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EW, TVWeek

Classic Rock Song Is Now the Most-Streamed Song of the 20th Century

Dec 11, 2018  •  Post A Comment

A song that’s a fixture of classic rock — there’s a good chance you’ve not only heard it, but probably even attempted to sing parts of it (our guess would be you got stuck somewhere around either the “Scaramouche-fandango” part, the “mama mia-Beelzebub” part or the “Galileo-Figaro” part) — has been declared the most-streamed song of the 20th century.

The song, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” presumably got more than a little help from the recent Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” on its road to digital glory.

“Universal Music Group announced Monday that the quintessential Queen song has surpassed 1.5 billion streams, making it the most-streamed song released in the 20th century,” EW.com reports.

In a statement, Queen guitarist and founder Brian May said: “So the river of rock music has metamorphosed into streams! Very happy that our music is still flowing to the max!”

EW adds: “It’s a victory made so much more sweet when considering that the band’s former manager and label seemed convinced the song wouldn’t sell coming in at five minutes and 55 seconds. That wasn’t the case then, and it’s not the case in the era of streaming.”

The report notes that the movie, starring Rami Malek, has been doing well too. In mid-November it became the second-highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.

6 Comments

  1. What if the United Kingdom musical super group did record a prolific 1975 album imported by Elektra Music Group which featured a classic Angloian track that could hardly be… Bohemian!?
    Fans of the defunct super group guessed this; however, Twentieth Century FOX U.K. Ltd. – which is changing the parent studio’s name to Disney Enterprises Inc. – in November released this biographical film concerning the British quartet that started them all… and Freddie Mercury’s struggle with… AIDS?
    Or did he?
    Next month, Buena Vista International U.K.’s sister Mouse House-based division, Walt Disney Direct-To- Consumer and International, will market, release and distribute the DVD and B.D. (Blu-ray Disc) versions of a film mentioned above at http://foxconnect.com.
    DID YOU KNOW…
    …the final studio album by Queen was 1995’s “Made in Heaven”?
    Remember – er, I remember in the form of the final 2 questions – is this the real life? Or is it just… fantasy?!
    Fantasy!?
    Queen fans across both the country and the globe, respectively, guessed the lyrics.
    (via http://www.foxmovies.com/dvd

  2. Fearless lived in Freddie Mercury’s heart…forever!?
    Queen fans guessed the lead crooner of this musical quartet from the U.K.

  3. Heaven was for everyone – especially… Freddie Mercury!? You guessed him – he passed away in 1995 of complications from AIDS.

    (“Heaven For Everyone” by Queen, from their final studio album “Made In Heaven” via http://www.music.youtube.com/watch)

    Note: Be sure to click above.

  4. The real-life members of Queen, led by Freddie Mercury, in the debut YouTube Music “FAKE vs. REAL” fan-made video uploaded to the Alphabet-owned video hosting service coming New Year’s Eve (that’s Tuesday, Dec. 31 – the final day of this year – to multiple electronic devices everywhere.

    More Queen memories to be continued…

  5. What are you rambling on about man? Also, New Year’s Eve is on Monday.

    • Did you know Queen’s final studio was “Made In Heaven?” I bet “Heaven For Everyone” was the final track on the LP released in 1995 by Hollywood Records. Thank for the response, Boffo!

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