Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” tops NPO Radio 2 Top 2000 for 22nd time

The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen was voted as the best song ever in the NPO Radio 2 2000 list. It is the 22nd time that the song, released in 1975, has finished top in the competition, which has been held 27 times.

It is the 50th anniversary of the song, which has led to it being put back into the spotlight in recent months. The song ranks among the most-streamed and downloaded tracks ever. It also came in first last year.

Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” came second for the first time in the competition. The 1973 hit had only been as high as third in the past. Three songs in the top 10 remained unchanged in position compared to last year. They were “Hotel California” by the Eagles, which was voted the third best song, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin in seventh place, and "Avond by Boudewijn de Groot

“Rollercoaster” by Danny Vera, a 2019 song about the ups and downs of everyday life, came in fifth place. This is by far the newest song in the top 10, with Coldplay’s “Fix You” the only other song to make the top 10 from this century.

Golden Earring was honored by many listeners after the death of the band’s lead guitarist, George Kooymans, this year. Their song “Radar Love” climbed from 20th to ninth. This is the second time that the song has made the top 10 after 2021, when the band announced that they were breaking up.

Visitors can purchase tickets to visit the café set up in Hilversum, where the event is held. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 13 at 10 a.m., which gives visitors access to a 50-minute time slot at the Top 2000 Café over the course of the radio marathon.

The café will remain open starting Christmas Day up until Bohemian Rhapsody is played to usher in the New Year. The record studio and bar will be located at media culture institute Beeld & Geluid, known to English-speaking visitors as Sound & Vision.

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