Earlier this year Queen put out a call to fans asking them to help create new music videos for the band’s iconic songs “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “A Kind of Magic” and the results are, well, kind of magic.
More than 10,000 fans from over 120 countries responded, submitting their own unique content to one of three categories via Queen’s micro-website, YouAreTheChampions.com. The submissions were then used to create one of the world’s biggest musical collaborations including a musician/singer performance-based video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” an entire dance-based video for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and a montage of bespoke work from visual artists for “A Kind of Magic.”
Each of the videos is compelling in its own way but it is the “Bohemian Rhapsody video that is particularly endearing. The clip features musicians playing the song on a myriad of instruments from drums, guitar, piano and bass to water glasses, harps, bassoons, and xylophones, alongside a wide array of singers. The individual efforts were then expertly stitched together by DJ Earworm, who is best known for his end-of-the-year pop mash-ups.
You can watch the videos in the players below.
The impetus behind the project was Queen’s desire to celebrate “Bohemian Rhapsody” becoming the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on YouTube. Bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor teamed up with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records to create the You Are The Champions initiative.
Queen described the project as “A true celebration of the band’s unique connection with their fans around the world, the videos see the band represented by multiple generations from every continent.”
“It’s one of the most rewarding things that can happen to an artist of any kind,” Brian May added. “To see that our work has inspired folk all around the world to create their own performances and visual art is a thrill. And the diversity of their vision is astonishing. Big thanks to everyone who participated.”
“A Kind Of Magic”
Visual Artists submitted individual artwork for the lyrics and melody of this iconic song, made from the medium of their choosing. 2,773 artists from 92 countries submitted for the video, and the end result is a visual symphony of fan art that pays homage to the song’s lyrics and diverse representations of the band’s members dreamed in paint, animation, graphic designs, sand, flowers and more. – from QueenOnline.com
“Don’t Stop Me Now”
Polly Bennett, the choreographer who worked with Rami Malek for the film Bohemian Rhapsody, created a unique dance for fans to learn and film for this classic Queen song’s submission. More than 1,800 videos were submitted from individuals, groups, ballerinas, ice skaters and a few Freddie Mercury impersonators as well. The final video resulted in a choreographed performance with fans from all over the world dancing together as one.– from QueenOnline.com
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
Musicians and singers from around the globe were asked to submit footage of themselves performing the song, and more than 5,400 from 110 countries answered the call, including harpists, classical musicians, a bassoonist and even a group of xylophonists! The result is a layering of performances from fans all over the world, playing and singing in unison to recreate the iconic track. -from QueenOnline.com
