Queen's epic classic rock song "Bohemian Rhapsody" has wowed music fans for generations.
ICONIC rock band Queen paved the way for many musicians and artists since they debuted in 1975 with their first single "Killer Queen" and has since been named as one of the best rock bands in the world.
While Killer Queen was the first hit, is the quintessential song "Bohemian Rhapsody" the most streamed song of the 20th century?
Oh mamma mia.. Is this true?
Verdict:
TRUE
For Queen fans, this is not just fantasy. The Guardian reported that Bohemian Rhapsody has been named the most-streamed song from the 20th century, overtaking "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
This Queen classic hit, which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1975 and then again in 1991 following the band’s singer Freddie Mercury’s death in the same year, has been streamed 1.6 billion times across streaming platforms such as YouTube and Spotify.
The release of Queen’s biopic titled "Bohemian Rhapsody" has made the song to be as popular as it has been in a generation.
The film on the other hand has made almost US$600mil at the global box office since its release in November 2018.
Bohemian Rhapsody re-entered the UK charts in the same month and reached No. 45, and for the week of Nov 22, 2018, was the 11th most streamed song in the world on Spotify.
In a statement, Queen guitarist Brian May said: "So the river of rock music has metamorphosed into streams! Very happy that our music is still flowing to the max!"
Lucian Grainge, CEO of Queen’s label Universal Music Group, said it was an "incredible achievement that is a testament to the enduring brilliance of Queen."
Bohemian Rhapsody was also named as the most streamed classic rock song of all time and according to Forbes was the band’s top 10 hit in the US. In the UK, the song achieved a record high after it was number one for nine consecutive weeks on the charts.
The song was also the only song in history ever to have topped the UK charts twice at Christmas.
In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and readers of Rolling Stone magazine named Mercury’s vocal performance as the best in rock history.
However, when first recorded, the band’s former manager and record label were convinced the song recorded for five minutes and 55 seconds wouldn’t sell and have much impact on music fans.
The song proved the former manager and record label wrong when it received its sweet victory by topping the charts and 49 years later, Bohemian Rhapsody is still as popular and this classic will live through generations for a very long time.
Long live the Queen!
References::
4. https://ew.com/music/2018/12/
