Hot Space
Encyclopedia
Hot Space is the tenth studio album
by British rock
band Queen
, released in May 1982. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, Queen employed many elements of disco
, pop music
, R&B and dance music
on Hot Space, being partially influenced by the success of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust
". This made the album less popular with fans who preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band.
Queen's decision to record a dance-oriented album germinated with the massive U.S. success of "Another One Bites the Dust
" (and to a lesser extent, the UK success of the song too). The album's second single "Body Language" did peak at #11 on the U.S. charts.
"Under Pressure
", Queen's collaboration with David Bowie
, was released in 1981 and became the band's second #1 hit in the UK. The song was a separate project and recorded ahead of the album, before the controversy over Queen's new sound (disco-influenced rock music).
In July 2004, Q magazine
listed Hot Space as one of the top fifteen albums where great rock acts lost the plot. Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history, and Taylor and May lamented the new sound, with both being very critical of the influence Mercury's manager Paul Prenter had on the singer. Estimated sales of the album currently stand at five million copies.
synthesizer
s on their songs ("Play the Game" and "Save Me" are examples), and continued to do so on Hot Space. A departure from their trademark seventies sound, most of Hot Space is a mixture of funk, funk-rock, dance, disco and R&B — while the "rock" songs continued in a pop-rock direction similar to their previous album (an exception is the song "Put Out the Fire"). Disliking the new sound, May and Taylor were very critical of the influence that Paul Prenter, Mercury's personal manager between the early 1980s and 1984, had on the singer.
(who also produced Chaka Khan
and added horn sections to Bee Gees
and Aretha Franklin
records). "Staying Power" would be performed on the band's accompanying "Hot Space Tour
", albeit much faster and heavier, with real drums replacing the drum machine and guitars and keyboards replacing the horns (this arrangement contained no actual bass guitar, as John Deacon played guitar in addition to Brian May; the bass sound for this arrangement was played on a Roland Jupiter 8 keyboard). It was also played on Queen's The Works Tour
, albeit less frequently than on the Hot Space Tour
. In Japan, the band released "Staying Power" as a single in July 1982. The song was also issued as a single in the US, in November 1982. It failed to chart in either countries. Mr Mardin's contributions were recorded in New York.
of "Dancer" was played on a synthesiser (an Oberheim OB-Xa) by writer/guitarist Brian May. The song itself — a fusion of rock and disco — is something of a follow-up to "Dragon Attack" from the band's 1980 album The Game
in that it fuses heavy elements of music with danceable ones, as Led Zeppelin
did. The phone message at the end of "Dancer" is in German, and was recorded in a hotel room in Munich
; it roughly translates to "good morning, this is your wake-up call". The lyrics of "Dancer" are also notable for being the only ones on the album that make reference to the album title itself.
As a single, it stalled at 40 on the UK charts. On the video commentary on Greatest Video Hits 2, Roger Taylor makes it clear that he hates the music video for it.
soundtrack. The "Body Language" video, featuring scantily clad models writhing around each other, proved somewhat controversial and was banned in a few territories. The song also appeared in the 1984 documentary film "Stripper", being performed to by one of the dancers.
movement/style current at the time; the track is driven by a pounding electronic drum machine
and features a saxophone-like synthesizer solo, played by producer Mack on an Oberheim OB-Xa
. "Action This Day" takes its title from a Winston Churchill
catchphrase that the statesman would attach to urgent documents, and recapitulates the theme of social awareness that Taylor espoused in many of his songs. The band performed "Action This Day" live on the Hot Space Tour with a more conventional arrangement, replacing the drum machine and bass synth with a rock rhythm section
.
The verse are duets between Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury, and the chorus is sung by both.
compilation in 1997. A new video was also produced for the accompanying video compilation, featuring a live performance of the song intercut with footage of fire and explosions.
, whose murder in 1980 had also previously prompted the band to perform his song "Imagine
" on tour. Like Lennon's songs, "Life Is Real" features a sparse piano-based arrangement and a melancholy tone. It is also one of the few Queen songs whose lyrics were written before the music ("Killer Queen" being another). The title may be a reference to the lyric "love is real", from Lennon's 1970 song "Love
". It contains the slightly offensive line "... Loving like a whore". It begins with three bell-like piano notes, meant to recall the opening bells in Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over", and "Beautiful Boy". Also, the first two words, "Guilt stains..." are virtually identical interval-wise (though in a different key) to Lennon's first two notes in his song, "Mother".
based on the George Lucas
film THX 1138
. Taylor composed "Calling All Girls" on guitar, and played the feedback noises during the song's break. Queen never performed the song in Europe, and a live recording from Japan in 1982 is commercially available on the Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
DVD, where "Calling All Girls" accompanies the photo gallery. The single was released in July 1982 and reached #33 in Canada and #60 in the US. This song is notable for its use of "record scratching", heard with the repeated phrase "This message is...", likely a nod to emergent rap and hip-hop sounds then beginning to reach the mainstream.
. (actually the album was released during the war, and must have been recorded long before the war started) A Top 20 hit in the UK, "Las Palabras de Amor" marked the band's fourth appearance on Top of the Pops
(the first, second and third being for "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen" and "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"). For this mimed performance May is seen playing a grand piano though on the recording there are only synths (played by May). May also sang lead vocals for the harmonized line "this time and evermore".
on background vocals
and even a few lines of rap
during the middle eight. According to Mercury in a 1982 television interview, Bowie was unhappy with the results and requested them to be removed. All the instruments are played by Deacon. On the album version, Mercury sings the entire song in falsetto
. The alternate take with Bowie's vocals still intact is widely available on various bootleg recordings and surfaces from an early 1982 vinyl "Hot Space" test pressing from the USA. This is also the only Queen studio track on which John Deacon uses the popping
technique.
, "Under Pressure" was the result of an impromptu jam session
in the band's studio in Montreux
. When it was released in 1981, "Under Pressure" reached #1 in the UK singles chart
. Freddie Mercury was the primary director of this track, with him and Bowie as the main lyricists (each writing the lines they sang). Part of the chord progression
is based on a rough demo of an unreleased song "Feel Like". The songwriting is credited to all five participants.
}
}
With:
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by British rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, released in May 1982. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, Queen employed many elements of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, R&B and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
on Hot Space, being partially influenced by the success of their 1980 hit "Another One Bites the Dust
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
". This made the album less popular with fans who preferred the traditional rock style they had come to associate with the band.
Queen's decision to record a dance-oriented album germinated with the massive U.S. success of "Another One Bites the Dust
Another One Bites the Dust
"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game . The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and...
" (and to a lesser extent, the UK success of the song too). The album's second single "Body Language" did peak at #11 on the U.S. charts.
"Under Pressure
Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is a 1981 song recorded by Queen and David Bowie. It marked Bowie's first released collaboration with another recording artist as a performer, and is featured on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest...
", Queen's collaboration with David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, was released in 1981 and became the band's second #1 hit in the UK. The song was a separate project and recorded ahead of the album, before the controversy over Queen's new sound (disco-influenced rock music).
In July 2004, Q magazine
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
listed Hot Space as one of the top fifteen albums where great rock acts lost the plot. Most of the album was recorded in Munich during the most turbulent period in the band's history, and Taylor and May lamented the new sound, with both being very critical of the influence Mercury's manager Paul Prenter had on the singer. Estimated sales of the album currently stand at five million copies.
Album styles and genres
Before 1979, Queen had a "no synthesizer" policy on their albums (because people would confuse Brian May's multi-tracked guitar effects with synthesizers). Beginning with The Game album, Queen began using Oberheim OB-XOberheim OB-X
The Oberheim OB-X is an analog polyphonic synthesizer. It was the first Oberheim synthesizer that was created with internal prewired modules and not with the bulky SEM modules. Because of this, it was more functional for live performance, and therefore more portable. It was introduced in 1979 and...
synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s on their songs ("Play the Game" and "Save Me" are examples), and continued to do so on Hot Space. A departure from their trademark seventies sound, most of Hot Space is a mixture of funk, funk-rock, dance, disco and R&B — while the "rock" songs continued in a pop-rock direction similar to their previous album (an exception is the song "Put Out the Fire"). Disliking the new sound, May and Taylor were very critical of the influence that Paul Prenter, Mercury's personal manager between the early 1980s and 1984, had on the singer.
Staying Power
The horn arrangement for "Staying Power" was added by Arif MardinArif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
(who also produced Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
and added horn sections to Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
records). "Staying Power" would be performed on the band's accompanying "Hot Space Tour
Hot Space Tour
The Hot Space Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band Queen, supporting their 1982 album Hot Space. A DVD documenting the band's June 5, 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl outside London was released in 2004 as Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl...
", albeit much faster and heavier, with real drums replacing the drum machine and guitars and keyboards replacing the horns (this arrangement contained no actual bass guitar, as John Deacon played guitar in addition to Brian May; the bass sound for this arrangement was played on a Roland Jupiter 8 keyboard). It was also played on Queen's The Works Tour
The Works Tour
The Works Tour was one of the largest tours by the English rock band Queen. During this tour, Queen participated in the Rock in Rio festival in 1985; the concert was released on VHS but there has not been a worldwide DVD release as of 2011...
, albeit less frequently than on the Hot Space Tour
Hot Space Tour
The Hot Space Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band Queen, supporting their 1982 album Hot Space. A DVD documenting the band's June 5, 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl outside London was released in 2004 as Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl...
. In Japan, the band released "Staying Power" as a single in July 1982. The song was also issued as a single in the US, in November 1982. It failed to chart in either countries. Mr Mardin's contributions were recorded in New York.
Dancer
The basslineBassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
of "Dancer" was played on a synthesiser (an Oberheim OB-Xa) by writer/guitarist Brian May. The song itself — a fusion of rock and disco — is something of a follow-up to "Dragon Attack" from the band's 1980 album The Game
The Game (Queen album)
The Game is the eighth studio album by British rock band Queen released on 30 June 1980. It was the only Queen album to reach #1 in the US and became Queen's best selling studio album in the US with four million copies sold to date, tying News of the Worlds US sales tally. The album received very...
in that it fuses heavy elements of music with danceable ones, as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
did. The phone message at the end of "Dancer" is in German, and was recorded in a hotel room in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
; it roughly translates to "good morning, this is your wake-up call". The lyrics of "Dancer" are also notable for being the only ones on the album that make reference to the album title itself.
Back Chat
"Back Chat", written by bassist John Deacon, is the track most influenced by black music. In addition to normal bass duties, John also plays rhythm guitar, electric piano and synthesizer on the song.As a single, it stalled at 40 on the UK charts. On the video commentary on Greatest Video Hits 2, Roger Taylor makes it clear that he hates the music video for it.
Body Language
"Body Language" is atypical among Queen songs, being the sole single released by the band that does not include guitar (save for during the closing strains, which are made more prominent throughout the 1991 remix). Mercury, who composed "Body Language" on synth bass, had previously explored the instrument's potential with his contributions to the Flash GordonFlash Gordon (album)
-Personnel:* John Deacon: bass guitar, rhythm guitar, synthesizer* Brian May: lead guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer, piano on "Flash's Theme" and "The Hero," co-lead vocals on "Flash's Theme," guitar orchestration on "The Wedding March"...
soundtrack. The "Body Language" video, featuring scantily clad models writhing around each other, proved somewhat controversial and was banned in a few territories. The song also appeared in the 1984 documentary film "Stripper", being performed to by one of the dancers.
Action This Day
"Action This Day", one of two Roger Taylor songs that appear on the album, was clearly influenced by the New WaveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
movement/style current at the time; the track is driven by a pounding electronic drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
and features a saxophone-like synthesizer solo, played by producer Mack on an Oberheim OB-Xa
Oberheim OB-Xa
The Oberheim OB-Xa was Oberheim's overhaul of their first compact synthesizer, the OB-X. The OB-Xa was released in 1980, a year after the OB-X was released. Instead of discrete circuits for oscillators and filters, the OB-Xa switched to Curtis integrated circuits...
. "Action This Day" takes its title from a Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
catchphrase that the statesman would attach to urgent documents, and recapitulates the theme of social awareness that Taylor espoused in many of his songs. The band performed "Action This Day" live on the Hot Space Tour with a more conventional arrangement, replacing the drum machine and bass synth with a rock rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
.
The verse are duets between Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury, and the chorus is sung by both.
Put Out the Fire
"Put Out the Fire" is an anti-firearm song written by Brian May, with lead vocals by Freddie Mercury, with Brian May singing lead vocals in falsetto at the end of each verse. May recorded its guitar solo under the influence of alcohol (after many unsuccessful attempts). Though never released as a single, "Put Out the Fire", the album's most 'traditional' Queen song, later appeared on the Queen RocksQueen Rocks
-Video version:A video version of the album was made. It included slightly different videos for all these songs.# “I Want It All”...
compilation in 1997. A new video was also produced for the accompanying video compilation, featuring a live performance of the song intercut with footage of fire and explosions.
Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)
Mercury wrote "Life Is Real" as a tribute to John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, whose murder in 1980 had also previously prompted the band to perform his song "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" on tour. Like Lennon's songs, "Life Is Real" features a sparse piano-based arrangement and a melancholy tone. It is also one of the few Queen songs whose lyrics were written before the music ("Killer Queen" being another). The title may be a reference to the lyric "love is real", from Lennon's 1970 song "Love
Love (John Lennon song)
"Love" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, originally released in 1970 on the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album.-Song:The song first came out on Lennon's 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. "Love" later appeared on the 1982 compilation The John Lennon Collection, and was released...
". It contains the slightly offensive line "... Loving like a whore". It begins with three bell-like piano notes, meant to recall the opening bells in Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over", and "Beautiful Boy". Also, the first two words, "Guilt stains..." are virtually identical interval-wise (though in a different key) to Lennon's first two notes in his song, "Mother".
Calling All Girls
The first Roger Taylor song (however with Mercury on vocals) to be released as a single (albeit in selected countries, including the United States and Australia, but not the United Kingdom), "Calling All Girls" failed to create much of an impact on the charts where it peaked at #60 in the U.S., despite having an entertaining music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
based on the George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
film THX 1138
THX 1138
THX 1138 is a 1971 science fiction film directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut. The film is based on a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch...
. Taylor composed "Calling All Girls" on guitar, and played the feedback noises during the song's break. Queen never performed the song in Europe, and a live recording from Japan in 1982 is commercially available on the Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl is a double compact disc live album by English band Queen released on October 25, 2004 in Europe and on November 9, 2004 in the US....
DVD, where "Calling All Girls" accompanies the photo gallery. The single was released in July 1982 and reached #33 in Canada and #60 in the US. This song is notable for its use of "record scratching", heard with the repeated phrase "This message is...", likely a nod to emergent rap and hip-hop sounds then beginning to reach the mainstream.
Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)
Brian May's lyrics for "Las Palabras de Amor" were inspired by Queen's close relationship with their Ibero-American fans, and have been interpreted as an allegory for the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. (actually the album was released during the war, and must have been recorded long before the war started) A Top 20 hit in the UK, "Las Palabras de Amor" marked the band's fourth appearance on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
(the first, second and third being for "Seven Seas of Rhye", "Killer Queen" and "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"). For this mimed performance May is seen playing a grand piano though on the recording there are only synths (played by May). May also sang lead vocals for the harmonized line "this time and evermore".
Cool Cat
"Cool Cat", written by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon, originally featured David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
on background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
and even a few lines of rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
during the middle eight. According to Mercury in a 1982 television interview, Bowie was unhappy with the results and requested them to be removed. All the instruments are played by Deacon. On the album version, Mercury sings the entire song in falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
. The alternate take with Bowie's vocals still intact is widely available on various bootleg recordings and surfaces from an early 1982 vinyl "Hot Space" test pressing from the USA. This is also the only Queen studio track on which John Deacon uses the popping
Slapping
In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
technique.
Under Pressure
A now famous duet with David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, "Under Pressure" was the result of an impromptu jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
in the band's studio in Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
. When it was released in 1981, "Under Pressure" reached #1 in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Freddie Mercury was the primary director of this track, with him and Bowie as the main lyricists (each writing the lines they sang). Part of the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
is based on a rough demo of an unreleased song "Feel Like". The songwriting is credited to all five participants.
Track listing
Chart positions
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
15 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Albums Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
6 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 1 |
| French Albums Chart | 7 |
| German Albums Chart | 5 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 9 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 5 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 3 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 4 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
22 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B Albums Chart | 40 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1982) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 17 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 46 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 54 |
| UK Albums Chart | 51 |
Certifications
}}
}
Personnel
- John DeaconJohn DeaconJohn Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, drums, electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented... - Brian MayBrian MayBrian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, synthesizers, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, backing vocals, synth bass on "Dancer", lead vocals (falsetto lines on "Put Out the Fire" and lead harmony on "Las Palabras de Amor") - Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
– lead vocals, piano, synthesizers, synth bass on "Staying Power", keyboards - Roger Taylor – drums, drum computer, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Action This Day", rhythm guitar, keyboards
With:
- David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
– lead vocals, percussion and keyboards on "Under Pressure" - Arif MardinArif MardinArif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
– "Hot and Spacey" hornHorn sectionIn music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
arrangement and production on "Staying Power" - MackReinhold MackReinhold Mack is a German record producer and sound engineer, mostly known for his collaborations with rock bands Electric Light Orchestra and Queen. Most of this work took place at Giorgio Moroder's Musicland Studios in Munich...
– production, keyboard programming on "Action This Day"
Miscellaneous
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, who was close friends with the band during the time, later cited Hot Space as an influence for his own blockbuster album ThrillerThriller (album)Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
. - The cover artCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
of U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's 1997 Pop album, BlurBlur (band)Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
's 2000 Best OfBlur: The Best ofBlur: The Best Of is a greatest hits compilation album by English Britpop band Blur, first released in late 2000 and is the final Blur album by Food Records. It was released on CD, cassette tape, MiniDisc, double 12" vinyl record, DVD and VHS. The CD album includes 17 of Blur's 23 singles from 1990...
compilation, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
's 1994 Greatest Hits Volume II, and The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
's 2010 The BeginningThe Beginning (The Black Eyed Peas album)The Beginning received generally mixedreviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews."Monica Herrera wrote for...
bear some similarity to the Hot Space cover (which, in turn, drew its inspiration from the cover of The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' album Let It Be). Pop, like Hot Space, was also an attempt to make a dance album, both of which received mixed results. - The 1982 Hot Space TourHot Space TourThe Hot Space Tour was a concert tour by the English rock band Queen, supporting their 1982 album Hot Space. A DVD documenting the band's June 5, 1982 concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl outside London was released in 2004 as Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl...
was Queen's last tour of America until the Queen + Paul Rodgers TourQueen + Paul Rodgers TourQueen + Paul Rodgers Tour was a world concert tour by Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, joined by singer Paul Rodgers under the moniker of Queen + Paul Rodgers. The tour was Queen's first since the Magic Tour in 1986, and the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury in November 1991...
in 2006 (the band stopped touring completely in 1986 due to Mercury's health, and did not tour again until the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour commenced in 2005).