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| Released = 7 October 1977
| Released = 7 October 1977
| Format = [[Gramophone record|12"]]
| Format = [[Gramophone record|12"]]
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[hard rock]]
| Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]]
| Length = 2:02
| Length = 2:02
| Label = [[Elektra Records]] (US)
| Label = [[Elektra Records]] (US)

Revision as of 19:41, 21 March 2011

This article is about the Queen song. For the song by Helix, see Rock You. For the musical play, see We Will Rock You (musical). For the concert video, see We Will Rock You (video).
"We Will Rock You"
Song

"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World.[1] Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004,[2] and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century.

Other than the last 30 seconds containing a guitar solo by May, the song is generally set in a cappella form, using only stamping and clapping as a rhythmic beat. In 1977, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" were issued together as a worldwide Top Ten single.[3]

History

This song and its well known partner "We Are the Champions" were written in response to an event occurring in the 1977 British Tour. The band had played a gig at Stafford's Bingley Hall, and, says Brian May[4]

'We did an encore and then went off, and instead of just keeping clapping, they sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" to us, and we were just completely knocked out and taken aback - it was quite an emotional experience really, and I think these chant things are in someway connected with that'

One version was used as the opening track on their 1977 album News of the World. This version consists of a stomp-stomp-clap-pause beat, and a power chorus, being somewhat of an anthem. The stamping effects were created by the band overdubbing the sounds of themselves stomping and clapping many times and adding delay effects to create a sound like many people were participating. The durations of the delays were in the ratios of prime numbers, a technique now known as non-harmonic reverberation.[5] A tape loop is used to repeat the last phrase of the guitar solo three times as opposed to Brian May playing it three separate times on the recording.[6]

When performed live, this version is usually followed by "We Are the Champions", another of the album's hits, as they were designed to run together.[3] The songs are often paired on the radio and at sporting events, where they are frequently played.[3] The songs are also paired back to back on the album, and they are still played together to this day on American classic rock radio stations.

Queen also performed the song in another arrangement (known as the "fast version"), which featured a faster tempo and a full guitar, bass and drums backing track throughout. The band would often open their live sets in the late 1970s and early 1980s with this version, as captured on their 1979 Live Killers double album, on Queen Rock Montreal (2007), and on the Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl album released in 2004.

The "fast version" is available in a studio performance. In 1977, it was recorded for John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1. This version is on the 1992 Italian bootleg CD "Queen - We Will Rock You" (On Stage CD 12018). It is part of a longer cut that starts out with the slow version. In 2002, the fast version was officially released on a promo single distributed by the tabloid The Sun. The "fast" BBC studio version can also be found on The Best of King Biscuit Live Volume 4 and online at Wolfgang's Vault. Between the two versions, there is a brief cut of a female voice discussing Brahmanism, used in a BBC Radio documentary.

The "stomp, stomp, clap" sounds were later reused in the Queen + Paul Rodgers song "Still Burnin'".

Five + Queen Version

"We Will Rock You"
Song
B-side"Megamix"

"We Will Rock You" is the fifth and final single from British boyband Five's second studio album, Invincible. Released on July 17, 2000, the song features the members of Queen on Guitar and Drums, however, they do not sing any vocals on the track. The song charted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's second number-one single, and their ninth consecutive top-ten hit.

Track listing

UK CD Single #1
  1. "We Will Rock You" [Radio Edit] - 3:08
  2. "Keep on Movin'" [Five-A-Side Mix] - 3:32
  3. "We Will Rock You" [Video] - 3:08
UK CD Single #2
  1. "We Will Rock You" [Radio Edit] - 3:08
  2. "Megamix" - 4:19
  3. "Megamix" [Video] - 4:19
European Single
  1. "We Will Rock You" [Radio Edit] - 3:08
  2. "Megamix" [Radio Edit] - 3:43
  3. "We Will Rock You" [Video] - 3:08
Preceded by UK number one single (Five version)
23 July 2000 – 30 July 2000 (1 week) 		Succeeded by

Cover versions

Live cover performances

Remixes

  • 1991: Rick Rubin did some remixes of "We Will Rock You", released by Hollywood Records. The "Ruined Remix" also contains contributions by Flea and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
  • 2003: Japanese techno artist Killingscum remixed 5ive's cover of the song in the track Morning Knifreak.
  • Norman Cook performed a Fatboy Slim remix on "We Will Rock You".
  • DJ Speedo has performed a gabber style remix for various compilation CDs.
  • Daft Punk mixed this song along with their own song "Robot Rock" for the game DJ Hero to create "We Will (Robot) Rock You".

Sampling

  • 1992: Ice Cube sampled the "stomp-clap" on his album "The Predator" for the song "When Will They Shoot?".
  • 1999: The "stomp-clap" is sampled as Juvenile is introduced on the track "You Dig" from The Hot Boys album Guerrilla Warfare.
  • 2002: Eminem sampled the "stomp-clap" on his album The Eminem Show for the song "Till I Collapse".
  • 2005: Edson & Hudson sampled the "stomp-clap" on their hit "Galera Coração".
  • 2003: Kid Rock samples the song on "Hillbilly Stomp" from his self titled album. The song uses banjos, dobros and slide guitar to make it sound unique.
  • 2006: American Industrial Metal band Revolting Cocks used the sampled "stomp-clap" for the song "Revolting Cock au Lait" and its shorter version "RevColution Medley", both of them from the album Cocked and Loaded.
  • 2007: Bon Jovi used the song as intro of their song "Summertime" in all the Lost Highway Tour.
  • 2008: Detroit rapper Pick Up used this song as a sample for the track, "Like Me Or Not," off his debut album 8 Milez North.
  • 2009: Japanese Rock band Garnet Crow sampled the "stomp-clap" in their song "Doing All Right."
  • 2010: Rapper Charles Hamilton sampled the beat and chorus for the song "Gameday" from his mixtape "Well This Isn't Awkward".
  • 2010: Southern Gospel Group Ernie Haase & Signature Sound Sampled the song in their version of The Cathedrals song Boundless Love

Parodies and references to song

Appearances in other media

  • The song is featured in a pre-opening credit sketch at the beginning of a Cheers episode from 1990 called 'Severe Crane Damage'.[12]
  • The song is prominently (and anachronistically) featured in the film A Knight's Tale as a crowd chant.
  • The song is featured in the music video games Donkey Konga, Pro Evolution Soccer 2 and Lego Rock Band. For some reason, the stomp-stomp-clap part is listed as notes on Lego Rock Band, although that might be just so everyone can play, as the only parts otherwise would be Mercury's lyrics and Brian May's solo. It is also featured in the video game DJ Hero as part of a mashup with Daft Punk's "Robot Rock."
  • The song is featured in commercial promotions for the 2010 Disney XD Original Series Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil.
  • The song was used often as a crowd chant, on the UK TV show Gladiators.
  • Sol Badguy from the video game series Guilty Gear wears a headband that reads "Rock You", one of several Queen references in the series.
  • The WNY Americorp service corp use the "stomp stomp clap" pause beat to create their "Americorp Theme." The lyrics were re-written by David Barry and Khahari Daniels.
  • Diego Sanchez used this as his entrance song at UFC 95 and The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.
  • In the Drake & Josh episode "The Storm", near the end of the episode, Helen tells all the girls to pat twice repeatedly. Then, she tells the men to clap when the girls pause. After the "stomp stomp clap" is derived, Helen starts singing the first verse of the song while Drake does the second verse and Craig & Eric do the third.
  • The beat of the song was used in an election ad by NDP candidate Jack Layton which attacked Stephen Harper for allowing alleged abuses by big business.
  • The song has also been featured in several movies.
  • The song was used in the commercial of TEAM Unity for the 2007 Philippine Senatorial Elections.
  • Manny Pacquiao used this as his entrance song in the match against Oscar De La Hoya.
  • A family in a Wal-Mart commercial sing the song.
  • A cover version is featured in the video game Madden NFL 11.
  • The song is used in 2011 Super Bowl commercial for Kung Fu Panda 2. In the commercial, the footage of a battle is cut to the beat of the song such as each opening stomp accompanies a blow by the characters. Furthermore, the lyrics displayed on screen have the pun of "We will, we will, wok you," as Po wields a large wok on each hand against multiple assailants.
  • In the Elementary School Musical episode of South Park, during a school basketball game the audience sings the song.
  • Domino's Pizza used a modified version (changing the lyrics to "Gotta Be, Gotta Be Domino's") for a series of commercials between 1994 and 1996.

References

  1. ^ News of the World - Queen Allmusic Retrieved January 22, 2011
  2. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  3. ^ a b c We Are the Champions: Song Review All Music Retrieved January 21, 2011
  4. ^ Interview with Tom Browne for BBC Radio One, broadcast Christmas Eve and Boxing Day 1977
  5. ^ May, Brian (22 September 2007). "STAMPING ON PIANO'S?". Bri's Soapbox. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Queen's Brian May Rocks Out To Physics, Photography". Fresh Air. NPR. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  7. ^ WWRY Singles
  8. ^ Dance Dance Revolution Extreme @ amazon.com
  9. ^ Britney Spears Beyonce Pink-We will rock you Yahoo! Retrieved January 22, 2011
  10. ^ Food For Thought by Pink Cream 69 @ CD Universe
  11. ^ Katy Perry Performs "We Will Rock You" to Intro Russell Brand MTV Retrieved January 22, 2011
  12. ^ Video on YouTube
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