Editing God Save the King (section)

===Rock adaptations===
[[Jimi Hendrix]] played an impromptu version of "God Save the Queen" to open his set at the [[Isle of Wight Festival 1970]]. Just before walking onto the stage, he asked "How does it [the anthem] go again?". Hendrix gave the same sort of distortion and improvisation of "God Save the Queen", as he had done with "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" at the [[Woodstock]] Festival in 1969.<ref name=HOPK>[[Jerry Hopkins (author)|Hopkins, Jerry]] (1998) [https://books.google.com/books?id=0UU2TUNrNaQC&dq=jimi+hendrix+god+save+the+queen&pg=PA289 ''The Jimi Hendrix Experience''], p. 290. Arcade Publishing, 1996</ref>

The rock band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] recorded an instrumental version of "God Save the Queen" for their 1975 album ''[[A Night at the Opera (Queen album)|A Night at the Opera]]''. Guitarist [[Brian May]] adapted the melody using his distinctive layers of [[overdub]]bed electric guitars. This recorded version was played at the end of every Queen concert from the end of 1974 to 1986, while vocalist [[Freddie Mercury]] walked around the stage wearing a crown and a cloak on their [[Magic Tour (Queen)|Magic Tour]] in 1986. The song was played while all the Queen members would take their bows.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Queen Live|url=http://www.queenlive.ca/queen/86-06-14.htm|access-date=27 January 2021|website=www.queenlive.ca|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205232713/http://www.queenlive.ca/queen/86-06-14.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> On 3 June 2002, during the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queen's Golden Jubilee]], Brian May performed the anthem on his [[Red Special]] electric guitar for [[Party at the Palace]] from the roof of [[Buckingham Palace]] which is featured on the 30th Anniversary DVD edition of ''A Night at the Opera''.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-at-the-opera-30th-anniversary-cddvd-r811132 A Night at the Opera, 30th Anniversary CD/DVD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110327103207/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-night-at-the-opera-30th-anniversary-cddvd-r811132 |date=27 March 2011 }} ''AllMusic'' Retrieved 26 February 2011</ref>

In 1977, the [[Sex Pistols]] recorded a song titled "[[God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song)|God Save the Queen]]" in open reference to the National Anthem and the [[Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations]] that year, with the song intending to stand for sympathy for the working class and resentment of the monarchy.<ref name=SPIST/> They were banned from many venues, censored by mainstream media, and reached number 2 on the official UK singles charts and number 1 on the NME chart.<ref name=SPIST>Fred Vermorel, Judy Vermorel (1987) [https://books.google.com/books?id=TO4zX3IndmoC&dq=BBC+sex+pistols+god+save+the+queen&pg=PA83 ''Sex Pistols: The Inside Story''], p. 83. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 26 February 2011</ref><ref>[https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/God%20Save%20The%20Queen Official Singles Chart – The Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609071140/https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/god%20save%20the%20queen/ |date=9 June 2020 }} Retrieved 26 February 2011</ref>

A version of "God Save the Queen" by [[Madness (band)|Madness]] features the melody of the song played on [[kazoo]]s. It was included on the compilation album ''[[The Business – the Definitive Singles Collection]]''.<ref>''Ska Revival Albums: Bad Manners Albums, Madness (Band) Albums, the Beat Albums, the Members Albums, the Specials Albums, the Toasters Albums''. General Books, 2010</ref>