. The song peaked at number 66 on the UK charts.

CD-single track listing

# "We Are the Champions" (4:55) # "Moontalk" (3:13) # "Into The Light" (4:00) *Tracks 1–2 performed by Hank Marvin featuring Brian May *Track 2-3 performed by Hank Marvin

Scorpions version

In 2004, German rock band Scorpions with Michael Kleitman released their version retitled "You Are the Champion". This special version was recorded in honor of

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...

winning his seventh F1 Formula One Championship. The song was slightly re-written, most notably changing "We" to "You" which is a direct reference to Schumacher. The song peaked at number 92 on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

. It was subsequently included on the album ''Stand Up for the Champion – Michael Schumacher'' in 2006 when he decided to retire from Formula One racing.

CD-single track listing

# "You Are the Champion" (3:31) # "You Are The Champion" (Instrumental) (3:31) # "E Sara Perche (Spread Your Wings)" (3:12) *Tracks 1–2 performed by Scorpions and Michael Kleitman *Track 3 performed by Michael Kleitman

Queen + Adam Lambert version

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, May, Taylor and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide. Lambert is known for his dynamic vocal performances that fuse his theatrical tra ...

released "You Are the Champions" on 1 May 2020, with proceeds going to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. In 2020, "You Are the Champions" peaked at #46 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...

chart. The song also debuted on the

at #95 in 2020. On 5 August 2020 limited edition CD and 7" vinyl versions of the single were announced with 3,000 copies each. The physical versions both charted on #1 in their specific UK Official Charts on 28 August 2020.

Track listings

* 7-inch vinyl and CD single # "You Are the Champions" – 2:07 # "You Are the Champions" (Instrumental version) – 2:07 * Digital download and streaming # "You Are the Champions" – 2:07

Personnel

– vocals *

– electric guitar * Roger Taylor – drums *Neil Fairclough – bass guitar

References

External links

*Official

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videos: /www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY original music video /www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNwu7kWPsHI Live at the Bowl /www.youtube.com/watch?v=68pBKxbpnSo Queen + Paul Rodgers /www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLoK0P-zpA at Freddie Mercury tribute concert(with

) * (original studio audio) {{Authority control Queen (band) songs Liza Minnelli songs 1977 singles 1978 singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Freddie Mercury Victory Song recordings produced by Mike Stone (record producer) FIFA World Cup songs Football songs and chants EMI Records singles Elektra Records singles Hollywood Records singles Ministry of Sound singles Virgin EMI Records singles 1977 songs 1994 FIFA World Cup 2004 singles Scorpions (band) songs Rock ballads 1970s ballads