There can be little question that Freddie Mercury’s operatic vocals and Brian May’s majestic fretwork have ensured that Queen‘s anthemic rock has stood the test of time.
A clip has now now surfaced featuring the isolated vocals on mammoth hit We Are The Champions. An emotive reminder of Freddie’s irreplaceable contribution, this video strips back the instrumental layers of 1977 single We Are the Champions.
Laying bare vocals of other classic acts like the Rolling Stones or AC/DC can make a song sound incomplete, unsettling or just outright strange. But here it just goes to show how powerful an element Mercury’s voice really is. Leaving only Mercury’s quivering and melismatic delivery, the clip showcases the raw power and diversity of the singer’s vocals.
Despite the song’s simplistic lyrics the track exemplifies that it is Mercury’s voice which conveys the sense of struggle with which generations of rock fans have connected. Of course being 70’s era Queen, the track also features the group’s trademark chorused backing vocals.
Mercury’s contribution to the music was cut short when the singer passed away as a result of AIDS related pneumonia in 1991.
Read more: Flashback Friday: Queen’s ‘A Night At The Opera’