Queen’s hit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is officially the 20th century’s most streamed song, overtaking Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ in the rankings.
The announcement comes from Universal Music Group today announced that the track has surpassed 1.6 billion streams across all major streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube, and retains the same level of popularity it held a generation ago.
The song reached UK No. 1 in 1975 and again after the death of Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991.
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ re-entered the UK charts last month, due to the popularity of the Queen biopic of the same name, which has made nearly $600m at the global box office since it’s release.
Offering congratulations to the band’s mammoth achievement, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, Lucian Grainge, said: “‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is one of the greatest songs by one of the greatest bands in history. We are so proud to represent Queen and are thrilled to see the song still inspiring new fans around the world more than four decades after its release.
“My congratulations to Queen and (longtime manager) Jim Beach on an incredible achievement that is a testament to the enduring brilliance of Queen.”
Speaking about the accolade, Queen guitarist Brian May said: “So the River of Rock Music has metamorphosed into streams! Very happy that our music is still flowing to the max!”
Photo by Steve Jennings/Wire Image
