Frontman Adam Lambert and Queen released a new version of the classic “We Are The Champions” on Friday, dedicating the song to “all you frontline warriors fighting coronavirus around the world.”
Proceeds from the video will benefit the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
The video, filmed virtually on mobile phones, begins with Lambert, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, but quickly shifts to footage from the COVID-19 crisis — including empty landmarks around the world, healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients, and service members distributing food.
Halfway through, Lambert changes the chorus from “We Are The Champions” to “You Are The Champions,” and it concludes with celebrations as COVID-19 patients are released from hospitals after recovering from the virus.
“I thought, this is a great way to use the legacy that we have to do some good in the world,” May told CBS News. “You know, we don't really need to make money anymore. We don't need to be any more famous. We need to use what we have in the best possible way.”
Taylor's daughter Rory Eleanor Taylor, a doctor at a hospital in London, is among the healthcare workers featured in the video. And May recently lost a friend who was like a brother to the virus.
“That's the closest it's come to me physically,” May said. “Each one of those is a family tragedy. Each one of those people lose a loved one. I think psychologically the human race is going to be very damaged.”
Watch it below.
