Washington:The Queen’s oldest song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ just set the record music video by officially surpassing one billion views on YouTube.
Variety quoted YouTube that declared it to be the first pre-1990s music video to reach that milestone on the streaming platform.
To celebrate the victory, the two remaining original members of the band, Brian May and Roger Taylor, have teamed up with Universal Music and YouTube/Google for some fresh rebroadcasting of the 44-year old single and video.
Expressing their excitement over the milestone Brian and Roger put out a statement: “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! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to www.youarethechampions.com to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
With the initiative “You Are the Champions,” singers and instrumentalists can submit their take on “Bohemian Rhapsody,” while dancers will get an opportunity to work on a rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ and visual artists are asked to design any word or phrase from the “A Kind of Magic” lyrics, reported Billboard.
The official YouTube account of Queen will feature the finished videos later this year.
Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s global head of music, calls the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ video, “a sonic and cinematic masterpiece” for “one of the most enduring songs of all time.”
“The newly remastered video on YouTube will ensure the song continues to be rediscovered, embraced and beloved by old and new generations of music fans around the world; it’s incredible to help change the way fans experience music and provide a place for artist and fan connections worldwide,” he said.