Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury wrote this. All 4 members of Queen contributed hit songs. May wrote "We Will Rock You."
Mercury: "I was thinking about football when I wrote it. I wanted a participation song, something that the fans could latch on to. Of course, I've given it more theatrical subtlety than an ordinary football chant. 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."
This was released as a double A-side single with "We Will Rock You." On the album, it flows seamlessly from "We Will Rock You," which led disc jockeys to play the songs together. Even though CDs allow the tracks to be separated, the 2 songs are still usually played together.
This is commonly played at victory celebrations by sports teams, especially in the US.
In 1992, a New Jersey high school helped revive this in the US. Students in Clifton, NJ, asked to sing this at their graduation. The principal refused because he associated it with Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS the year before. This led the students to flood New York radio station Z100 with requests for the song, which they started playing. Queen had already been revived in the US by "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was used in the movie Wayne's World, and this caught on as well, prompting the record company to re-release the single, which made #52.
This was used in the end credits of the 1992 movie The Mighty Ducks, starring Emilio Estavez. Two years later, it was played again at the end credits of the sequel, D2, in the scene where the team is huddled around a fire and they are singing the song. As a result, the song became more popular among teens and children who play sports. The movie spawned a new name for an NHL team a year after the first movie was made. Both the team (The Mighty Ducks) and the movie are owned by Disney. (thanks, Britney - Calabasas, CA
In 2001, Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor recorded a new version of this with British singer Robbie Williams. It was used in the movie A Knight's Tale.
Gavin DeGraw recorded this for the 2005 Queen tribute album Killer Queen. (thanks, Rachel - South Point, OH)
Formula 1 driver 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. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
Also in F1, Jenson Button sung the song in the last race of the 2009 season, which he won.
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