Last updated 29 June 2022

As discussed in depth in my A Night At The Opera review, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody is an enduring classic that continues to increase in popularity 45 years on, as new generations of fans are introduced to it, most recently thanks to the movie of the same name and Queen’s tours with Adam Lambert. Freddie’s masterpiece, like his spirit and all of his music, will never die or be forgotten.

It is of no surprise, therefore, that it’s been covered in a myriad of styles by thousands of people, either tackling the full song or focusing on selected sections of it, despite the fact that it’s very brave of anyone to take on a song of such complexity that is so famous and well-loved.

In my previous reviews of Queen’s albums, I’ve always included cover versions as part of those posts. But such is the significance of Bo Rhap and the huge number of covers it’s had, coupled with the fact that it’s always nice to do some kind of special post at Christmas, that I’ve decided to give these interpretations of the track a space of their own.

Of course, it goes without saying that nobody can come close to Queen when reproducing any of their songs, especially this one. And there are plenty of covers out there that range from the decidedly average and uninspiring to the downright bizarre and awful. But there are also lots of beautifully arranged, excellently performed and cleverly interpreted versions too.

So in this post I wanted to share a long list of cover versions that I’ve found, divided into rough subsections to keep similar types together. I’ve compiled them into a big Youtube playlist as well, sorted so that the most popular videos are at the top. Or if you’re feeling brave, put it on Shuffle and see what comes up!

Some covers are great in my view, some are not, and the rest are somewhere in between. But everyone’s opinions will differ. All I’ve tried to do is present a wide variety that I feel are of interest and worth exploring out of curiosity. It’s not every cover that exists by any means, but I feel it’s a very comprehensive and fair representation of what’s out there, listing most of the major versions and lots of hidden gems.

So buckle in for a long selection, and see which versions you like best!

Fan Compilations

Queen have a couple of videos on their channel where fans were able to perform parts of the song themselves:

• Fan Homage Medley – In celebration of the movie in 2018, a group of fans were invited to get together and perform a medley of Queen’s greatest hits, starting with the biggest of them all, which came out pretty well.
• You Are The Champions – Fans across the world submitted footage of themselves singing and playing the song, resulting in this very nicely edited compilation posted in 2019.

Parodies

It wasn’t just Wayne’s World that used the song for humorous purposes (as discussed in my album review post). It’s been adapted in many other comedic ways too.

The Muppets

The most famous such version is by The Muppets, who created a wonderful video for the song in November 2009, with around 70 characters singing along to Queen’s original backing track. The song was slightly shortened, with many of the lyrics changed for comic effect, and there were clever stylistic similarities to Queen’s original video as well. Then at the end we discover that it’s a video conference that Kermit The Frog regrets putting together. The video was produced in a day and rapidly went viral, getting over 7 million views in its first week alone (and it now has over 100 million!). The subsequent single release in December that year got to number 32 in the UK.

There’s also an attempt by Kermit to give a behind the scenes commentary, although chaos ensues as his friends try to get involved! And they’ve even performed the song live, accompanied by a choir, at the Hollywood Bowl & London’s O2 Arena.

Bad News

Back in the 80s there was a delightfully chaotic version released in 1987 by Bad News – a spoof heavy metal band formed as part of the Comic Strip series, featuring the late great Rik Mayall, along with Ade Edmondson, Nigel Planer & Peter Richardson. It reached number 44 in the UK chart in September 1987, and was included on their self-titled debut album the following month. Of course, people who are unfamiliar with Bad News and the context of this version have, inevitably, reached the conclusion that it’s terrible. But that’s entirely the point, as those who know these comedians will tell you. So as a big fan of Rik & Ade in particular, I happen to find it funny, but I can see why others wouldn’t.

This version even has Brian May’s approval, as he was the producer for the album and played guitar on some of the tracks, and apparently even appeared on stage with them during a small show they did at London’s Marquee Club. There are also claims that John Deacon played bass and added backing vocals on the Bohemian Rhapsody cover, but there’s no clear evidence to support that.

But in any case, in the May 1989 issue of Sounds Mag, Brian explained: “I love heavy metal and I don’t look down on it at all. But we’re not a heavy metal group. I think you have to love something to play it. When I produced Bad News, I found that Ade Edmondson lives and breathes heavy rock music. And I love people that are so immersed in it that it’s serious. I love AC/DC – what they do, it’s very pure. But we’re not that way, so we can’t pretend we are. It’s good to be able to step back and see the funny side of it, because it kicks out some of the shit.”

The 2004 re-release of the Bad News album included an additional track entitled Take 1, where the ending goes wrong and they get into an argument, with some very strong language. That erroneous ending is used to conclude the 12″ version of the track, without the fighting that follows it. The Completely Bad News DVD also includes the music video as a bonus feature.

The band also attempted to do a mimed performance of the song before being interviewed on Terry Wogan’s chat show in 1987, and of course things don’t quite go to plan. And their double-disc live album F**k Off Bad News includes a performance of the song from the Hammersmith Odeon on 5 November 1986.

Coronavirus Rhapsody

Much more recently, in 2020, comedian Dana Jay Bein wrote a Coronavirus version by changing most of the lyrics (except for already appropriate lines like “sends shivers down my spine, body’s aching all the time”), and he went viral as a result. But as he was too sick to record the song at the time, he challenged the internet to do it instead, and was promptly inundated with performances!

Some of the better examples of those who brought his lyrics to life include Adrian Grimes (over 5 million views, plus a Second Wave version), Aerhyn Lau (in the a cappella style of Pentatonix), Dean Russell, Default Mode Music, Franchise, Intergalactic Nonsense Theatre, Kodi Lee (the blind and autistic winner of America’s Got Talent), Maestro Ziikos (using auto-tuned clips of Donald Trump after doing the original song in the same style), Noah Storm, Paramind, Patrick El Khoury, Phoenix Chamber Choir, Raúl Irabién (over 4½ million views) & Shelter Skelter (in aid of MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, with a free download available).

Other Parodies

• People who do impressions of multiple characters throughout the song, including Brian Hull (cartoon characters), Joshiiwuh, Kevin Barbare (Star Trek) & Rick Miller (the “most annoying voices” in music).
• BBC charity telethon performances by various stars on Comic Relief 1993, and the newsreaders on Children In Need 2005.
• ApologetiX – Bethlehemian Rhapsody – A Christian adaptation of the song.
• Church On The Move – Mom’s Rhapsody – A funny version about the trials of being a parent, from this church group in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• College Humor – Brohemian Rhapsody – Set in a fraternity house with new lyrics to match.
• Corridor – Literal Bohemian Rhapsody – A stylish and dramatic film using some of the original lyrics as the script.

• The Dancing Binmen – A short and silly video using puppets to perform the operatic and hard rock sections.
• Dustin Ahkuoi – Opinion Rhapsody – A brilliant version about the frustrations of social media.
• European Space Agency – European Space-Ody – A special version by the experts at the space agency. Look out for a walk-on cameo by Brian May towards the end!

• Frank Sidebottom – A short and strange version by Chris Sievey‘s comic character, from Frank’s Firm Favourites.
• Gerry Phillips – This is very odd and childishly amusing, but also remarkably skilful. Gerry is a manualist, who plays songs by squeezing his hands together – i.e. musical hand-farting in other words! He also did the song live with the California Guitar Trio, as well as playing along to their studio recording at home, and his unusual skill even earned hin an appearance performing the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
• Hand In It Productions – A Covid parody performed by puppets, including a behind-the-scenes video.
• House Of Raven – Bohemian Carsody – A cleverly choreographed and sped-up lip-sync video by 3 ladies in their car, that has over 30 million views. Another Youtube has slowed the clip down to normal speed as well, although the fast version actually works better.
• J Pumpkin King – Animated pumpkins singing Queen’s original track, in case you want something a bit different for Halloween on year.
• Jennifer Corday – Bohemian Virus Rhapsody – Another parody for the Covid pandemic.
• Jonathan Watts – Queen Birds – The operatic section with the added cuteness of some adorable baby birds.
• The Kiffness – Lockdown Rhapsody – A reworking of just the intro section for the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Matt Keston – Best Man’s Speech – A brilliant rewriting of the song about his sister Emily, accompanied by a nicely edited slideshow of photos and videos, at her wedding in 2016.
• Mike Gospel & Phil Kirk – Calculus Rhapsody – A clever adaptation for the mathematicians out there, made as a high school project. They also made a fun retrospective video 10 years later responding to comments on it.

• Moymoy Palaboy – A lip-synced version by the Filipino duo, which has had nearly 10 million views since it was posted in 2007.
• My Life Suckers – Bohemian Momsody – An enjoyable parenting parody.
• Pledge Drive – Christmas Rhapsody – A funny festive reworking of the song.
• Puppets On Power – Bethlehemian Rhapsody – A clever Christian version sung by puppets.
• Rainer Hersch – A little routine about misheard lyrics and alternate music styles for this song.
• Randy Wilson – Family Tree Rhapsody – A clever version with a fun video by this family about looking into their history.
• Ricky Kitty & The Klaws – Using sampled cat noises for the vocals, this was released as a single in 1995, and reached number 137 in the UK chart. Yes, apparently people actually bought it!
• Ronald Reggae – Jamaican Rhapsody – A catchy adaptation of the song about using cannabis, which may offend some.
• SOTO – Divak Rhapsody – A clever video rewriting the lyrics to promote their Divak album.
• Seb Skelly – Brass Quintet – His April Fool’s Day prank for 2019, featuring 5 versions of himself on screen. The thumbnail of him holding the instruments to his lips from the start of the video, and the 6 minute duration, gives he impression that he’s going to play the whole song. But he plays just the intro through the mouthpieces instead.
• Twisted Translations – The result of putting the song through Google Translate.
• Two And A Half Men – Character Jake attempts to sing a couple of very brief extracts from the song in Episode 21 of Season 3 – And The Plot Moistens.
• UAT Digital Video – Star Wars Rhapsody – An intergalactic version by students from the Digital Video Program at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona.

Adverts

• Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino, Las Vegas – A silly but fun commercial set by the swimming pool.
• Heineken – An entertaining advert that proves there’s no shame in belting out the song, even if you’re not very good at it.
• John Lewis – An enjoyable production featuring lots of school children. There’s also a lovely interview with 9-year-old Joseph Sheppard, where he discusses his role in the advert and plays a bit of the tune on his electric guitar. And 8-year-old star Nandi Bushell has a vlog talking about her involvement, where she’s the drummer girl who emerges from the volcano, along with her audition video where she sings and plays the drums.
• Mountain Dew – Has a fun reworking of the lyrics with some cool visuals.

Rock & Metal Bands

The Flaming Lips released the song as a bonus track on the iTunes download of their 2006 album At War With The Mystics, the year after it had originally featured as one of two covers of the song on the Killer Queen tribute compilation. They also performed the song live, with examples from the music festivals Claro Q É Rock 2005 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil& South By Southwest 2006 in Austin, Texas.

Panic! At The Disco recorded a decent cover for the soundtrack album of the film Suicide Squad in 2016. The single only peaked at number 80 in the UK, and 64 in the US and Australia, but it did reach number 7 in the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The band had already been performing the song live on stage and continued to do so afterwards, with lead singer Brendon Urie producing some nice falsettos and hitting impressive top notes. Other examples of their live performances are available from the Alternative Press Music Awards 2015 (where Brendon is drunk but still nails it), Reading Festival 2015, Death Of A Bachelor Tour 2017, American Music Awards 2018, London’s O2 Arena 2019 & Rock In Rio 2019 (where you can hear the audience singing along very enthusiastically!).

Covers have also been released as singles or album tracks by:

• Between The Buried And Me – A non-album single by the metal band.
• The Cruel Sea – An acoustic adaptation from Rock’N Roll Duds.
• Cud – An unusual indie rock version on the anti-poll tax compilation album Alvin Lives (In Leeds).
• Dream Theater – The hard rock and outro sections form part of The Big Medley, which was a live track on their EP A Change Of Seasons.
• The Forest Rangers – A special version used during the first episode of Season 7 of Sons Of Anarchy (Black Widower), and released on Volume 4 of their soundtrack album series.
• Kustard Kings & STC – A live performance from the tribute album No Time For Losers by Loser’s Lounge.
• La Quinta Faccia – From Let ‘Em In.
• Never Shout Never – From Punk Goes Classic Rock.
• New Jersey Turnpike – Possibly the first cover that was ever made, released on Turn The Page in 1976.
• Ours – A slow rock version released on a limited edition single with their song Drowning, and on the Monitor This! promo compilation CD (December 2001 to January 2002 Edition). They’ve also performed acoustic versions live, as can be heard here and here.
• Pigs Parliament – A punk version from Different Pigs, Same Shit.
• The Protomen – From their live tribute album Present: A Night Of Queen. It was recorded at Exit/In, Nashville, Tennessee in 10 December 2010, but the album wasn’t released until 2012. In honour of that, the group returned to Exit/In on 22 June 2012 to repeat their set, where comedy rock duo Tenacious D made a surprise guest appearance midway through the song to help with the opera section. You can also see a performance from Nashville, Tennessee in 2011.
• Puscifer – From their EP Donkey Punch The Night. It’s accompanied by a very odd music video, featuring the band’s faces overlaid on black and white film footage, and the lead singer wearing an excessive amount of makeup.
• Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press – A nice version by this Chicago band.
• Side A – From Gig All Hits Live.
• Springbok – From Springbok Hit Parade Volume 27.
• Steel Prophet – From Omniscient.
• Venetia Fair – From Basically Just Does Karaoke.

And there are other versions performed by Alibi, Alex Goot, Sam Tsui, Kurt Schneider & Tyler Ward (over 1½ million views), Halocene, Eleven, Lauren Babic & Violet Orlandi (over 2½ million views), Helloïse, I Am Not Leo (heavy metal), Kanda Brothers, The Muff, The Novelists, Parasyche (featuring lots of impressions of different rock and metal stars), RockVille & Israel Chamber Orchestra, Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra, Vic Ferrari Band (also here) & Zac Brown Band (also here).

Tribute Bands

A group called The Show Must Go On performed the song in a special concert on 9 November 2011 to mark the 30th anniversary of Freddie’s death, with all proceeds going to AIDS Project Los Angeles. This unique collaboration includes Bear McCreary on the piano (best known as the composer for Outlander, The Walking Dead and Battlestar Galactica),  along with his brother and fellow musician Brendan as the lead singer.

Other tribute bands who have performed the song include Bohemian Rhapsody (an Australian group named after the song), Born To Be Queen, Bracia (on Tribute To Queen), The Classic Rock Show, Dream Queen (on their Killer Queen tribute album), God Save The Queen, Lucie & The Diamonds, Night Of Queen (also here), Peter Johansson (on Champions Of Rock: Live In Concert), Queen Killers, The Queen Kings (on Made On Tour, and another performance from News Of The Kings), Queen Real Tribute (live with orchestra and choir), Unrisen Queen (on their self-titled album), We Are Champion (also here).

Other Bands

• School and college bands who have performed the song nicely include Berklee College Of Music, EMMAT Music School – Ensamble Pre-Universitario, No Names Band, Rooks Heath College (a cleverly edited video involving many members of the school community), School Of Rock (recorded in Los Angeles, plus a remotely recorded version by Arizona students that won a 2020 contest), Wantirna College (by all the music staff).

• Country covers have been performed by Hayseed Dixie (a fast bluegrass cover on Killer Grass, plus a speedy live version), The Petersens & The Twang (on Ten Yeeehaws After).

• Jazz renditions include those by Budapest Jazz Orchestra & Kati Wolf, The Fascinations & Marhy, Le Gros Cube & Alban Darche (on their Queen Bishop tribute album), Sugarpie And The Candymen (on Waiting For The One, plus a Live In The Living Room performance & a concert performance) and Troy High Jazz Ensemble (also here and here.

Other versions have been performed by:

• Black Lace – Released as a single. Not a great version, but it’s interesting that the band behind Agadoo actually had a go at it.
• The Bohemian Champions – From their Queen Greatest Hits tribute album.
• Caravan Of Thieves – A delightfully catchy and extended live version for their album Mischief Night, plus other live performances here (with a merry street crowd singing along), here, here & here.

• Glee Cast – Performed in the final episode of the first season, Journey to Regionals. Sung by Jonathan Groff, accompanied by dancers and backing singers, and interspersed with clips of the character Quinn giving birth, I understand this was a rare occasion of a song being used on the show in its entirety, rather than being trimmed to fit it in. A studio recording was included on the show’s second soundtrack EP, named after the episode in question. And you can go behind the scenes to find out all about the song’s inclusion in the show.
• Lake Street Dive – A special Halloween version, plus a live performance.
• Pato Fu – A weird interpretation involving puppets and toy instruments on their live album Música de Brinquedo Ao Vivo.
• RoadTrip – A fun music video posted by the boyband in 2018, along with a behind the scenes video and a live performance.
• Sugababes – A short interpretation on Al Murray’s Happy Hour, Series 3, Episode 5 in 2008.
• Virtual Music & Sergi Pérez Berk – A laid back version from A Chill Out Tribute To Queen.
• Westlife – A shortened version from the final show of their Farewell Tour, live at Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland on 23 June 2012.
• 4th Impact – This Filipino girl group came 5th in The X Factor in the UK, and appeared in other international talent competitions. Their video pays homage to Queen’s original video during the introduction and operatic sections, and they shared some behind-the-scenes footage on Twitter.

Duets

The Braids recorded an R&B version for the soundtrack of the film High School High. It’s got a somewhat catchy beat and is sung well for this style, but it’s not my type of music so I can’t say I’m a fan of it. Many people were keen on it though, as the single reached number 1 in the UK R&B chart, and number 21 in the UK overall, as well as number 2 in New Zealand, 42 in the US, and did well across Europe. There were various alternate mixes, including Acoustic, Remix, Stripped-Down, Instrumental & A Cappella versions. The instrumental mix has enabled other singers to do their own renditions too, including Anaëlle on a 2019 TV talent show in Mauritius called VIBE Moris, and Youtubers Cynthia & Tonia and Aurelia Valero.

Other duets include those by Andy & Jenko (acoustic), António Zambujo & Miguel Araújo (a live version from 28 Noites Ao Vivo Nos Coliseus), Iván Petrac & German Tripel (piano and vocals), Jack Black & Chris Stills (at the 2018 Light Up The Blues benefit concert for Autism Speaks in Los Angeles),  Kaiak (acoustic), Montserrat Caballé & Bruce Dickinson (on her album Friends For Life), ortoPilot (guitar and vocals).

Solo Male Singers

Marc Martel recorded a great version for his album Thunderbolt And Lightning, and has performed the song on several other occasions, including:

• A one-take piano performance.
• The Bobby Bones Show in December 2019 – An interesting interview where he discusses how he got into performing Queen songs and became a vocalist on the Bohemian Rhapsody movie, and performs a shortened version of Bohemian Rhapsody with a bit of Killer Queen thrown in (at 12:13 if you want to skip ahead).
• A tutorial on singing like Freddie.
• Live performances with The Renaissance Church Band, Queen Extravaganza, The Black Jacket Symphony and with friends for an impromptu outdoor performance on duelling pianos.

Robbie Williams performed the song live at Zénith de Paris on 30 March 2015 during his Let Me Entertain You tour, incorporating Queen’s introduction, backing vocals and operatic section from their original recording and video. It doesn’t really suit him – his voice isn’t as powerful as Freddie Mercury’s or Adam Lambert’s by a long way, nor does his backing band come close to Queen either. But it’s ok in the context of his own style, and he’s aided by the audience joining in of course. It’s also nice to seem him giving a shoutout to Freddie at the end. You can see similar performance in 2015 from Madrid, Adelaide, Melbourne & Brisbane (after which he has an amusing exchange with a young lady called Morgan).

Other guys who have released the song include:

• Dale Turner – An acoustic version from Interpretations, plus a live performance.
• Derwood Andrews – From the tribute compilation Horse Feathers & Animal Crackers compilation.
• Florent Mothe – On the Limited Edition release of Rock In Chair, plus live versions here, here, here, here, here & here.
• Helmut Lotti – From Pop Classics In Symphony, plus a live performance.
• MerQury & Orchestra Opera Leipzig – From Queen Classical.
• Newton Faulkner – An acoustic version on Very Best Of… So Far, plus live versions from Secret Sessions (as part of their Queen Week), MTV Home, The Bob & Tom Show, SWR3 Studio X, SWR3 Late Night Lounge, London’s Roundhouse, V Festival 2008, T In The Park 2010, G Live in Guildford in 2016 & Le Trianon, Paris in 2017.
• Rajaton & Lahti Symphony Orchestra – On his Queen tribute album.
• Randy Coleman – An acoustic version released as a single.
• Richard Cheese – A laid-back swing version on OK Bartender.
• Russell Watson – On the tenor’s Reprise album.
• Sylvain Cossette – From 70s Volume 2, plus a live performance.
• Toshi – On I’m a Singer Vol. 2, plus other performances here & here.
• Valensia – From his Queen tribute album.
• “Weird Al” Yankovic – A catchy polka version on his Alapalooza album.
• William Shatner – A strange spoken word version from his album Seeking Major Tom.

Further renditions by other guys include:

• John Miles – Performed the song live in concert, with another example here.

• Kanye West – Sang along with the intro at Glastonbury Festival 2015, using the word ‘sang’ in its loosest possible sense
• Riki Putra with Bhinneka Orchestra & Chorus
• Robby Valentine – Live at the 2012 Dutch Queen Convention, with another performance here
• Ten Second Songs – Translating the song into 42 different musical styles, plus a behind the scenes video, and a version in the style of System Of A Down.
• Impressive one-man band performances by Brody Dolyniuk, Gary Schutt (in a punk rock style), Giulio Carmassi, Jacob Roberge, Lorenzo Politi, Richie Castellano, Ricky Machado, Rob Carroll and Tom Urie, star of BBC Scotland’s soap opera River City (a 2020 lockdown cover shared by Brian May).
• Vocals to backing tracks by Arizonian Chronicles, Black Gryp0n (to Queen’s track), PelleK (plus a small outtake) & Ty Lewis (using an acoustic track).
• Covers on acoustic guitar by Greg Wyard (also here), Jonathan Di Renzo, Loic Serra & Sandro Simamora, and on electric guitar by Tom Butwin.
• Covers on piano by John Adams, Peter Procházka, 

Solo Female Singers

Women who have released covers include:

• Elaine Paige – Backed by an orchestra and choir on her Queen covers album. She also performed it live on stage in 1991.
• Emilie Autumn – Released on an EP with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and also performed live in concert.
• Grey DeLisle – A slow country version of the ballad section on Iron Flowers.
• Lorena Gómez – A short 2-minute cover from her Lorena album, plus a live performance.
• Maira Martins – A bossa version from Relaxing Bossa Lounge 15.
• Pink –  An enjoyable cover during her 2009 Funhouse Tour, wearing a costume made up of pieces that Freddie wore over the years, released on the documentary soundtrack All I Know So Far: Setlist.

Other versions by female singers include:

• Covers on piano by Avonlea (intro and ballad sections), Brigitte Wickens (ballad section), Connie Talbot (over 20 million views), Lucie Halamíková, Lucrezia.
• Other versions by Cosette (with the Cinematic Pop Choir and London Symphony Orchestra), Faye Wong, J.Fla (over 13 million views so far, recorded at Rockfield Studios where Queen had also recorded the song), Jennifer Nettles & Serena Mente (on acoustic guitar).

TV Talent Show Singers

Got Talent Franchise

• America’s Got Talent:
  • Cristina Ramos – The opera singer’s audition for the 2019 Champions series, having previously won Spain’s Got Talent.
  • Prince Poppycock – A very camp performance during the Season 5 Semi-Final in 2016, covering the operatic section onwards. He came 4th in the season.
• Dominicana’s Got Talent:
  • Argentine Rock Band – Dressed up as Freddie & co, this group audition with Bohemian Rhapsody and a snippet of We Will Rock You.
• Georgia’s Got Talent:
  • Cappella – A very impressive kids choir, who performed the entire song for their audition in 2018.

Idol Franchise

• American Idol:
  • Constantine Maroulis – From Season 4 in 2005. He came 6th overall in the series, then later returned as a mentor and performed the song as a duet with Shelbie Zora in Season 15 in 2016. He also released a studio recording on the Killer Queen tribute compilation, and more recently sang it live at Broadway Sings Queen in 2020.
  • Dimitrius Graham & Adam Lambert – From the Season 17 Final in 2019, in which Adam appeared as a guest. It was a non-competitive performance, as Dimitrius had already been eliminated many weeks earlier, coming in 10th place. But he’s performed it live at concerts since then, for example at Seattle’s Museum of Flight on 20 July 2019.
  • Jessica Sanchez – From Season 11 in 2012, in which she became the eventual runner-up. She also released a studio version as a non-album single, and performed the song live on stage at The Theatre Solaire, Parañaque, Philippines on 20 November 2018.
• Canadian Idol:
  • Craig Sharpe – On Season 4 in 2006, in which he ultimately came second.

The Voice

• • UK:
    • Tyler James – 2012 semi-final. He came 3rd in the series.
  • Albania:
    • Giulio Perrone – Season 6, Episode 1 in 2017.
  • Australia:
    • Andy Dexterity vs Caleb Jago-Ward – 2020 battle round.
    • Sam Perry – From the 2018 season, which he went on to win.
  • France:
    • Garou, Mika, Jenifer & Florent Pagny – 2014 Blind Audition.
    • Jhonny Maalouf – 2012 Prime 3.
    • Jonathan – 2020 Blind Audition.
    • Lou Mai – 2017 Blind Audition.
    • MB14 – 2016 Prime 2.
    • Poupie & Petru – 2019 Battle Audition.
  • Germany:
    • Kati Lamberts – 2021 Blind Audition.
  • Ukraine:
    • Maryna Krut – Season 9 in 2019.

The Voice Kids

• Albania:
  • Uendi – Season 3 in 2019.
• Colombia Teens:
  • Nikki, Anamaría & Angie – 2016 Battle Round.
• France:
  • Naomi – 2020 Blind Audition.
  • Philippe – 2019 Semi-Final.
• Germany:
  • Luca – 2020 Blind Audition.
• Indonesia:
  • Rafi vs Alya vs Bagas – 2016 Battle Round.
• The Netherlands:
  • Jesse – 2013 Blind Audition.
• Spain:
  • Paula – 2017 Blind Audition.
• Ukraine:
  • Ruslan Aslanov – Season 2 Superfinal in 2015.

The X Factor

• UK:
  • Jennifer Yusef – 2019 Band series audition.
  • Saara Aalto & Adam Lambert – From the Series 13 Final in 2016, where Saara was completely outshone by guest star Adam of course. She was the runner-up in the end.
  • Stevie Ritchie – Week 5 of the live shows in 2014.
• USA:
  • Jeff Gutt – Week 4 in 2013. He was the runner-up of the series.

Other Shows

• Battle Of The Choirs (Australia):
  • University of Newcastle Chamber Choir, Vox Synergy & Harambe – A joint performance by the finalists on 3 August 2008. The Newcastle group won.
• Last Choir Standing (BBC, UK):
  • Ysgol Glanaethwy – Performance by a Welsh group in 2008.
• Rock Star: INXS (CBS, America):
  • Suzie McNeil – In the 2016 CBS series, from which you can see another performance here. She came 12th overall, and has performed the song in some of her concerts since then.
• We Want More (The Netherlands):
  • Thijs Roseboom – 2020 Audition.

Accompanied Vocal & Operatic Groups

• Aram Quartet – A very short version from their EP ChiARAMente. They gave an even briefer rendition of less than a minute on the Italian show Scalo 76. But they have performed the full song live as well.
• Chant Masters – A Gregorian chant version from their Queen tribute album.
• G4 – Their single reached Number 9 in the charts in 2005, and was included on their self-titled album. They had originally performed is as their audition song for The X Factor, and performed it during Series 1 in 2004. They went on to achieve second place in the series. They’ve also performed it live in their concerts, as you can see in a video from Torquay in 2016.

• Jean-Michel Antolin – Performed by a trio of ladies who harmonise very well together, backed by Jean-Michel on acoustic guitar.
• Ten Tenors – A brilliant rendition by this Australian group from their album Double Platinum. They also performed the song live in The Netherlands in 2019 with Guido’s Orchestra, plus there’s another live version that includes a little snatch of ABBA at an appropriate moment, and further live performances here & here.

A Cappella

• Ac Rock – From UR What UR.
• Cantillation – From Bohemian Rhapsody: Choral Pop.
• Fuzzbox – A deliberately messy version by this female quartet, included on the 12″ versions of their single What’s The Point.
• The Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones – From XXV, plus a live performance.
• The Hyannis Sound – From Cape Standard Time, plus a live performance.
• Maybebop – From Heiße Luft, plus live versions here & here, and an epic performance with the choir Junges Vokalensemble Hannover in 2015.
• Pentatonix – On their EP PTX, Vol. IV: Classics, plus a live performance.

• Rock4 – An arrangement from their impressive cover of the entire album, which they also performed live at the 2010 Dutch Queen Convention.
• Impressive multitrack versions by Dan Wright, David Fowler, Jared Halley, Jesi Erin, Justin J Taller & Matt Mulholland.

• Further a cappella covers by Acapop! Kids (a mashup with Somebody To Love), Aula39, The Austonettes, Bank Of Harmony (barbershop quartet), The Cocktails & USC SoundCheck, Colour Of Voices, Drakensberg Boys Choir, Fork (also here & here), Jazzappella, MO5AIC (also here), Peter Hollens (with a bit of guitar by Stevie T and lots of movie references in the video), Qw4rtz, Storm Front Barbershop Quartet, UC Berkeley Men’s Octet (also here, here, here, here & here), Viva Vox (plus a live TV performance), Winchester A Cappella.

Choirs & Choruses

There are loads of covers by choirs, including Alex Hawker Rock Choir (also here, Austin High School Choir, Bel Canto Choir Vilnius, Bogazici University Music Club Rock Choir, Christ University Choir, Cobham Hall School Choir, Coral Stma. Trinidad de Valencia, CorVivace, C4 Choir (singers aged 10-15 from France), Eden Prairie High School Concert Choir, ED5 International Virtual Choir, Eliza Fyfe’s Singing Students – Choirantine (plus a few outtakes and a BBC News report), Esperanza Azteca (backed by a full orchestra), The Gay Men’s Choruses of Boston, Knoxville, Los Angeles, Portland & San Francisco (also here), Hladnov Rock Choir (plus a live performance), Hoërskool Rustenburg Choir, Hummingsong Community Choirs (with a string quartet), Jetstream & Gibraltar Youth Choir, London City Voices, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Choir, Occidental College Glee Club, Ollerup School (over 3 million views, also here), Paarl Boys High School Choir, PopUp Chorus, RocknMob (over 150 musicians), San Ramon Voices High School Choir, Seattle Ladies Choir (also here), Soul Song, Strictly A Cappella Choir, Tottenville High School Concert Choir (plus an article about making the video), The Treorchy Male Voice Choir (on their album Treorchy Sing Queen), Trinity Boys Choir (shared on Queen’s channel, plus a behind-the-scenes video), TUBBS A Cappella Choir, UBC A Cappella Choir & UBCO Beats, Unionville High School Choir, University Of Exeter Chapel Choir (maybe I’m biased as a former student of the university, but I think this version is glorious) and Voice Of Unity & PSM Cantate Domino.

Flash Mobs

Flash mobs who have surprised people with the song, mainly at shopping centres, include Centro Commerciale Borgo, Helsbelsify (by the bridal party at a wedding), Hints Zoltán, The Queen Symphony (takes a few minutes to get going but then really comes to life), Shopping Vitória & SWR1.

Concert Crowds

It’s quite some feat for a performer, who had died 26 years previously, to unify and control tens of thousands of people all at once, most of whom weren’t even born when they were in their heyday, getting them to belt out a 42-year-old song at a concert for a completely different band.

But that’s exactly what happened, firmly demonstrating Freddie’s power and legacy, when 65,000 people sang the song at a Green Day Concert at the British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park on 1 July 2017, filmed by a camera on stage. And here’s a video shot by an audience member, giving a great sense of the atmosphere. You can see other singalongs from that year at Ziggo Dome, Moda Center in Portland, Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Argentina & Corona Capital in Mexico City.

As another example, you can also see a thousand people singing the song in unison at Summer By The River in London Bridge City, as a band plays the tune on stage.

Orchestras

• PiotreQ – Orchestral Remix – A mashup of Queen’s original with a version by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Versions by classical orchestras include:

• Indiana University Studio Orchestra – Arranged for symphony orchestra and solo viola. You can also see a live performance.
• Jakarta Concert Orchestra & Batavia Madrigal Singers – Live in the Indonesian capital in 2015.
• London Starlight Orchestra & Singers – From The Show Must Go On – The Queen Songbook.
• London Symphony Orchestra & Royal Choral Society – From their Classic Rock album.
• Munich Symphonic Sound Orchestra – From Cinema Classics.
• Rick Wakeman, Orion Strings, English Chamber Choir & Brian May – From Piano Odyssey.

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – From Symphonic Queen.
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Royal Choral Society – From Music Of Queen.
• Taliesin Orchestra – A very elaborate and extended re-arrangement from their Rock Rhapsody album.

Covers by other orchestras include:

• Accordion Orchestra Rondo – From Slovakia.
• Ambient Light Orchestra – A very slow and relaxing cover from Ambient Translations Of Queen.
• The Gary Tesca Orchestra – From The Music Of Queen.
• The Gino Marinello Orchestra – From Synthesizer Music Volume 1.
• The United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra – A live performance with vocals, also here.

Brass Bands

Covers have been released on albums by:

• Chilakil Brass – From their self-titled album, plus a live performance.
• Grimethorpe Colliery Band – From Grimethorpe Entertains, plus a live performance.
• London Horn Sound – From an album by the group, plus a live performance.
• Maniacal 4 – From the trombone quartet’s first album, Carry On!
• North Carolina Brass Band – From First In Flight.
• Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra – From This Is Brass: Queen.
• Williams Fairey Engineering Band – From Best In Class and other compilations.

Other brass bands that have performed the song include The Band of the Grenadier Guards (outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate the movie’s 2 Golden Globes, plus other Palace performance clips and a rendition at Waterloo Station), Brass Band De Wâldsang, Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps, Dublin Silver Band, International Trombone Festival, The Macclesfield Youth Brass Band, Malta Presidential Guards, Marching Pioneers of UW-Platteville, Mnozil Brass (a mix of a cappella and wind instruments, also here & here), Ohio University Marching 110, Olympic Brass, Oompah Brass, River City Brass, Seth Davis (with a brass quartet), Southern University Human Jukebox, Stockholm Changing Of The Guard, Tokyo City Concert Brass, University Of Lancaster Brass Band & Zagreb Philharmonic Trombone Quartet.

Saxophone Players

Saxophone covers have been played by Daniele Vitale (to a cover track), Flat Sax Quartet, Frederick Mazezky (to Queen’s backing track), Graziatto & Shalom (duet with piano), JK Sax (to Queen’s backing track), Josh Plotner (an impressive arrangement on a variety of woodwind instruments), Miquelmar (duet with flute to Queen’s backing track), The Moanin’ Frogs (on their self-titled album, plus live performances here & here), National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain, Noah-Benedikt (to Queen’s backing track), Paautr (multi-tracked to form a quartet), Pablo & Mariana Tani (duet with piano).

Strings

• Versions by string groups and duets include Aramis String Quartet (on Tribute To Queen, Amy Serrano Burcombe & Melissa Chu (violin & cello), Benaud Trio (with piano, plus a live performance), Brooklyn Duo & Dover Quartet (with piano), C-Jam (cello quartet), Dallas String Quartet (on Between Us), Giovanni String Quartet, Gli Archimisti, Harp Orchestra, House Of Hamill (using violins to represent every instrument), JHM Jams, Kaboom Percussion (a cimbalom duet), Metacustico (with piano), Midnite String Quartet (on MSQ Performs Queen), Nocturne String Quartet (also here), Passerelle String Quartet, Prague Cello Quartet (on Top Secret), Royal Academy of Music Quartet (shared by Queen on their channel, including interviews), String Theory, Tempus Quartet, Two Apiece (violin and classical guitar duet), The Violin Brothers, Vitamin String Quartet (on VSQ Performs Queen), Wedding String Quartet & 4Tune.

Versions released by solo strings players include:

• Aaron Meyer – From the violinist’s album Hang On to Your Pants. He also gave a couple of performances for radio station 101.9 KINK in the Skype Live Studio in Portland, presented by Keep Oregon Well and Country Financial. You can also see a performance from their 15th annual Holiday Concert, and another for a small audience in a Portland hotel room.
• David Garrett – A violin rendition on his Rock Revolution album.
• Lucia Micarelli – Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody Medley – A bonus track on the violinist’s album Music From A Farther Room. She’s also done a live performance. This version has been covered live by Josh Groban with Lucia, Huntington Beach Academy Of Performing Arts (APA) Orchestra, The Commercial Recording Arts Department of Huntington Beach APA and Terry, Mayu & Benson Greenhalgh.

Other versions by solo strings players include:

• Cello covers by GnuS Cello (with piano), Hauser (playing the ballad section, also here & here) and Luka Sulic (plus another performance with piano).
• Violin renditions by Bozhyk Duo (with piano), Cameron Wilson, Charles Yang, Elena Abad, Hugo & Marina (with piano), Martha Psyko (multitracked), Roxbel (to Queen’s original backing track) & Same String (with piano).
• Covers by Aciw Alexa (multitracked), Aiden Chan (multitracked), Alexander Boldachev (harp, also here), Mathieu Terrade (on a Harpejji) and Park Stickney (electric harp).

Guitarists

• Guitar groups and duos who have covered the song include Acoustic Heartstrings (on AH Performs Queen, Aerial Acoustics (on By Request), California Guitar Trio (plus performances with manualist hand-farter Gerry Phillips & Montreal Guitar and other renditions here & here),  Queen Cover Project (part of their acoustic version of the entire album), The Showhawk Duo (plus a live street performance) & Thurston Lava Tube (a surf instrumental from The Poodle Collector).

• Solo acoustic covers include those by Alip Ba Ta (over 8 million views), Andy Timmons (beginning with a short section of You Take My Breath Away), Andy Wahlberg, Ben Pila, Carlos Bonell & Lara Symphony Orchestra (on Guitar Rhapsodies), Carlos Piegari, Coppolabass (playing bass guitar with Queen’s original multitrack), Daryl Kellie, Edgar Cruz (on Classical Demands, plus live performances here & here, in an arrangement many other guitarists have copied), Enunc8r(over 2 million views), Guus,Igor Presnyakov,  Jamie Dupuis (on Harp Guitar Covers, plus a regular acoustic guitar version), Kelly Valleau, Leandro Kasan (plus a second take and a live version), Richard DeVinck, Shaun Hopper (also here, plus a studio performance of the second half of the song), Stephanie Jackson (on Classic Hits of the 60s & 70s, plus a live performance with Edgar Cruz), Steve Bean (over 13 million views), Yoni Shlesinger (also here, here, here & here) and Yu Watanabe (plus a live performance, and other recordings here & here).

• Solo ukulele covers have been played by Jake Shimabukuro (on Peace Love Ukulele, plus live performances here, here  & here) and Martin Rauhofer.
• Solo electric guitar covers have been performed by Chris Mike, Eric Calderone (ERock), Kfir Ochaion (over 2½ million views, plus an acoustic version) and Martzivanos Kostas.

There are also a couple of notable child guitarists who have posted several videos of themselves performing the song:

 

• Billy Watman – He recorded his beautiful rendition for his new Queen EP, released in September this year. The tune has been in his repertoire since at least the age of 12, and when he was 14 he played part of it in his audition for Season 2 of Guitar Star on  Sky Arts in 2016, where he reached the grand final. There are also videos of him busking the song at locations such as The Royal Mile, Edinburgh in 2015 & Queen’s Pop-Up Shop, Carnaby, London in 2018 and playing it during concerts at The Drawingroom, Chesham in 2017, Musikmesse, Frankfurt, Germany in 2018, The Edinburigh Festival Fringe in 2018, & Buryfields Festival, Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 2019, with the crowd enthusiastically singing along in the latter case.

• Sean Song – At the ages of 7 & 8 he was playing this song on the ukulele, as can be seen in videos from 16 December 2014, 27 December 2014 (on stage), 30 January 2015, 31 January 2015 (on stage) & 31 March 2016. Then from the age of 9 he switched to guitar, with videos on 3 April 2017 & 12 November 2018.

Pianists

There are loads of piano renditions, including Adrian Lee, Alexander Lioubimenko, Anderson & Roe (a clever and interesting reimagining), Atin, Bobby Rennie, Christian Salerno, Christine Brown (a romantic version from her Timeless album), Costantino Carrara (over 3 million views), Derek Margulies, Evan Brezicki (over 2 million views for this 13-year-old, with other performances here, here & here), Francesco Parrino (over 3½ million views), Gabriele Baldocci (an extended rearrangement called Poem Of The Bohemian on their album Sheer Piano Attack), Gazmada (plus a live street performance), Ignacio Navarro, Ilmo The Dude, Jarrod Radnich (over 6 million views), Jazzy Fabbry, Jeffrey Munks, Jeremy Weinglass – From his Rock Classics, plus a clip of people singing along at a party), Jonah Ryan, Kenneth August, Lorie Line (on Rock Star), Maksim Mrvica (plus a live performance with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and a performance from Japan), Mercuzio (on Pianosong Vol. 1), Mr Dim, Nate Hance (a ragtime version, plus a mashup with George Gershwin called Rhapsody In Blue), Otmar Binder, Peter Bence, Piano Phantom, Samer Fanek, Sangah Noona, Sara Anderholm & Jonathan Cannamore, Scott Bradlee (a mashup with George Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue, originally posted on Post Modern Jukebox), Thierry Lang (on the bonus disc of his Guide Me Home album), Valerie Stern & Susan Kim-Pedroza, Valtteri Nieminen (also here), VK Goes Wild (over 10 million views, plus a rendition on a Bösendorfer Concert Grand, and live performances here, here & here),  Wouter Kellerman & The Charl du Plessis Piano Trio (with flute and other instruments) and Yuval Salomon (released as a single).

There have also been organ recitals by Adrian Marple, Alexey Rom (on a 100-year-old fairground organ), Bert van den Brink, Josh Stafford (on the world’s largest pipe organ, the Midmer-Losh pipe organ, with 33,112 pipes), Lew Williams,  Rob Scallon (using a laptop to control a church organ, including a full making-of video), Robert Staples, Timur Khaliullin & Tyler Breneman.

There are also a few child pianists who have shared performances of the song, the most prolific being Cole Lam. He’s posted several public performances of his own arrangement, at the ages of 11 & 12, including videos from John Lewis in Oxford Street, LVS Music Festival (at which he won the Grand Prize for his performance), St Pancras Station (with bystanders singing in this case but he’s also played there without people singing), Freddie’s Bar at Old Kent Market in Margate, The National Archives (during Pride celebrations), Tottenham Court Road Station (posted on Freddie Mercury’s birthday), Heathrow Airport, a hotel in China (followed by Don’t Stop Me Now), and Westfield Stratford City, among others.

Other child pianists who have tackled the track include Alexander Penkov (performs the shortened Live Aid version in front of his school), Avett Maness (this viral video by the blind 6-year-old led to a guest appearance on American Idol 2019), The Kids Place (a young girl accompanied by her young brother on guitar), Stefan Studer (6 years old), Ty Practice Piano (also here in a combined performance with Don’t Stop Me Now).

Percussionists

Percussionist performers of the song include Concordia Percussion Ensemble (plus a live performance), Corona Del Sol Percussion, Harvard THUD – Boomhemian Whacksody (using Boomwhackers), The Louisville Leopard Percussionists, McKinney Boyd High School Percussion (with an extended ending to the operatic section), Sydney University Carillon (a cleverly arranged bell-ringing version).

Other Instrumentals

• De Dannan – Hibernian Rhapsody – An Irish folk version from their album of the same name.
• Ghost Town Trio – From No Tits But Hits, starting out very laid-back and relaxed but picks up the pace later on.
• Joseph C. Phaze – A nicely adapted and animated Medieval Bardcore version.
• Paweł Zadrożniak – A really clever arrangement using his ‘Floppotron’, consisting of a bank of floppy disk drives and other computer accessories.

Foreign Language Versions

• Augusto Enriquez – A version by the Cuban musician from Rhythms del Mundo Classics.
• Fred Panopio – Bohemyo – A Tagalog version From the Filipino singer’s self-titled album.
• Hatea Kapa Haka – An enjoyable adaptation by this Māori group. They also featured in a music video with William Waiirua, singing the song with him as they helped to move his car.

• Molotov – Rap, Soda y Bohemia – A rap rock remake in Spanish & English by this Mexican group, from their Molomix album. You can also see live performances from CM Vivo in 2004 & Palacio De Los Deportes.
• P.B. & M.D. – A faithful cover version in German.
• Tomazobi – Boehmische Rapsfelder – A German rendition for the operatic section onwards, recorded live in concert for the album Los Gringos En Directo. Although the track length is 4:50, the song itself is only 3:20, with the rest of the track being audience applause. The song also appeared on their album Affehuus. It’s also possible to watch a live concert performance, and the group singing it outdoors on a windy day.
• Cast of ‘T Spaanse Schaep (The Spanish Sheep) – Opoe’s Zwanenzang – Performed in episode 8 of this Dutch TV show.

Remixes

• Defining Awesome – Simple Rhapsody Remix – A nice stripped back version using just piano and vocal parts from the original multitracks.
• Magic Affair Remix – A dance track that samples the line “Is this the real life?” and a tiny section of the melody, but otherwise sounds nothing like the song, so it’s rather a stretch to call it a proper remix. It featured on the compilation Queen Dance Traxx I, and alternate versions include the full-length Original Mix & Green Jam Mix.
• Party Ben – Novacaine Rhapsody – A mashup with Give Me Novacaine by Green Day that works surprisingly well.

• Raven Maize – Real Life – This samples the lines “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” from Queen’s track, and part of the Simple Minds track Theme For Great Cities. You can also hear the Original 12″ Mix & Fatboy Slim Remix.

Dancers

• Anubiste – After the Best Man was filmed lip-syncing to the song in his underwear during the stag do, other members of the wedding party decided to film their own versions as well, and cut them all together to create a surprise video, which was shown on the big day. So here you get to see the bride’s reaction as well as the amusing video itself.
• Brian Esperon – A beautifully choreographed peformance to the Panic! At The Disco version.
• Charlene’s School Of Dance – A group from Orlando, Florida, competing for a People’s Choice Award in the 2017 Industry Dance Awards.
• Dance Fusion – A live performance by this jazz dance group.
• Dani Harmer & Vincent Simone – From the BBC Strictly Come Dancing final in 2012.
• English National Ballet – Posted by Queen on their official channel, plus a video interviewing the people involved.

• Lia Kim – Teaching moves to students for the ballad section.
• Lorena Valenzuela Funkdation Crew – A short routine for the operatic sdction.
• Rainbow Dance Competition – A group from Columbus, Ohio competing to win the Best Tap category in the 2017 Industry Dance Awards.
• Santi Serratosa – A group doing body percussion to the operatic section.
• Synergy Dance Competition – A group competing in the 2019 event.
• Willdabeast Adams & Janelle Ginestra – Various people demonstrating their impressive choreography for the opera and hard rock sections.
• The Young Cast – In the Season 4 semi final of World Of Dance.

Animations

• Brickfilm Day – A great version of the movie trailer in Lego, plus a comparison with the original.
• Krikonn – A fun stop-motion video for the song using Lego.
• Ramadeth – An impressive animated version of Queen’s music video.

• Episode 14 of Cowboy Bebop, a 90s Japanese anime show, was named after the song.

Other Interpretations

• HMS Campbelltown – A fun lip-dubbed video by the officers and staff of the Royal Navy vessel, made during their spare time while on patrol in the Indian Ocean.

• Southlandification – On The Way To School – Now there’s a good father, getting his kids into decent music at a young age! There are also adorable viral clips of little girls singing the song in cars here and here.
• Computer-style versions for the Sega Mega Drive by Chiptune Planet, Meme Music & Mega Drive Sound, a SNES version by Meme Music, and other 8-bit style versions by 8-Bit Arcade, 8-Bit Misfits, 8 Bit Universe (also here), Chiptune Planet & Tomyweissbuch. See my Queen 8 & 16 Bit playlist for more songs in this style.
• Lullaby versions by Baby Music from I’m In Records, Billboard Baby Lullabies, Lullaby Baby Trio, Lullaby Rock!, Rockabye Baby!, Sweet Little Band & Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, and in a music box style by Carpintero Cajitas, Musicbox Cover & R3 Music Box. See my Queen Lullabies playlist for more songs in this form.

Conclusion

“You can do anything with my work, but never make me boring.”

You’ll see some variation of that Freddie Mercury quote in the comments of most Queen-related videos these days, including many of those listed above, thanks to the release of the Never Boring box set that made people aware of it. It’s a lazy copycat attempt to get some likes really, and it does get boring to see it over and over again. However, it is fair to say that the artists above have achieved Freddie’s wish, and I’m sure he’s looking down with delight that his music is still inspiring people so much.

It really is incredible how many different approaches have been taken to the song by people all over the world, and it’s amazing how well they work in many cases. It just goes to show the quality of Freddie’s composition that it can be adapted so widely. This is one of many Queen songs that will persist forever, and they deserve to live on for generations to come. These covers ensure that.

Check out my Covers playlist for all the versions I’ve mentioned above. I’ll continue adding to it, along with this post, as and when I discover more. Feel free to let me know if there’s anything I should consider adding as well, to this or any of my Queen playlists.

So thank you for reading, I hope you found this epic post enjoyable and interesting. I’ll be continuing with my Queen album reviews next year, so look out for those. And thank you to Freddie and the rest of Queen for their incredible legacy, that we will all continue to enjoy and pay tribute to for a long time to come.