Queen/'We Will Rock You' Fun Facts
➢ Queen was formed in 1970 from the remnants of Brian May and Roger Taylor’s previous band, Smile. Freddie Mercury joined after suggesting the band rename themselves Queen. John Deacon was recruited shortly after and the classic Queen line-up was born.
➢ Queen’s biggest hits in the USA where the No. 1s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites the Dust”, both from the album The Game.
➢ Queen's Greatest Hits peaked at number one on the UK Album Chart for four weeks. It has spent 476 weeks in the UK Charts, and is the best-selling album of all time in the UK. It is certified eight times platinum in the United States, and is Queen's most commercially successful album worldwide with over 25 million copies sold, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
➢ In the US, Queen has had 7 albums certified Multi-Platinum, 12 albums certified Platinum and 19 albums certified Gold.
➢ Freddie Mercury’s real name was Farrokh Bulsara. He was a Parsi born in Zanzibar and grew up there and in India until his mid-teens.
➢ Brian May’s distinctive sound came from his self-made “Red Special” guitar, which he and his father constructed from a carving from an antique fireplace, motorbike valve springs and a knitting needle.
➢ BMI, the music licensing agency, repeatedly lists “We Will Rock You” as the song most played at sporting events.
➢ “We Will Rock You” was played over half a million times during the 2012 London Olympics.
➢ Brian May is an enthusiastic astronomer and holds a PhD in Astrophysics, which he achieved after returning to college over 30 years after Queen formed.
➢ Many Queen songs have been used on the soundtracks to films. The band recorded commissioned soundtracks for Flash Gordon and Highlander, while their songs have provided memorable moments in films such as Wayne’s World and Shaun of the Dead.
➢ The Muppets parody of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” video has been viewed over 31 million times on YouTube.
➢ We Will Rock You features more than 24 Queen songs, is in its 11th year in London, has played in some 20 countries and sold over 15,000,000 tickets worldwide.
➢ We Will Rock You is the longest-running musical to play at the Dominion, one of the West End’s biggest theatres. It is currently the 9th longest-running show in the West End. At the 2011 Olivier Awards, We Will Rock You was crowned the UK’s favorite show. In the only award category voted entirely by members of the public, the musical came out on top, beating a shortlist including Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys and Les Misérables.
➢ The purchaser of the 1 millionth ticket to We Will Rock You in London on October 2006 was a 61-year old grandmother who was buying a ticket to treat her 4-year-old great-grandson to see the show.
➢ Because of the complexity of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, before appearing in its entirety in the musical We Will Rock You, the entire song had never before been staged live by Queen or anyone else.