The rock band Queen recorded an instrumental version of " God Save the Queen " on their 1975 album '' A Night at the Opera '' . It was arranged by guitarist Brian May and features his distinctive layers of overdubbed electric guitars . A tape of this version would be played at the end of almost every concert , with Freddie Mercury walking around the stage wearing a crown and a cloak on their Magic Tour in 1986 . The song was played whilst all the Queen members would take their bows . On 3 June 2002 , during the Queen 's Golden Jubilee , Brian May performed the anthem on his Red Special electric guitar for Party at the Palace , performing from the roof of Buckingham Palace , and features on the 30th Anniversary DVD edition of '' A Night at the Opera '' . In 1977 , the Sex Pistols recorded a song titled " God Save the Queen " in open reference to the National Anthem and the Queen 's Silver Jubilee celebrations that year , with the song intending to stand for sympathy for the working class and resentment of the monarchy . They were banned from many venues , censored by mainstream media , and reached number 2 on the official U.K. singles charts and number 1 on the NME chart
Party at the Palace
Party at the Palace
God Save the Queen