Entertainment Music Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Music Video Hits Milestone 1 Billion YouTube Views It isn't just fantasy — Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has made history, 44 years after its release By Dave Quinn Dave Quinn Dave Quinn is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE. He has been working at the brand since 2016, and is the author of the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of the Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 24, 2019 03:11PM EDT Over four decades after its release, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” video has released a new milestone — surpassing one billion views on YouTube. The iconic video, which was first released in 1975, is the first pre-’90s music video to hit the mark, earning Queen a spot in the streaming platform’s history books. “We are honored that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has just hit one billion views on YouTube,” bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor said in a statement. To celebrate of the accomplishment, the band dropped a remastered HD version of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen’s Roger Taylor Recalls Moving on After Freddie Mercury’s Death: ‘We Thought It Was All Over’ They’ve also launched a new contest with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records — the “You Are the Champions” project, which offers fans the chance to participate in three new user-generated videos. Singers and instrumentalists can submit their cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for the event, and dancers should perform a routine to “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Brian May Says Queen Hasn’t ‘Earned a Penny’ from Bohemian Rhapsody, Which Made $900 Million Queen in September, 1981. Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Getty Visual artists can partake too, designing any word or phrase from the lyrics to “A Kind of Magic” Winners will be featured on Queen’s YouTube channel later this year. “We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you!” May and Taylor added. “Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun.”