Queen, Adam Lambert to Frontline Workers Fighting Coronavirus: ‘You Are the Champions’ (Watch)
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Queen and Adam Lambert are honoring healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with a new song: “You Are The Champions,” a reworking of the band’s 1977 classic “We Are The Champions.”
Individually isolated in their homes, Queen founders Brian May and Roger Taylor along with Lambert recorded a “virtual jam” of the song with Brian May on guitar in one screen, with Roger Taylor on drums and Lambert in the middle. The completed, mixed and mastered “You Are The Champions,“ additionally featuring bass player Neil Fairclough, is available now on all streaming and download services.
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“By each playing our part and addressing the difficult times we are all sharing we will win this challenge,” the band said in a joint statement. “During this time our thoughts and thanks are with those dedicated medical heroes standing up to the battle daily on our behalf. They are the champions. You are the champions.”
May, who turns 73 in July, made sure to mention previous generations’ sacrifices during times of international strife: “Just like our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents who fought for us in two world wars, those brave warriors in the front line are our new champions. That means the doctors, nurses, cleaners, porters, drivers, tea-ladies and gentlemen, and all who are quietly risking their lives daily to save the lives of our kin. CHAMPIONS ALL!”
Added Lambert: “It is with the deepest gratitude to all those on the front line all over the world that we dedicate our performance. Thank you for keeping us safe, we are in awe of your bravery and strength.”
Taylor, who has a daughter working on the “front line,” said he is “aware of the vital work [healthcare workers] are doing to save us and our society. Their bravery and sacrifice must not be prejudiced by anything less than a one hundred per cent effort by our governments to protect them.”
Proceeds raised from the track will benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization (WHO), powered by the United Nations Foundation. The Fund provides tools and resources to health workers on the frontlines globally, including PPE, testing kits, trainings, and more. Additionally, the Fund supports the rapid development of a vaccine and therapeutics.
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