List of Bohemian Rhapsody cover versions explained

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.

List

YearArtistNotes
1987FuzzboxOn their 1987 single "What's The Point"[1]
1987This 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.
1988Elaine PaigeThe Queen album
1990CudOn the anti-poll tax compilation album Alvin Lives (In Leeds).
1992Queen + Elton John and Axl RoseElton 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.
1993A polka cover named "Bohemian Polka" on his album, Alapalooza.
1993Comic ReliefA parody of the original video by celebrities from major UK TV networks on the BBC telethon
1995The Cruel SeaFrom the album Rock'n Roll Duds.
1995Dream TheaterThe album A Change of Seasons features the live track "The Big Medley", a cover song medley that includes a segment of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
1996Rolf Harris[2] This version reached the British charts for one week at #50
1996The BraidsThe BraidsHigh School High soundtrack album. See section
1996Magic AffairReleased as a single and as part of the "Queen Dance Traxx I" compilation.
1997On album Friends For Life
1998As "Rap, Soda y Bohemia", on the album Molomix
1998Performed the song on her concert - Faye Wong Scenic Tour 1998–99.
2001Released as a limited edition CD single
2001Dutch 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.
2004Drum & Bugle Corps performed as the closer for their "Bohemia!" show.
2004Released his "Queen Tribute" album with Bohemian Rhapsody on it.
2005Side ALive album Side A Gig (All Hits Live).
2005Album Iron Flowers. A shortened rendition, covering only the ballad portion of the song to a much slower melody.
2005Album Killer Queen. The cover was also performed live.
2005Album Killer Queen. With the cast of We Will Rock You.
2005Edgar CruzDVD Arranging for Solo Guitar / The Queen Titles.
2005G4First 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
2005Suzie McNeilOn the CBS reality show
2005Children in NeedA selection of BBC News presenters perform the song on the BBC telethon
2007CollegeHumorA parody entitled, "Brohemian Rhapsody", set in a fraternity house[3]
2007Moymoy PalaboyA lip-syncing rendition of the song.
2007Newton FaulknerAn acoustic cover of the song. YouTube.
2008Recorded on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP and frequently performed live in concert.
2008Recorded on the Rajaton sings Queen with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and on several occasions performed live in concert.
2009The Muppetssee section
2009Funhouse Tour, and subsequent DVD release
2010On America's Got Talent
2010Jonathan Groff in GleeFeatured on the TV show in the episode "Journey", and released on the EP
2010Never Shout NeverFrom the album Punk Goes Classic Rock
2010Hayseed DixieFrom the album Killer Grass
2010Jake ShimabukuroA ukulele instrumental version from the album Peace Love Ukulele
2011William ShatnerFrom the album Seeking Major Tom
2011Pato FuFrom the album Música de Brinquedo Ao Vivo
2011Drum & Bugle Corps reprised their 2004 performance for their "Rach Star" show.
2012Jessica SanchezOn the American Idol season 11 Top 6 performance show
2012DalagitaX Factor Indonesia audition
2012The ProtomenFrom the album
2012Between The Buried And MeAs 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"
2013PusciferFrom the EP "Donkey Punch the Night"
2013Florent MotheFrom the album Rock in Chair
2014The Forest Rangers feat. The White Buffalo, Billy Valentine & Franky PerezA 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]
2015Kanye West and Billy Joel Performed the song at the Glastonbury Festival.[5]
2015Lake Street DivePerformed the song for their annual Halloween video. They said "Happy HallowQueen!! Here's our version of BOOhemian Rhapsody".
2015-16Between the Buried and MePerformed 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]
2016Billy WatmanSky 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]
2016Saara Aalto & Adam LambertPerformed as Aalto's celebrity duet choice during the first night of the two-part season finale of The X Factor UK.[9]
2016Panic! at the Discosee section
2017PentatonixPerformed a capella for their extended play PTX, Vol. IV - Classics
Date UnknownMnozil BrassPerformed live a mix of playing instruments and a cappella[10]
2017Eretz NehederetAs 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.
2018Connie TalbotAn acoustic cover of the song, also piano accompaniment by the singer. YouTube.[11]
2018Marc MartelFrom 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]
2019ToshiOn his cover album, Im a Singer Vol. 2.[17] Titled "ボヘミアン・ラプソディ".
2019Adam Lambert & Dimitrius GrahamOn the American Idol season 17 finale performance.
2020The PetersensBluegrass cover
2022The WigglesFrom the album, ReWiggled
2024Marco MisciagnaSingle: Bohemian Rhapsody, Arranged for Viola Solo by Marco Misciagna (Live) - MM04, 2024

The Braids version

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.

Release

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.

Critical reception

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]

Music video

The music video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was directed by German director Marcus Nispel.[22]

Charts

Weekly charts

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

Year-end charts

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

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United States17 September 1996[35]
1 October 1996[36] [37] [38]
United Kingdom14 October 1996[39]
Japan21 December 1996CD[40]

The Muppets version

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]

Video

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.

Queen personnel

Muppet performers

Panic! at the Disco version

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.

Weekly charts

Chart (2016–17)Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart (ARIA)[55] 64
Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Songs)[56] 47
scope="row"
scope="row"
scope="row"

Certifications

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Strong, Martin C (1999) The Great Alternative & Indie Discography, Canongate,
  2. Web site: Sold on Song - Song Library - Bohemian Rhapsody. BBC. www.bbc.co.uk. en. 18 November 2017.
  3. Web site: Brohemian Rhapsody. 21 July 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100604073246/http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1781938. 4 June 2010. dead.
  4. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody (feat. The White Buffalo, Billy Valentine & Franky Perez) [From "Sons of Anarchy"] - Single by The Forest Rangers on Apple Music]. itunes.apple.com. 9 September 2014. en-us. 18 November 2017.
  5. Watch Kanye West Cover Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Rolling Stone. 18 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Between the Buried and Me Concert Setlists (page 14). setlist.fm. 27 November 2016.
  7. Web site: Between The Buried And Me Release 7" EP For Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Cover . 15 November 2016. Theprp.com. 27 November 2016.
  8. Web site: Sky Arts. www.facebook.com. en. 18 November 2017.
  9. News: X Factor 2016 spoilers! Final duets, song choices and guest performers!. 10 December 2016. TellyMix. 18 November 2017. en-GB.
  10. Web site: Mnozil Brass: Seriously Funny, Whimsically Brazen . The Rivard Report . 10 March 2015 . 29 October 2018 . Tutor, Adam .
  11. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (Cover) Connie Talbot . YouTube.
  12. Web site: Thunderbolt & Lightning - Available Now!.
  13. Web site: THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTNING - AVAILABLE NOW!. www.facebook.com. en. 15 November 2018.
  14. Web site: Marc Martel - The Ultimate Queen Celebration . 15 November 2018.
  15. Web site: Marc Martel Lends His Voice As Freddie For Bohemian Rhapsody Biopic . noise11.com . 2 August 2018 . 15 November 2018.
  16. Web site: Marc Martel: The Nashville singer sounds just like Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' movie . . 15 November 2018.
  17. Web site: https://gekirock.com/news/2019/11/toshl_snow_trilogy_movie.php . ja:Toshl、11/22に第2弾カバー・アルバム『IM A SINGER VOL.2』先行配信が決定!「粉雪」、「雪の華」、「なごり雪」の"雪三部作"映像公開!"Mステ"出演も!. 13 November 2019. Gekirock. 27 November 2019 . ja.
  18. Single Reviews. Larry. Flick. Billboard. 28 September 1996. 5 February 2020. 86.
  19. Jeremy. Helligar. Music Single Review: Bohemian Rhapsody. Entertainment Weekly. 15 November 1996. 28 October 2018.
  20. Talking Music. Alan. Jones. Music Week. 28 September 1996. 24. 5 September 2021.
  21. Various Artists - High School High Sountrack. Bönz. Malone. Vibe. 1 October 1996. 2 March 2020.
  22. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody (1996) by The Braids. IMVDb.com. 18 October 2018.
  23. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia.
  24. Hits of the World. 7 December 1996. 48. Billboard. 22 January 2019.
  25. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 14. 5. 17. 1 February 1997.
  26. News: Íslenski Listinn NR. 196 Vikuna 14.11. – 20.11. '96. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 16. 15 November 1996. 7 April 2018.
  27. Top National Sellers. Music & Media. 14. 5. 19. 1 February 1997. 27 November 2019.
  28. News: Árslistinn 1996. Dagblaðið Vísir. is. 25. 2 January 1997. 30 May 2020.
  29. Web site: End of Year Charts 1996. Recorded Music NZ. 16 August 2019.
  30. Web site: Årslista Singlar, 1996. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 26 May 2020.
  31. Web site: Rapports annuels 1997. Ultratop. fr. 16 August 2019.
  32. 1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 19 December 2019.
  33. Web site: Tops de L'année Top Singles 1997. SNEP. fr. 20 August 2021.
  34. Web site: Årslista Singlar, 1997. Sverigetopplistan. sv. 26 May 2020.
  35. Selected New Releases. Radio & Records. 1163. 42, 48. 13 September 1996. 20 August 2021.
  36. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody [Vinyl]]. Amazon. 20 August 2021.
  37. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody. Amazon. 20 August 2021.
  38. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody. Amazon. 20 August 2021.
  39. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 31. 12 October 1996. 20 August 2021.
  40. Web site: ボヘミアン・ラプソディー ザ・ブレイズ. Bohemian Rhapsody The Braids. Oricon. ja. 27 September 2023.
  41. Web site: Bohemian Rhapsody - Muppet Music Video - The Muppets. The Muppets. 23 November 2009. YouTube.
  42. News: Robinson. Joanna. Where Does This New Muppets Most Wanted Song Rank in the History of Muppet Musical Numbers?. 13 May 2014. Vanity Fair. 27 February 2014.
  43. Web site: Colothan . Scott . 8 December 2009 . The Muppets' 'Bohemian Rhapsody' To Battle X Factor Winner For Christmas No.1 . 28 October 2011 . Gigwise.
  44. Web site: 26 December 2009 . Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive . 13 July 2010 . Official Charts Company.
  45. Web site: Brew . Simon . 9 December 2009 . The Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody to be released as single . 13 July 2010 . Den of Geek.
  46. News: Meta-Post: The Muppets near another million-view viral success . Michael . Cavna . 10 February 2010 . 13 July 2010 . .
  47. Web site: Muppets making a comeback online and off . https://web.archive.org/web/20100925043848/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34244192 . dead . 25 September 2010 . 2 December 2009 . 13 July 2010 . .
  48. 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' Muppet-Style . https://web.archive.org/web/20091201200835/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1943327,00.html . dead . 1 December 2009 . Dan . Fletcher . 30 November 2009 . 13 July 2010 . .
  49. News: Muppets' Bohemian Rhapsody takes YouTube by storm . https://web.archive.org/web/20091206050704/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/6714562/Muppets-Bohemian-Rhapsody-takes-YouTube-by-storm.html . dead . 6 December 2009 . Nick . Allen . 3 December 2009 . 13 July 2010 . . London.
  50. News: The Muppets perform Stand by Me on YouTube . https://web.archive.org/web/20100409061659/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/7558462/The-Muppets-perform-Stand-by-Me-on-YouTube.html . dead . 9 April 2010 . . 6 April 2010 . 13 July 2010 . London.
  51. News: Webby Awards honour Ebert, Twitter, Times . . 4 May 2010 . 13 July 2010 .
  52. Panic! at the Disco Shares 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Cover From 'Suicide Squad' Soundtrack. 4 August 2016. Chris. Payne. Billboard. 4 November 2018.
  53. Panic! at the Disco Channels Queen on 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Cover at 2018 AMAs. 9 October 2018. Billboard. 4 November 2018.
  54. Web site: AMAs: Panic! At the Disco Pays Tribute to Queen With "Bohemian Rhapsody" Performance. Hilary. Lewis. 9 September 2018. The Hollywood Reporter. 4 November 2018.
  55. Web site: CHART WATCH #381. auspOp. 13 August 2016. 4 November 2018.
  56. Hot Canadian Digital Songs: August 27, 2016. Billboard. 4 November 2018. subscription .
  57. Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2016. Billboard. 2016. 4 November 2018.