Queen’s original version of their 1977 classic “We Will Rock You” was little more than foot stomps and a cappella, reminding the world that they have mud on their face and were a big disgrace. The song was an instant hit and was a staple of their live shows until they stopped touring in the ’80s. What the relatively young people of the world don’t remember is that a super-fast full band arrangement of the song would typically be played at live shows to be followed-up by “We Are The Champions.”
Now, the BBC has released a Peel Session of a perfect recording of the “fast version” which is unofficially dubbed by me as “We Will Rock You Quickly.”It’s still a banger and it’s also a surreal sing-along. Everyone knows the words to “We Will Rock You,” so forcing your mind to bend around the new tempo while still knowing every twist and turn Freddie Mercury will take vocally is like visiting your childhood neighborhood at lightspeed.
Here’s the original version even if you don’t need it for reference, it’s embedded into our consciousness and now part of our culture and DNA:
Party Tip: play the fast version to get a lot of people talking about how weird it is to hear this song played quickly, then play the slow version, then go back to the fast version until everyone leaves and you can go to bed.
