"RHAPSODY" VIDEO TOPS 1B VIEWS

Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” has become the first pre-1990 video to officially surpass 1b views on YouTube.

A newly remastered HD version of the video has been made available today on the band’s YouTube channel.

Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records have also announced launched a “You are the Champions” campaign that includes a contest for fans to create videos. Time to do the fandango.

YouAreTheChampions.com

Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you.”

Universal Music Group’s Celine Joshua, the GM for Commercial, Content and Artist Strategy, said, “This will be the first of a series of custom initiatives we have planned in the coming months on the official Queen channel.”

If you find yourself in a Queen trivia contest, you can wheel out these stats:

The video was shot in three hours for a cost of £4,500.

The track was released as a single on 10/31/1975.

The video first aired in the U.K. on Top of The Pops in November 1975.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” was #1 for in the U.K. for nine consecutive weeks, a record at the time; it returned to the top of the charts again in 1991.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is the only song in history ever to have topped the U.K. charts twice at Christmas.

The song reached the top 40 in the USA in 2019 for a third time.