The iconic song has been officially certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing 10 million or more in sales and stream equivalents in the United States.
Queen is the first British band in music history to earn the Diamond song award.
“This is incredible news. At times like this I have to pinch myself to be sure it’s real,” says guitarist Brian May. “All those wild dreams we had - this is beyond any of them. Huge thanks to all who have believed in us over the years.”
“It’s a wonderful and gratifying thought to know the song has reached out and connected with so many people!” adds drummer Roger Taylor. “We thank you all...onwards.”
This is the latest in a long line of extraordinary achievements for “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which was Queen's first Top 10 hit in the US. In the UK it went to No. 1 for 9 consecutive weeks – a record at the time – before returning to the top of the charts again in 1991.
Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004, the lead single from the band’s fourth album, “A Night At The Opera”, was named the most-streamed song of the 20th century and its companion video recently passed one billion views on YouTube, making history as the first pre-1990’s video to reach one billion views on the platform.
The song inspired the title of Queen’s 2018 biopic; directed by Dexter Fletcher, the film – which follows Queen from their formation in 1970 through to their legendary 1985 Live Aid appearance – won four Academy Awards including Best Actor to Rami Malek for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury, and earned more than $900 million dollars at the box office to become the highest-grossing music biopic in history.
See also:
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Queen and Adam Lambert share live highlights video
Search Queen at hennemusic
