Fact Finder - Music

Fact
The 'We Will Rock You' Body Percussion
Category
Music
Subcategory
Hit Songs
Country
United Kingdom
Description
Queen’s 'We Will Rock You' is famous for its 'stomp-stomp-clap' rhythm, which contains no actual drums. The sound was created by the band members and their road crew stomping their feet and clapping their hands on wooden floorboards in an old church, which was then layered many times to sound like a massive crowd. Brian May, who has a PhD in Astrophysics, used his knowledge of sound wave physics to calculate the delays needed to make the recording sound like thousands of people were participating. The song was designed specifically for fan participation at concerts. It has since become the most-played song at sporting events worldwide. It was released as a double A-side single with 'We Are the Champions,' creating the most famous 1-2 punch in rock history.