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The song "Bohemian Rhapsody", written byFreddie Mercury and originally recorded by rock bandQueen for their albumA Night at the Opera, has beencovered by many different artists.
| Year | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Fuzzbox[1] | On their 1987 single "What's The Point"[2] |
| 1987 | Bad News | This spoofrock band (created for the UK Channel 4 TV seriesThe Comic Strip Presents...) also released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single. It reached number 44 in theUK Singles Chart. It featured on the albumBad News. The cover version was produced by Brian May.[citation needed] 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[1] | The Queen album |
| 1990 | Cud[1] | On the anti-poll tax compilation albumAlvin Lives (In Leeds). |
| 1992 | Queen +Elton John andAxl Rose | Elton John and Axl Rose performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" inThe 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 byBrian 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 | "Weird Al" Yankovic | Apolka 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 albumRock'n Roll Duds. |
| 1995 | Dream Theater | The albumA Change of Seasons features the live track "The Big Medley", a cover song medley that includes a segment of "Bohemian Rhapsody." |
| 1996 | Rolf Harris[1] | This version reached the British charts for one week at #50 |
| 1996 | The Braids | High School High soundtrack album. Seesection |
| 1996 | Magic Affair[3] | Released as a single and as part of the "Queen Dance Traxx I" compilation. |
| 1997 | Montserrat Caballé withBruce Dickinson | On albumFriends For Life |
| 1998 | Molotov | As "Rap, Soda y Bohemia", on the albumMolomix |
| 1998 | Faye Wong | Performed the song on her concert - Faye Wong Scenic Tour 1998–99.[4] |
| 2001 | Ours | Released as a limited edition CD single |
| 2001 | Paul de Leeuw | 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 | Carolina Crown | Drum & Bugle Corps performed as the closer for their "Bohemia!" show. |
| 2004 | Valensia | Released his "Queen Tribute" album with Bohemian Rhapsody on it. |
| 2005 | Side A | Live albumSide A Gig (All Hits Live). |
| 2005 | Grey DeLisle | AlbumIron Flowers. A shortened rendition, covering only the ballad portion of the song to a much slower melody. |
| 2005 | The Flaming Lips | AlbumKiller Queen. The cover was also performed live. |
| 2005 | Constantine Maroulis | AlbumKiller Queen. With the cast ofWe Will Rock You. |
| 2005 | Edgar Cruz | DVD Arranging for Solo Guitar / The Queen Titles. |
| 2005 | G4 | First performed on first series ofThe X-Factor, released as a single which became #9 in the UK charts. It was included on theirself-titled album |
| 2005 | Suzie McNeil | On the CBS reality showRock Star: INXS |
| 2005 | Children in Need | A selection ofBBC News presenters perform the song on the BBC telethon |
| 2007 | CollegeHumor | A parody entitled, "Brohemian Rhapsody", set in afraternity house[5] |
| 2007 | Moymoy Palaboy | Alip-syncing rendition of the song.[6] |
| 2007 | Newton Faulkner | An acoustic cover of the song.YouTube.[7] |
| 2008 | Emilie Autumn | Recorded on theGirls Just Wanna Have Fun & Bohemian Rhapsody Double Feature EP and frequently performed live in concert. |
| 2008 | Rajaton | Recorded on theRajaton sings Queen with Lahti Symphony Orchestra and on several occasions performed live in concert. |
| 2009 | The Muppets | seesection |
| 2009 | Pink | Funhouse Tour, and subsequentDVD release |
| 2010 | Prince Poppycock | OnAmerica's Got Talent |
| 2010 | Jonathan Groff inGlee | Featured on the TV show in the episode "Journey", and released on the EPGlee: The Music, Journey to Regionals |
| 2010 | Never Shout Never | From the albumPunk Goes Classic Rock |
| 2010 | Hayseed Dixie | From the albumKiller Grass |
| 2010 | Jake Shimabukuro | Aukuleleinstrumental version from the albumPeace Love Ukulele |
| 2011 | William Shatner | From the albumSeeking Major Tom |
| 2011 | Pato Fu | From the albumMúsica de Brinquedo Ao Vivo |
| 2011 | Carolina Crown | Drum & Bugle Corps reprised their 2004 performance for their "Rach Star" show. |
| 2012 | Jessica Sanchez | On theAmerican Idol season 11 Top 6 performance show |
| 2012 | Dalagita | X Factor Indonesia audition |
| 2012 | The Protomen | From the albumPresent: A Night of Queen |
| 2012 | Between The Buried And Me | As part of an encore of their 2012 European tour withPeriphery andThe 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 albumRock in Chair |
| 2014 | The Forest Rangers feat.The White Buffalo,Billy Valentine &Franky Perez | A cover for the premiere episode ofSeason 7 ofSons of Anarchy, plays when the protagonist,Jax Teller tortures and kills an innocent man whom he believes is the murderer of his wife.[8] |
| 2015 | Kanye West andBilly Joel | Performed the song at theGlastonbury Festival.[9] |
| 2015 | Lake Street Dive | Performed the song for their annual Halloween video. They said "Happy HallowQueen!!!! Here's our version of BOOhemian Rhapsody!".[10] |
| 2015-16 | Between the Buried and Me | Performed the song as an encore at many shows on The Coma Ecliptic Tour[11] and recorded the song for a 7-inch vinyl release which included Queen-inspired artwork on the sleeve.[12] |
| 2016 | Billy Watman | Sky Arts TV channel released a trailer for the 2nd series ofGuitar Star of 14-year-oldBilly Watman playing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on classical guitar - the video was an internet sensation with over 9 million views.[13] |
| 2016 | Saara Aalto &Adam Lambert | Performed as Aalto's celebrity duet choice during the first night of the two-part season finale ofThe X Factor UK.[14] |
| 2016 | Panic! at the Disco | seesection |
| 2017 | Pentatonix | Performeda capella for their extended playPTX, Vol. IV - Classics |
| Date Unknown | Mnozil Brass | Performed live a mix of playing instruments anda cappella[15][16] |
| 2017 | Eretz Nehederet | As summarizing theHebron 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, asBinyamin Netanyahu,Zehava Gal'on, etc. |
| 2018 | Connie Talbot | An acoustic cover of the song, also piano accompaniment by the singer.YouTube.[17] |
| 2018 | Marc Martel | From the Queen covers album,Thunderbolt & Lighting.[18][19] Martel also uploaded a live one-take piano performance to YouTube.[20] Martel regularly covered "Bohemian Rhapsody" as the lead singer of theQueen Extravaganza from 2012 to 2016, and withThe Ultimate Queen Celebration from 2016 to present.[21] Martel's vocals can be heard during the composition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" during the 2018biographical filmBohemian Rhapsody.[22][23] |
| 2019 | Toshi | On his cover album,Im a Singer Vol. 2.[24] Titled "ボヘミアン・ラプソディ". |
| 2019 | Forestella (포레스텔라) | A cover of this song was released on their 2019 album, "Mystique" |
| 2019 | Adam Lambert & Dimitrius Graham | On theAmerican Idol season 17 finale performance. |
| 2020 | The Petersens | Bluegrass cover[25] |
| 2022 | The Wiggles | From the album,ReWiggled |
| 2024 | Marco Misciagna | Single: Bohemian Rhapsody, Arranged for Viola Solo by Marco Misciagna (Live) - MM04, 2024[26] |
| 2025 | Sam Ryder | Recorded forBBC Radio 2's Piano Room on 30 October 2025 for the original song's 50th anniversary |
| "Bohemian Rhapsody" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Braids | ||||
| from the album The Braids | ||||
| Released | 1 October 1996 (1996-10-01) | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| The Braids singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
San Francisco Bay Area duo the Braids recorded an R&B version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the soundtrack to theJon Lovitz movieHigh 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 byThird Eye Blind's lead singerStephan 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 USBillboard 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 fromBillboard described the Braid's version as a "surprisingly potentjeep-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."[27] Jeremy Helligar fromEntertainment 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."[28] Alan Jones fromMusic Week deemed it "the most obvious contender" from theHigh School High soundtrack. He noted that "attacking it from a wholly different angle toRolf Harris, they give it the kind of makeover that wouldn't disgraceFugees. Likely to attract a lot of attention."[29] Bönz Malone forVibe called it a "soaring" remake.[30]
Themusic video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" was directed by German directorMarcus Nispel.[31]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Radio Mix) | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Stripped-Down Mix) | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Instrumental) | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (A Cappella) | 3:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Original Version) | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Remix Version) | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Acoustic Version) | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Stripped-Down Mix) | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Instrumental) | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Bohemian Rhapsody" (A Cappella) | 3:47 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[64] | Gold | 250,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] | Platinum | 10,000* |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[66] | Gold | |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 17 September 1996 | [67] | ||
| 1 October 1996 |
| [68][69][70] | ||
| United Kingdom | 14 October 1996 | [71] | ||
| Japan | 21 December 1996 | CD |
| [72] |
| "Bohemian Rhapsody (Muppets Version)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byQueen andthe Muppets | ||||
| Released | 23 November 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Rock,comedy rock | |||
| Length | 4:46 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury | |||
| Producers | Roy Thomas Baker, Queen | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Bohemian Rhapsody - Muppet Music Video" onYouTube | ||||
The song was covered bythe Muppets characters in 2009. A music video was posted onYouTube on 23 November 2009, before the release of the track, and features Muppets characters singing partially modified lyrics of the original song.[73] It garnered over seven million hits within its first week of release. Unlike other cover versions, the Muppets' single features thefinal master of Queen's original 1975 recording.[74]
The video and song is an official production ofThe Muppets Studio. After theviral success of the video,Walt Disney Records released the cover as a single on 13 December 2009, where it peaked at #32 on theUK Singles Chart.[75][76][77]
The Muppets' version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was directed byKirk Thatcher, who has been involved with several other Muppets videos.[78] 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.[79] Thatcher noted they had a long list of possible songs they wanted to do with a large group of Muppets, includingDon McLean's "American Pie", but "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their ultimate selection.[78] 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.[78] 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 thevariety shows of the 1970s, and felt that the Muppets easily fit into that culture.[80]
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 theirpromotion video[81] of the song as well as mimicking the four-person layout used for the cover ofQueen'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 computervideo conference withKermit the Frog, who laments his decision for that type of meeting toScooter.
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.[82] 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 byAnimal calling out repeatedly for "mama".[79] 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 withFozzie Bear begging "Let me joke" toStatler 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 byDr. 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 withMiss Piggy, lounging onRowlf the Dog's piano, singing "Nothing really mattersbut moi!"[82]
The video premiered on YouTube on 23 November 2009. Within a week, the video had accrued over 7 million views,[82] and has nearly 15 million views within the following five months.[83] The video was nominated and won the "Viral Video" category in the 14th AnnualWebby Awards.[84] For New Year's Eve atDisneyland, the video was projected onto theFantasmic! 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" | |
|---|---|
| Song byPanic! at the Disco | |
| from the albumSuicide Squad: The Album | |
| Released | 4 August 2016 (2016-08-04) |
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios |
| Length | 6:01 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter | Freddie Mercury |
| Producer | Butch Walker |
| Suicide Squad: The Albumtrack listing | |
14 tracks
| |
| Music video | |
| "Bohemian Rhapsody" (live from the Death of a Bachelor Tour) onYouTube | |
American bandPanic! at the Disco covered the song as part of their set list for several concert tours,[85] including The Gospel Tour,Summer Tour 2016, theDeath of a Bachelor Tour, and thePray for the Wicked Tour. The song was officially recorded forSuicide Squad: The Album (2016),[86] the soundtrack album for the2016 film, and premiered on 4 August 2016 on theBeats 1 radio station.[85] In addition, a recording of the song performed on tour was included on the track listing of the live albumAll My Friends We're Glorious (2017). The band performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" at theQudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, during theAmerican Music Awards of 2018 in promotion of the2018 biopic.[87]
Although the song was not released as a single, it made six charts after it came out. The song hit number 64 on theUSBillboard Hot 100 and theAustralian Singles Chart. It also hit number 159 on theSNEP charts inFrance, number 80 on theUK singles chart, number 47 on theHot Canadian Digital Songs, and the USHot Rock & Alternative Songs. On the year-end charts, the song fell down to number 45 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The cover wascertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on the 12th of June, 2018.[88]
In 1993, comedy musician"Weird Al" Yankovic released a cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" titled"Bohemian Polka" on his albumAlapalooza.[89] Unlike traditional covers that attempt to recreate the song’s rock opera style, Yankovic reinterpreted the entire piece as an upbeat, accordion-driven polka.
The song preserves Freddie Mercury’s original lyrics and structure, but it is arranged with typical polka instrumentation, including accordion, tuba, and clarinet, driven by a fast oompah beat. This transforms the serious and dramatic tone of the original into a lighthearted, comedic performance, in keeping with Yankovic’s style.
"Bohemian Polka" stands out in Yankovic’s catalog because it is a full-length cover of a single song, whereas most of his polka tracks are medleys of various pop hits. Though it was not released as a single, the song became a fan favorite and is frequently cited in discussions of unconventional or humorous interpretations of classic rock songs.[90]
The track showcases Yankovic’s ability to reimagine complex compositions within a contrasting genre, highlighting both his musicianship and comedic approach.
| Chart (2016–17) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart (ARIA)[91] | 64 |
| Canada (Hot Canadian Digital Songs)[92] | 47 |
| France (SNEP)[93] | 159 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[94] | 80 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[95] | 64 |
| USHot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[96] | 7 |
| Chart (2016) | Position |
|---|---|
| USHot Rock Songs (Billboard)[97] | 45 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[88] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
