We Are the Champions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Crazy Frog song, see We Are the Champions (Ding a Dang Dong).
| "We Are the Champions" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Queen | ||
| from the album News of the World | ||
| Released | October 7, 1977 | |
| Format | 7" | |
| Recorded | 1977 | |
| Genre | Rock, Ballad | |
| Length | 2:59 | |
| Label | EMI (UK) Elektra Records (US) |
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| Writer(s) | Freddie Mercury | |
| Producer(s) | Queen, assisted by Mike Stone | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Queen singles chronology | ||
| "Long Away" (1977) |
"We Are the Champions" / "We Will Rock You" (1977) |
"Spread Your Wings" (1978) |
We Are the Champions is a power ballad written by Freddie Mercury and recorded and performed by Queen. It is one of their most famous and popular songs, and has since become an anthem for football victories.
Musically, it was based around Mercury's piano part, with Roger Taylor and John Deacon providing a drums and bass guitar backing. Brian May overdubbed some guitar parts, 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 4 and 5-part vocal harmonies. The lead vocal is very demanding and strident, and in live performances, Mercury often deferred to let Taylor handle the highest parts of the melody.
The song comes from the News Of The World (1977) album and follows "We Will Rock You." This pair of songs was often used to close Queen concerts. Keeping with tradition, it was 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.
The chorus is a slowly transforming reiteration of a simple melody, attached to the line "We are the champions", which climaxes in its final form, which has a singsong quality reminiscent of a child's taunt or the nursery rhymes A-Tisket, A-Tasket.
Queen (May/Taylor) with Robbie Williams on vocals recorded this song for the soundtrack of the 2001 film A Knight's Tale. Williams also made a music video.
Contents |
[edit] Queen about the song
| Certainly it's a relationship that could be, but I was thinking about football when I wrote it. I wanted a participation song, something that the fans could latch on to. It was aimed at the masses; I thought we'd see how they took it. It worked a treat. When we performed it at a private concert in London, the fans actually broke into a football chant between numbers. Of course, I've given it more theatrical subtlety than an ordinary football chant. You know me. I certainly wasn't thinking about the press when I wrote it. I never think about the British music press these days. It was really meant to be offered the musicians the same as the fans. I suppose it could also be construed as my version of "I Did It My Way." We have made it, and it certainly wasn't easy. No bed of roses as the song says. And it's still not easy. -Freddie Mercury (1978)[1] |
| I have to win people over, otherwise it's not a successful gig. It's my job to make sure people have a good time. That's part of my duty. It's all to do with feeling in control. That song We Are The Champions has been taken up by football fans because it's a winners' song. I can't believe that somebody hasn't written a new song to overtake it. -Freddie Mercury (1985)[2] |
[edit] Uses in popular culture
- The song has been used together with "We Will Rock You" in the film, The Mighty Ducks trilogy.
- The song has been sampled by Kanye West, Dame Dash, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Young Chris & Twista for their song "Champions".
- The song appears in two episodes of The Simpsons - in "War of the Simpsons," Homer sings it after catching a legendary catfish, General Sherman. In "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken," Homer, Lenny, Carl and Barney sing it after the Springfield Isotopes win the season. They also merge the song with the other famous Queen anthem from News of the World - We Will Rock You
- At the end of the AFL Grand Final in Australia, the song is played over the stadium as the Premiership team does a lap of honor.
- The song is used as the entrance music of professional wrestling tag team The Kings of Wrestling.
- The song marked the climax of the ending of the 1984 hit comedy Revenge of the Nerds.
- John Cusack dances to this song after he finds out that his ex-girlfriend has not had sex with his hated neighbor in the 2000 film High Fidelity.
- Fernando Alonso sung the song after winning the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix, securing the Contructors' title for his team, Renault. The team later released an MP3 of the song being "played" by the engine they had used in that season, with the different notes played by changing engine speeds to adjust the pitch of the engine sound and exhaust note.
- The song was also in the Japanese verison of DDR Extreme.
- The song was in the movie Kicking & Screaming.
- The song was used in the episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Hal shows his skating abilities.
- The song has been played to celebrate numerous sports championships. It was played at the finals of 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, after Italy won the cup.
- The song was used during the end cutscene for The Matrix: Path of Neo.
- The song was used at the end of the South Park episode Stanley's Cup.
- Liberal talk-radio personality Randi Rhodes used the song after the 2006 midterm elections to celebrate Democratic victories in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
[edit] Cover versions
- J.B.O. released a spoof version “Wir sind die Champignons” in 1997.
- Robbie Williams, accompanied by the remaining members of Queen, covered the song for the soundtrack of the 2001 film A Knight's Tale
- William Hung covered this song for his second album Hung for the Holidays (2004).
- Gavin DeGraw covered this song in Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (2005).
- Green Day covered the song at the famous Live 8 in 2005. Also, they have often covered the song at their shows.
- Also, in the film Chicken Little (2005), Chicken Little sings the song after winning the big baseball game, but improvised the lyrics (saying I Am The Champion instead of We Are The Champions).
- Crazy Frog did a version of this song that appears on "More Crazy Hits"
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rosy Horide. "Queen Deserve Rock's Royal Crown? Freddie Mercury and Brian May Hawk their 'News Of The World'". Circus, January 1978. Retrieved from Queenzone, June 15, 2006.
- ^ Nick Ferrari. "I Am The Champion. Why Fantastic Freddie Stole Live Aid Show". The Sun, July 19, 1985. Retrieved from queen.musichall.cz, June 15, 2006.
| Queen |
| John Deacon | Brian May | Freddie Mercury | Roger Taylor History | Live performances | Songs |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Queen | Queen II | Sheer Heart Attack | A Night at the Opera | A Day at the Races | News of the World | Jazz | The Game | Flash Gordon | Hot Space | The Works | A Kind of Magic | The Miracle | Innuendo | Made in Heaven |
| Live albums: Live Killers | Live Magic | Live at Wembley '86 | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions |
| Compilation albums: Greatest Hits | At the Beeb | Greatest Hits II | Classic Queen | Queen Rocks | Greatest Hits III | Stone Cold Classics |
| DVDs: We Will Rock You | The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert | Greatest Video Hits 1 | Live at Wembley Stadium | Greatest Video Hits 2 | We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions | Super Live in Japan |
| Related Articles |
| Ibex | Larry Lurex | Smile | The Cross | Queen + Paul Rodgers |
