It also presents for the first time the original recorded length of the track, which is two choruses more than the 1977 edited single. It was made from previously unheard vocal and instrumental takes from the original multi-track tapes. On 7 October 2017, Queen released a Raw Sessions version of the track to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of News of the World.
The song has also been covered by many artists. In 2011, a team of scientific researchers concluded that the song was the catchiest in the history of popular music."We Are the Champions" has become an anthem for victories at sporting events, including as an official theme song for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and has been often used or referenced in popular culture. In 2009, "We Are the Champions" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and was voted the world's favourite song in a 2005 Sony Ericsson world music poll. The song was a worldwide success, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it is considered one of rock's most recognisable anthems. “I still look at it and get a lump in my throat."We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, first released on their 1977 album News of the World. “I find the whole thing very emotionally effecting, I must say, even though we’ve building this thing,” says May. Rory Taylor, Roger Taylor’s daughter, has been treating COVID-19 patients these past couple of months, but she took time to hold up cards reading “Stay Safe All. The new video for “You Are The Champions” drives the point home even further by showing empty cityscapes across the globe and frontline workers braving the disease to help those in need. We are the champions means that we are all the champions.’ We went, ‘Oh, okay. “We said, ‘Fred, are you sure about this? Does this not sound big-headed?’ Fred said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. The experience brings May’s mind back to the moment in 1977 when Freddie Mercury first presented the band with the song. “He came up with changing those words in the last chorus and I think it was a very good solution, just perfect. “We told him to experiment and maybe do a few different versions,” says May. It wasn’t until Lambert laid down his vocals that he decided to tweak the chorus at the end to “you are the champions.” Early thoughts revolved around changing the opening lyric to “you’ve paid your dues” to honor everyone working during the pandemic, but they felt unsure about changing something so iconic and beloved. They decided to tackle “We Are The Champions” with a little alteration.
“I hoped we would then have something we could call a record,” says May, “and we could we use it in some way to help people through this crisis.” He invited Queen drummer Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert one night to join the fun. “I couldn’t even get to my studio since that is in the country and I’m in town.” “The only platform I had, in a sense, was Instagram,” he says. They soon grew into guitar tutorials and something he called #JamWithBri where he invited fans to add their own parts onto his compositions. To pass the time and lift his spirits, May began posting homemade performances onto his Instagram page.