Queen shares a rockin' alternate version of We Will Rock You LIVE
By Renee Hansen
Queen's "We Will Rock You" is one of the most recognized songs in rock music. It has become a worldwide anthem sung at the close of every Queen concert to the delight of fans everywhere. A new video of an alternate version of the song was released as part of the Queen The Greatest Live series.
Written in 1977 by Queen guitarist Brian May, the song was set to a stomp, stomp, clap rhythm, ending with an impressive guitar solo by May. This song has been covered by many, including British boy band Five, whose version included May and drummer Roger Taylor, a remix by KCPK, glam metal band Warrant and Pepsi used the son in an international ad campaign where Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Pink sang it.
The alternate version of the song picks up the tempo and features what May calls "a drum extravaganza" in place of the recorded stomps and claps. This leads into an amazing rock version with Taylor's drums, May's guitar, John Deacon's bass lines, and Freddie Mercury's explosive vocals. It is an amazing evolution of an already fantastic song. Take a listen below.
Queen's alternate We Will Rock You
What is known as the "fast version" of "We Will Rock You" was featured as an opening to the bands set in the late '70s and early '80s. It featured the full band arrangement and Mercury's face-paced lyrics. This version was featured on several Queen albums, including 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).
This version of "We Will Rock You" is another way that Queen constantly evolved its music creating new sounds from songs that were already some of their most popular. This type of reimagining is what has always made Queen stand apart from other bands.
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