Brian May: Freddie Mercury’s Anthem Changed Queen’s Audience Bond

Brian May has revisited how Freddie Mercury’s “We Are the Champions” overcame Queen’s early doubts and changed the band’s relationship with its listeners. In the retrospective published September 26, 2026, May recalled that Mercury wrote the 1977 song to create togetherness, optimism and audience participation.

From doubtful title to communal anthem

Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon did not understand the song when Mercury first presented it at rehearsal. Queen thought the title sounded big-headed, but Mercury believed crowds would sing along. The idea followed Queen’s 1977 concert at Bingley Hall in Stafford, England, where the audience sang throughout the show and performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” after the encore^*. May had previously preferred quiet audiences who could hear the band’s nuances and Mercury’s voice, but Bingley Hall helped Queen accept listeners as part of the performance. That collective energy shaped Mercury’s celebration concept and May’s stomp-clap^* foundation for “We Will Rock You.” Mercury then recorded the basic “We Are the Champions” piano performance live with Taylor and Deacon, with Queen typically choosing a foundation from three or four takes.

Why May’s arrangement still matters to guitar players

May’s work shows how a guitar arrangement can stay memorable without a conventional solo. After living with his part for roughly two weeks, he heard the track in his car on the day it was due to be mixed and decided the guitar needed revision. Using his Red Special, he added two bell-like, stereo-panned^* guitar parts beneath the second verse. He also recorded lead-guitar responses to Mercury’s vocal, especially near the ending. May worried that these lines competed too strongly with the singing, but Mercury wanted the guitar and voice to fight in that passage. For guitar players, the practical lesson is to reassess a part after time away, use stereo texture to develop a section and support the vocal without removing every point of musical tension. “We Are the Champions” achieves that balance without a conventional guitar solo.

(Via: Guitar Player)

encore^*: an additional performance after the planned set stomp-clap^*: a rhythm built from foot stomps and hand claps stereo-panned^*: placed across the left and right speakers