The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", written by Freddie Mercury and originally recorded by rock band Queen for their album A Night at the Opera, has been covered by many different artists.
| Year | Artist | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Fuzzbox | On their 1987 single "What's The Point"[1] | ||
| 1987 | This spoof rock band (created for the UK Channel 4 TV series The Comic Strip Presents...) also released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single. It reached number 44 in the UK Singles Chart. It featured on the album Bad News. The cover version was produced by Brian May. A 12-inch version was released as well ending completely different, when during the last guitar break a false chord is played and the song stops while someone shouts 'fuck bastards, I played the wrong chord'. The 12-inch version then continues with some studio chatter and a 'bad news version' of Pretty Woman. | |||
| 1988 | Elaine Paige | The Queen album | ||
| 1990 | Cud | On the anti-poll tax compilation album Alvin Lives (In Leeds). | ||
| 1992 | Queen + Elton John and Axl Rose | Elton John and Axl Rose performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" in The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. This version showed John playing the first verse of the ballad section in keyboards, and later singing in the front stage accompanied by Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor (Spike Edney plays the rest of the vamp until the operatic section). After the taped Opera section, Axl Rose appeared using a microphone similar that Mercury used in his live concerts; the Outro section was played in duet showing Rose's appreciation to John. | ||
| 1993 | A polka cover named "Bohemian Polka" on his album, Alapalooza. | |||
| 1993 | Comic Relief | A parody of the original video by celebrities from major UK TV networks on the BBC telethon | ||
| 1995 | The Cruel Sea | From the album Rock'n Roll Duds. | ||
| 1995 | Dream Theater | The album A Change of Seasons features the live track "The Big Medley", a cover song medley that includes a segment of "Bohemian Rhapsody." | ||
| 1996 | Rolf Harris[2] | This version reached the British charts for one week at #50 | ||
| 1996 | The Braids | The Braids | High School High soundtrack album. See section | |
| 1996 | Magic Affair | Released as a single and as part of the "Queen Dance Traxx I" compilation. | ||
| 1997 | On album Friends For Life | |||
| 1998 | As "Rap, Soda y Bohemia", on the album Molomix | |||
| 1998 | Performed the song on her concert - Faye Wong Scenic Tour 1998–99. | |||
| 2001 | Released as a limited edition CD single | |||
| 2001 | Dutch singer and TV personality, performed the song during his live shows in Ahoy Stadium in Rotterdam in 2000, released on single and album (zingen terwijl u wacht). The performance however was rather poor and falsely sung. | |||
| 2004 | Drum & Bugle Corps performed as the closer for their "Bohemia!" show. | |||
| 2004 | Released his "Queen Tribute" album with Bohemian Rhapsody on it. | |||
| 2005 | Side A | Live album Side A Gig (All Hits Live). | ||
| 2005 | Album Iron Flowers. A shortened rendition, covering only the ballad portion of the song to a much slower melody. | |||
| 2005 | Album Killer Queen. The cover was also performed live. | |||
| 2005 | Album Killer Queen. With the cast of We Will Rock You. | |||
| 2005 | Edgar Cruz | DVD Arranging for Solo Guitar / The Queen Titles. | ||
| 2005 | G4 | First performed on first series of The X-Factor, released as a single which became #9 in the UK charts. It was included on their self-titled album | ||
| 2005 | Suzie McNeil | On the CBS reality show | ||
| 2005 | Children in Need | A selection of BBC News presenters perform the song on the BBC telethon | ||
| 2007 | CollegeHumor | A parody entitled, "Brohemian Rhapsody", set in a fraternity house[3] | ||
| 2007 | Moymoy Palaboy | A lip-syncing rendition of the song. | ||
| 2007 | Newton Faulkner | An acoustic cover of the song. YouTube. | ||
| 2008 | Recorded on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP and frequently performed live in concert. | |||
| 2008 | Recorded on the Rajaton sings Queen with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and on several occasions performed live in concert. | |||
| 2009 | The Muppets | see section | ||
| 2009 | Funhouse Tour, and subsequent DVD release | |||
| 2010 | On America's Got Talent | |||
| 2010 | Jonathan Groff in Glee | Featured on the TV show in the episode "Journey", and released on the EP | ||
| 2010 | Never Shout Never | From the album Punk Goes Classic Rock | ||
| 2010 | Hayseed Dixie | From the album Killer Grass | ||
| 2010 | Jake Shimabukuro | A ukulele instrumental version from the album Peace Love Ukulele | ||
| 2011 | William Shatner | From the album Seeking Major Tom | ||
| 2011 | Pato Fu | From the album Música de Brinquedo Ao Vivo | ||
| 2011 | Drum & Bugle Corps reprised their 2004 performance for their "Rach Star" show. | |||
| 2012 | Jessica Sanchez | On the American Idol season 11 Top 6 performance show | ||
| 2012 | Dalagita | X Factor Indonesia audition | ||
| 2012 | The Protomen | From the album | ||
| 2012 | Between The Buried And Me | As part of an encore of their 2012 European tour with Periphery and The Safety Fire; the band played after the tapped operatic section to the end before playing "Mordecai" | ||
| 2013 | Puscifer | From the EP "Donkey Punch the Night" | ||
| 2013 | Florent Mothe | From the album Rock in Chair | ||
| 2014 | The Forest Rangers feat. The White Buffalo, Billy Valentine & Franky Perez | A cover for the premiere episode of Season 7 of Sons of Anarchy, plays when the protagonist, Jax Teller tortures and kills an innocent man whom he believes is the murderer of his wife.[4] | ||
| 2015 | Kanye West and Billy Joel | Performed the song at the Glastonbury Festival.[5] | ||
| 2015 | Lake Street Dive | Performed the song for their annual Halloween video. They said "Happy HallowQueen! | ! Here's our version of BOOhemian Rhapsody | ". |
| 2015-16 | Between the Buried and Me | Performed the song as an encore at many shows on The Coma Ecliptic Tour[6] and recorded the song for a 7-inch vinyl release which included Queen-inspired artwork on the sleeve.[7] | ||
| 2016 | Billy Watman | Sky Arts TV channel released a trailer for the 2nd series of Guitar Star of 14-year-old Billy Watman playing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on classical guitar - the video was an internet sensation with over 9 million views.[8] | ||
| 2016 | Saara Aalto & Adam Lambert | Performed as Aalto's celebrity duet choice during the first night of the two-part season finale of The X Factor UK.[9] | ||
| 2016 | Panic! at the Disco | see section | ||
| 2017 | Pentatonix | Performed a capella for their extended play PTX, Vol. IV - Classics | ||
| Date Unknown | Mnozil Brass | Performed live a mix of playing instruments and a cappella[10] | ||
| 2017 | Eretz Nehederet | As summarizing the Hebron shooting incident by the soldier El'or Azaria, the Israeli satire show made a parody cover on "Bohemian Rhapsody" starting with "mamma, I killed a man" in Hebrew. "Politicians" (actors) sing their opinions, as Binyamin Netanyahu, Zehava Gal'on, etc. | ||
| 2018 | Connie Talbot | An acoustic cover of the song, also piano accompaniment by the singer. YouTube.[11] | ||
| 2018 | Marc Martel | From the Queen covers album, Thunderbolt & Lighting.[12] [13] Martel also uploaded a live one-take piano performance to YouTube. Martel regularly covered "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the lead singer of the Queen Extravaganza from 2012 to 2016, and with The Ultimate Queen Celebration from 2016 to present.[14] Martel's vocals can be heard during the composition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" during the 2018 biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody.[15] [16] | ||
| 2019 | Toshi | On his cover album, Im a Singer Vol. 2.[17] Titled "ボヘミアン・ラプソディ". | ||
| 2019 | Adam Lambert & Dimitrius Graham | On the American Idol season 17 finale performance. | ||
| 2020 | The Petersens | Bluegrass cover | ||
| 2022 | The Wiggles | From the album, ReWiggled | ||
| 2024 | Marco Misciagna | Single: Bohemian Rhapsody, Arranged for Viola Solo by Marco Misciagna (Live) - MM04, 2024 |
| Bohemian Rhapsody | |
| Cover: | The_Braids_Bohemian_Rhapsody.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | the Braids |
| Album: | The Braids |
| Genre: | R&B |
| Length: | 4:00 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: |
|
| Chronology: | The Braids |
| Next Title: | Young Americans |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
San Francisco Bay Area duo the Braids recorded an R&B version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the soundtrack to the Jon Lovitz movie High School High. It was released as their debut single in October 1996 and became a hit in Europe and New Zealand.
The song was produced by Third Eye Blind's lead singer Stephan Jenkins with Eric Valentine and was released as a single in October 1996. It peaked at number 21 in United Kingdom and number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying on the latter chart for 17 weeks. In New Zealand, the song reached number two for four nonconsecutive weeks and achieved platinum status for sales of over 10,000. In Europe, the song was a top-20 hit in several regions, including Scandinavia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Larry Flick from Billboard described the Braid's version as a "surprisingly potent jeep-funk rendition of the Queen classic", and stated further that "if you let go of everything connected to the original recording and give yourself to this interpretation, you will discover an often poignant street commentary as told from the viewpoint of a young woman." He also added that "the problem is that many may have a difficult time digesting the new concepts tied to this well-worn rocker."[18] Jeremy Helligar from Entertainment Weekly wrote that "stripping ”Bohemian Rhapsody” down to an insistent shuffle beat, assorted piano fills, and soulful vocals, they create a sound so moving that you might want to reach out and hug the speakers."[19] Alan Jones from Music Week deemed it "the most obvious contender" from the High School High soundtrack. He noted that "attacking it from a wholly different angle to Rolf Harris, they give it the kind of makeover that wouldn't disgrace Fugees. Likely to attract a lot of attention."[20] Bönz Malone for Vibe called it a "soaring" remake.[21]
The music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was directed by German director Marcus Nispel.[22]
| Chart (1996–1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[23] | 62 |
| Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[24] | 12 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25] | 18 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[26] | 9 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[27] | 3 |
| Chart (1996) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[28] | 10 | |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] | 50 | |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 61 |
| Chart (1997) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] | 53 | |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[32] | 71 | |
| France (SNEP)[33] | 65 | |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[34] | 78 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 17 September 1996 | [35] | |||
| 1 October 1996 | [36] [37] [38] | ||||
| United Kingdom | 14 October 1996 | [39] | |||
| Japan | 21 December 1996 | CD | [40] |
| Bohemian Rhapsody (Muppets Version) | |
| Cover: | BohRhapMuppets.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Queen and the Muppets |
| Released: | 23 November 2009 |
| Recorded: | 2009 |
| Genre: | Rock, comedy rock |
| Length: | 4:46 |
| Label: | Walt Disney |
| Producer: | Roy Thomas Baker, Queen |
| Chronology: | Queen |
| Prev Title: | Another One Bites the Dust (The Miami Project Remixes) |
| Prev Year: | 2006 |
| Next Title: | Keep Yourself Alive (Long-Lost Retake) |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
The song was covered by the Muppets characters in 2009. A music video was posted on YouTube on 23 November 2009, before the release of the track, and features Muppets characters singing partially modified lyrics of the original song.[41] It garnered over seven million hits within its first week of release. Unlike other cover versions, the Muppets' single features the final master of Queen's original 1975 recording.[42]
The video and song is an official production of The Muppets Studio. After the viral success of the video, Walt Disney Records released the cover as a single on 13 December 2009, where it peaked at #32 on the UK Singles Chart.[43] [44] [45]
The Muppets' version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was directed by Kirk Thatcher, who has been involved with several other Muppets videos.[46] According to studio manager Lylle Breier, the idea of the Muppets singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" had long been an idea that they wanted to do, but only was able to bring the project together within a short time before the video's release. Thatcher noted they had a long list of possible songs they wanted to do with a large group of Muppets, including Don McLean's "American Pie", but "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their ultimate selection.[46] Filming was completed within a day by 20 staffers; Thatcher considered the task to be "epic in scale" considering they normally only use half a dozen Muppets for a single scene.[46] Breier stated that this and other videos that Disney released to YouTube are part of a promotional push for the Muppets; Breier likened outlets on the Internet like YouTube to the variety shows of the 1970s, and felt that the Muppets easily fit into that culture.[47]
The video is a montage by about 70 different Muppets characters singing their part of the lyrics against a black screen, in the same style used by Queen for portions of their promotion video of the song as well as mimicking the four-person layout used for the cover of Queen's second album. After completing the song, which ends up with mosaic of all the characters singing, it is revealed that this was one side of a computer video conference with Kermit the Frog, who laments his decision for that type of meeting to Scooter.
The video presents an abridged version of Queen's song with some lyric alterations to retain the appropriateness of the characters for a family audience.[48] For example, within the first stanza of the ballad portion of the song, the lyrics where the singer laments to his mother that he "just killed a man" are replaced by Animal calling out repeatedly for "mama".[49] Other aspects of the lyrics are changed for humorous purposes surrounding the Muppets characters. Pepe the King Prawn starts the opera portion of the song stating that he sees "a little silhouetto of a clam". The back-and-forth lyrics, "Bismillah! No! We will not let you go...let him go!", are replaced with Fozzie Bear begging "Let me joke" to Statler and Waldorf, who state "[We] do not like your jokes". The line "Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me" is replaced with the remaining Muppets who have not been in the video singing "Does anyone know if there is a part for me?" The first two lines of the hard rock section, here performed by Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, have been replaced with "So they tell us this video's going to fly, all I know is we're not getting paid tonight!" The song ends with Miss Piggy, lounging on Rowlf the Dog's piano, singing "Nothing really matters but moi!"[48]
The video premiered on YouTube on 23 November 2009. Within a week, the video had accrued over 7 million views,[48] and has nearly 15 million views within the following five months.[50] The video was nominated and won the "Viral Video" category in the 14th Annual Webby Awards.[51] For New Year's Eve at Disneyland, the video was projected onto the Fantasmic! mist screens in-between performances, and in place of an extra midnight performance. The performance also utilized the show's various laser effects and lighting towers working in tandem with the video.
| Bohemian Rhapsody | |
| Type: | song |
| Artist: | Panic! at the Disco |
| Studio: | Abbey Road Studios |
| Producer: | Butch Walker |
American band Panic! at the Disco covered the song as part of their set list for several concert tours,[52] including The Gospel Tour, Summer Tour 2016, the Death of a Bachelor Tour, and the Pray for the Wicked Tour. The song was officially recorded for (2016),[53] the soundtrack album for the 2016 film, and premiered on 4 August 2016 on the Beats 1 radio station. In addition, a recording of the song performed on tour was included on the track listing of the live album All My Friends We're Glorious (2017). The band performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, during the American Music Awards of 2018 in promotion of the 2018 biopic.[54] The cover was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 12 June 2018.
| Chart (2016–17) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart (ARIA)[55] | 64 |
| Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Songs)[56] | 47 |
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