Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Is Oldest Song with 1 Billion Views On YouTube

The official video for Queen’s 1975 single “Bohemian Rhapsody” has now passed 1 billion views on YouTube. The video is the first pre-1990s song to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is generally recognized as the first-ever promotional music video.

To celebrate the milestone, a newly remastered HD version of the video is available on the bands' YouTube channel along with lyrics in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, Polish, German, Indonesian Bahasa, Korean, Czech, Russian and Turkish.

“Bohemian Rhapsody is a sonic and cinematic masterpiece that’s one of the most enduring songs of all time,” said Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music for YouTube. “The newly remastered video on YouTube will ensure the song continues to be rediscovered, embraced and beloved by old and new generations of music fans around the world. It's incredible to help change the way fans experience music and provide a place for artist and fan connections worldwide."

New Fan-Created Video Contest

‘You Are The Champions’ is a new campaign that encourages fans to create user-generated videos for three of the band’s top tracks. The campaign launches later this month.

As part of the contest musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on "Bohemian Rhapsody." Dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for "Don't Stop Me Now," with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”). And, finally, visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of "A Kind of Magic."

Fans can visit YouAreTheChampions.com to find out more and add their submissions. The finished videos will be published later this year on the bands' official YouTube channel.