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Dolly Parton’s Released a Badass Cover of "We Are the Champions" for the Olympics
She did a mashup with another Queen sports anthem, "We Will Rock You", in collaboration with NBC for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
On July 26, the iconic Dolly Parton released the official music video for her rendition of "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" by Queen to promote the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The music video featured Parton singing in an arena before it cut to inspirational footage of previous Olympic games. Parton put her own unique twist on the beloved tunes, harmonizing while sitting in front of the Eiffel Tower. The outro then included a large crowd stomping and clapping to "We Will Rock You" while Parton enthusiastically sang at the top of her lungs.
What to know about Dolly Parton's NBC collaboration for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
In Summer 2023, Parton collaborated with NBC to release her cover of the classic Queen stadium hits to promote the 2024 Olympics, which will be taking place in Paris and broadcasted by the network.
“I love the Olympics! I do my best to plan my schedule to watch as much of it as I possibly can,” Parton said in a press release. “I tape it just in case I miss the live action on a certain day and watch it back as soon as possible. I laugh, I cry, I scream, there are no losers in the Olympics as they have all spent a lifetime preparing but I celebrate with the ones that go away with the gold, silver, and bronze medals.”
“Dolly Parton is an American Icon whose popularity and recognition across generations is unmatched,” said Jenny Storms, CMO, Entertainment and Sports, NBCUniversal. “She is also a close member of the NBCUniversal family, an Olympic super-fan, and has a new version of two of the greatest sports anthems of all time. So, she was the perfect choice to get America excited about Team USA and next summer’s Paris Olympics.”
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Parton's edgy cover is a perfect sneak peek of what to expect from her upcoming rock album titled "Rockstar," where she will cover thirty classic rock hits. Better yet, "We Are the Champions" will be the 21st track on the album.
What to know about "We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You" by Queen
The songs are back to back tracks off of the legendary band's 1977 album News of the World. "We Will Rock You" was written by guitarist Brian May and "We Are the Champions" was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury.
Both were released together as one single and are frequently sang at sporting events with audience participation as the ultimate anthem. "We Will Rock You" is known for its mainly acapella arrangement with a simple stomping a clapping beat. Meanwhile, "We Are the Champions" has uplifting lyrics a melody that were written to get crowds excited.
"I wanted a participation song, something that the fans could latch on to," Mercury told Circus in 1978. "Of course, I've given it more theatrical subtlety than an ordinary football chant."
"We wanted to get the crowds waving and singing. It's very unifying and positive. People love it because it’s so uplifting," May told The Daily Mail in 2009.
