Queen and Adam Lambert have created a new version of an iconic song to send a message to those working on the front lines of the coronavirus fight: "You Are the Champions."
Lambert and original Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor recently gathered virtually to put a twist on their classic "We Are the Champions" to raise money for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund through proceeds from the song.
In a video released on Thursday, the band dedicates the song to "all you frontline warriors fighting coronavirus around the world."
The band members have been at their respective homes since finishing the Australian portion of their tour in February and cancelling the remaining 27 European shows of the tour. May and Taylor recorded their parts from their homes in the United Kingdom, while Lambert recorded his vocals at his Los Angeles home.
"Just like we sent our young men and women into two world wars to fight, these young men and women are now fighting for us and risking their lives every day,” May told Rolling Stone. "That’s what this song has become about. It’s for everyone who is out there working and putting their life at risk."
The video shows scenes of empty city streets across the world, followed by shots of doctors, nurses and other front line workers as well as scenes of joy from patients exiting the hospital after getting better.
The scenes of the health care workers include Taylor's daughter, Dr. Rory Taylor, who works at a London hospital. She holds up signs in the video saying "Stay Safe All. You Are The Champions."
"I find the whole thing very emotionally effecting, I must say, even though we’re building this thing,” May told Rolling Stone. "I still look at it and get a lump in my throat."