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

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, released from the band's sixth album ''

News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...

'' (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 global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

, 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 Mus ...

''. Retrieved 21 January 2011 The song was a worldwide success, reaching number 2 in the UK, number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US, number 3 in Canada, and the top 10 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

Sony Ericsson Sony Mobile Communications Inc., originally Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, was a Multinational corporation, multinational consumer electronics and telecommunications company, best known for its Mobile phones, mobile phone products. The ...

world music poll. Written with audience participation in mind, Mercury said "We" in the song's title refers to everyone who is singing it.

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

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 sho ...

for victories at

sporting events Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a ...

, including its use during 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 w ...

, 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

Writing of "We Are the Champions" began as early as 1975. However, at the time,

deemed it unsuitable for inclusion in the band's then-current album, and the song was not recorded until 1977. It embodies numerous elements of

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

, 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 who was 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 Bites the Dust" a ...

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 two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

concert, at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, London in 1985. The single featured "

We Will Rock You "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. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it p ...

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

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

. 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 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, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

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

's "dark backing lines and rippling fills." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it a "stately rocker well-suited to its title" and suggested that "it could serve as a sort of new wave anthem."

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 the 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 occupied the site until 1965. On ...

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 ''Top of the Pops 2'' (also known as ''TOTP2'') is a British television music show broadcast on BBC Two showing archive footage from the long-running ''Top of the Pops'' show, some dating back to the 1960s when the programme first aired on Briti ...

'' 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, sometimes with a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, kids' songs, spirit ...

song.""Queen's 'We Are The Champions' is the catchiest song ever, say scientists"
NME. Retrieved 13 June 2021
''The Independent''. Retrieved 13 June 2021 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–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

defeated the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

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 UK Singles Chart; 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 advertis ...

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

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

; and the top 15 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

Personnel

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

– lead and backing vocals, piano *

– guitars, 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

Certifications and sales

Hank Marvin version

In 1992,

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows. Early life and career Marvin was born as Brian Robson Rankin at ...

recorded a version of the song featuring Brian May on guitar. Royalties from the single were donated to the

Terrence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns about and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the charity aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV, to ...

. 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 Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

with Michael Kleitman released their version retitled "You Are the Champion". This special version was recorded in honour of

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...

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 charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

. 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

Crazy Frog version

A cover version by

Crazy Frog Crazy Frog (originally known as The Annoying Thing) is a Swedish CGI-animated character and Eurodance musician created in 2003 by actor and playwright Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the character was originally creat ...

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

. 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 an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

''.

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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

two months after its release by

SNEP SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

, 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

Queen + Adam Lambert version

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, May, Taylor and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his dynamic vocal performances that combine his theatrical training with modern and classic genres. Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after ...

released "You Are the Champions" on 1 May 2020, with proceeds going to the

COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was a global fund for supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. It was launched on 13 March 2020 by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy F ...

. 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), Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of ...

chart. The song also debuted on the UK Singles Chart 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

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

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 1977 songs 1977 singles 1992 singles 2004 singles 2006 singles 2020 singles Queen (band) songs Hank Marvin songs Scorpions (band) songs Crazy Frog songs Arena rock songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Freddie Mercury Victory Song recordings produced by Mike Stone (record producer) FIFA World Cup songs Association football songs and chants EMI Records singles Elektra Records singles Hollywood Records singles Ministry of Sound singles Virgin EMI Records singles 1994 FIFA World Cup Rock ballads 1970s ballads