We Will Rock You - Queen Queen are a British rock band, formed in 1970. The main members of the band were Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals) and John Deacon (bass guitar). They are famous for their big rock sounds and they have many songs that are still popular today, after almost 50 years! Their songs are used in films and sporting events all over the world. We Will Rock You is one of those songs. Have a listen to the song and think about these questions: 1. What is interesting about the start of the song? Why does it grab your attention? 2. How many instruments can you hear in the song? 3. Why do you think this song is used in sporting events? Now join in! Listen to that famous rhythm that starts the song. Start by playing it with your feet and hands (stomp, stomp, clap). Now try it the other way around (clap, clap, stomp). What other ways can you find to play the rhythm? Try using other parts of your body or even some found objects in your house (remember to ask first). The rhythm looks like this when written as notes: Once you know the rhythm, try playing and singing the chorus line ‘we will, we will rock you!’ at the same time. Here are some other famous songs by Queen that you could check out. What do you think? Have you heard any of them before? We Are the Champions - Another great one for porting events. It motivates you to be the best! Don’t Stop Me Now - This is a great one to dance to! Flash - It’s about a superhero. How do the music and lyrics show this? Another One Bites the Dust - I think this is my favourite Queen song. I love the bass guitar and drums. They have been borrowed and put in to some rap songs as well. Bohemian Rhapsody - Perhaps the song they are best known for. It begins with a gentle piano and builds into a crazy rocking head banger! Possible answers to questions above: 1. The song starts with that ‘stomp, stomp, clap’ rhythm which carries on throughout the whole song. The rhythm is simple but powerful and grabs your attention straight away. Freddie Mercury is also half rapping, half singing the lyrics. 2. There are only 3 different interments being played in the in the whole song; percussion (drums, stomping clapping), voice, and electric guitar. The song sounds so big because they recorded lots of percussion playing the rhythm and lots of voices singing, which makes it sound like a crowd of people chanting. 3. The rhythm of the song is often used by crowds at a sporting event because it is simple enough for everyone to join in together. The line ‘we will, we will rock you!’ also sounds a bit like it’s being chanted to an opposition. .