Buzz
Released in 1975, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” quickly became a cultural phenomenon. It dominated the UK charts for nine weeks and secured its place as the third-best-selling single in UK history. Despite evolving music consumption trends, Freddie Mercury and his band’s operatic masterpiece has maintained its iconic status. In 2018, it was crowned the most-streamed song from the 20th century.
With over 1.5 billion streams, Queen’s hit surpasses legendary tracks like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” and Journey’s “Don't Stop Believin’.” This staggering figure highlights its enduring appeal.
However, modern songs still lead in overall streaming numbers. For instance, Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” and its remix amassed an incredible 4.6 billion streams within just six months of its 2017 release.
The recognition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” becomes even more rewarding when considering its backstory and the initial doubts surrounding its success. Due to its extended runtime and unique operatic approach, many in the music industry, including the band’s manager and friend Elton John, questioned its commercial viability. However, when the song premiered on the radio, listeners flooded stations with requests, instantly proving the skeptics wrong.
In recent years, the song experienced another surge in popularity thanks to the Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic bearing its name. Released on November 2, 2018, Bohemian Rhapsody, featuring Rami Malek, became the highest-grossing musical biopic ever, surpassing 2015’s Straight Outta Compton.
However, Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t the first film to reignite interest in the legendary track. The song saw a similar spike in sales and climbed to No. 2 on the charts after its pivotal role in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, inspired by the beloved Saturday Night Live sketch.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” isn’t Queen’s sole entry on the list of the 20th century’s most-streamed songs; the band claims four of the top 10 spots, including one shared with David Bowie. Below are the 10 most-streamed songs from the 1900s:
1. “Bohemian Rhapsody” // Queen
Downloads: 1,587,856,824
2. “Wonderwall” // Oasis
Downloads: 1,219,309,375
3. “Don’t Stop Me Now” // Queen
Downloads: 1,135,371,550
4. “Don't Stop Believin'” // Journey
Downloads: 1,124,255,045
5. “Another One Bites The Dust” // Queen
Downloads: 1,093,847,818
6. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” // Nirvana
Downloads: 1,060,541,401
7. “Africa” // Toto
Downloads: 1,056,934,875
8. “Sweet Child O' Mine” // Guns N’ Roses
Downloads: 1,016,139,764
9. “Every Breath You Take” // The Police
Downloads: 968,787,362
10. “Under Pressure” // Queen and David Bowie
Downloads: 967,323,424
