Chapter 10: The Game

The Game is the eighth studio album by Queen released 30 June 1980. It was the only Queen album to reach the #1 position in both the United Kingdom and the United States and became Queen's best selling studio album in the US with four million copies sold to date, tying News of the World's US sales tally. Notable songs on the album include the bass driven "Another One Bites the Dust" and the rockabilly "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", both of which reached number 1 in the United States. The Game was the first Queen album to use a synthesizer[1] (an Oberheim OB-X). The album's working title was "Play the Game", but Taylor voiced concern about its possible overtones of conformity, so it was changed to simply "The Game".

The album features a more pop/rock sound than its predecessor, Jazz. The album's style would be augmented on Queen's next release Hot Space, and future Queen albums. At approximately 35 minutes, The Game is the shortest of Queen's studio albums.

Re-issued in May 2003 on DVD-Audio with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and DTS 5.1. The 5.1 mix of "Coming Soon" features an alternate backing track, because the final master tapes were not found when mixing the album to 5.1.

The photo on the cover of the EMI CD is different from that originally used on the LP and cassette even though the Hollywood CD still has the original photo. The original photo (with Taylor having folded arms and May not having a hand resting upon his exposed hip) is shown in the article. This alternate photo was also used on cover of the DTS DVD-Audio edition of the album released in 2003.

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Sail Away Sweet Sister (To The Sister I Never Had)", "Coming Soon", and "Save Me" were recorded from June to July of 1979. The rest of the songs were recorded between February and May of 1980.

1. Play The Game

"Play the Game" is a song by Queen, written by Freddie Mercury. It is the first track on the first side of their 1980 album The Game. It commences with a series of overlapping rushing noises on an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, heralding the band's acceptance of electronic instruments into their once explicitly "no synths" sonic repertoire. They played it in their live shows from 1980 to 1982. The single was a hit in Queen's home country reaching #14 in the charts. In America, however, it gained small response at reaching only #42.

The song features a considerably soft vocal by Freddie complimented by a strong G4 rising in pitch all the way to a C5 in chest voice, contrary to the other C5s being hit in falsetto. He also played piano on the track.

The B-side, "A Human Body", has never appeared on any Queen album, but was finally released on CD format in the 2009 box set Queen Singles Collection Volume 2.

The cover of the single, as well as its promotional video, marked the first time Freddie Mercury appeared in either format with what later became his trademark moustache. The video is also notable in that Brian May did not use his trademark Red Special guitar, instead using a Fender Stratocaster replica made by Satellite. This was likely due to the risk of damage involved in the shot in which Mercury snatches the guitar away from May, then appears to throw it back to him.

2. Dragon Attack

3. Another One Bites The Dust

"Another One Bites the Dust" is written by bassist John Deacon.

"Another One Bites the Dust" was a worldwide crossover hit. It hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and the Disco Top 100, and number seven in the UK Singles Chart. The song is one of Queen's best selling singles, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.

In 1998, it was covered by Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel and featured Free's rap vocals. "Weird Al" Yankovic parodied the song as "Another One Rides the Bus".

The song was also remixed by eurodance Captain Jack.

The bass line was inspired by the song "Good Times" by the Disco group Chic.[1][2] In an interview with New Musical Express, Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards stated, "...that Queen record came about because that Queen bass player... spent some time hanging out with us at our studio".[3]

Recording sessions were produced by Reinhold Mack at Musicland Studios in Munich (West Germany) and consisted of Deacon playing almost all the instruments: bass, piano, rhythm and lead guitars and handclap percussion. Roger Taylor added a drum loop and Brian May contributed some noises with his guitar and an Eventide Harmoniser. There are no synthesizers used in the song: all effects are created with pianos, guitars, and drums, with subsequent tape playback performed in reverse at various speeds. Finally, some sound effects were run through the Harmoniser for further processing. The effect of the Harmoniser can be heard clearly in the "swirling" nature of the sound immediately before the first lyric. During the mix the road crew suggested it as a single but the band did not like the idea until Michael Jackson recommended it after a concert (this anecdote was confirmed by Roger Taylor and Brian May on the U.S. radio show In the Studio with Redbeard that spotlighted the album The Game on one episode).

The song garnered Queen its only Grammy nomination, for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The band lost to Bob Seger's album Against the Wind. The "Another One Bites the Dust" music video was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.

A common urban legend surrounding the chorus is that, when played in reverse, will be heard as, "It's fun to smoke marijuana." A spokeswoman for Hollywood Records (Queen's current US label) has denied that the song contains a backward message. In 2008, DJ Lobsterdust released a mix of the song called "It's Fun to Smoke Dust" that combines the original with a recording of Gary Greenwald's 1982 rant about the alleged subliminal message in the song.

During the administration of chest compressions during CPR, it can be difficult to achieve and maintain the recommended rate of 100 compressions per minute[6]. The bass line of this song is at such a rate; thus it is possible to think or hum this song during CPR, to maintain the correct rate.

In 1998, Wyclef Jean along with Pras Michel, Canibus, and Free remixed the song using a new instrumental track and samples from the actual song for the 1998 movie Small Soldiers. This version also appeared on Queen's compilation Greatest Hits III released in 1999. It enjoyed the most success in the UK, where it entered the chart at #5, its highest chart position, going on to spend six weeks on the chart. It also reached the top ten in Finland. It charted #18, #23, #50 and #62 in New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and France, respectively.

It was Pras' third top-10 UK hit as a solo artist following Ghetto Supastar and Blue Angels.

The song was covered by Queen Factory, a French project of Stéphane Durand who was inspired by Mad'House (house covers of Madonna) and King of House (house covers of Michael Jackson).

The song was remixed and covered by Greek-American singer Kalomoira for her debut self titled album released in Greece and Cyprus in September 2004. The album reached number 1 in both countries and was certified gold.

The song was remixed again in 2006 by The Miami Project.

3. Dragon Attack

4. Need Your Loving Tonight

"Need Your Loving Tonight" is written by bassist John Deacon. It is the fourth track on the first side of their 1980 album The Game and the second song on the album by Deacon (the other being Another One Bites the Dust).

The melody is very Beatles-influenced, although it has more of a rocking guitar riff, thus giving the song a power pop sound. "Need Your Loving Tonight" was released as a single in November 1980 and peaked at #44 in the United States.

It was played only scarcely during The Game Tour during the early 1980s; it only lasted this one tour. Also during live performances of the song, Brian May sang backing vocals and Freddie Mercury played piano (both of which were absent in the studio version).

5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is written Freddie Mercury. While it peaked at number two in the UK, it hit number one on the U.S. charts on February 23, 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. It topped the charts in Australia for six weeks.

The song is written in a rockabilly style. As reported by Mercury in Melody Maker, May 2, 1981, Mercury composed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on the guitar in just five to ten minutes.[citation needed] Other accounts say that he wrote it while lounging in a bubble bath in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich during one of Queen's extensive Munich recording sessions. He took it to the studio shortly after writing it and presented it to bandmates Roger Taylor and John Deacon. The three of them, with their new producer Mack, recorded it at Musicland Studios in Munich. The entire song was reportedly recorded in less than half an hour (although Mack says it was six hours).

Although Mercury would play an electrified twelve-string on stage (and later a six-string electric), in the studio he recorded it with a six-string acoustic with external mics. Freddie Mercury also played the original guitar solo on a version which has been lost.

The "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" single hit number two in the UK and became the first U.S. number-one hit for the band.

American country music singer Dwight Yoakam included a cover of the song on his 1999 album Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's.[5] Yoakam's version was released as a single, peaking at #12 on the U.S. country singles charts in 1999. It was also used in a television commercial for clothing retailer Gap at the time of the album's release.

The music video was directed by Yoakam.

Other cover versions:

* In 1980 by The Chipmunks on their comeback album, Chipmunk Punk. Respectively their Mexican couterparts Las Ardillitas cover a Spanish version.
* Canadian pop/big band singer Michael Bublé covered the song for his self-titled 2003 debut album.
* American singer Josh Kelley recorded a cover for the 2005 album Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen.
* British pop rock/pop punk band McFly covered the song, which it was featured on their Room on the Third Floor single.
* American band The 88 did a cover for the movie Failure to Launch
* Diana Ross covered the song on her 2007 album I Love You. Brian May plays guitar on this version.

6. Rock It (Prime Jive)

7. Don't Try Suicide

8. Sail Away Sweet Sister (To the Sister I Never Had)

9. Coming Soon

10. Save Me

"Save Me" is a song by English rock band Queen. This rock ballad was written by guitarist Brian May, who played piano, as well as guitar on the track. It was recorded in 1979 and released in the U.K. on January 25th, 1980, nearly six months prior to the release of the album The Game. It spent six weeks on the UK charts, peaking at number eleven. The song was played live from 1979-1984.

Brian May wrote "Save Me" about a friend whose relationship had ended, and played piano, synths and guitars (electric and twelve-string acoustic) on it.

Played live, the song would typically feature a short piano introduction absent from the studio version. This introduction can be found in a Brian May solo composition "My Boy" which can only be found much later on the 1998 compilation album "Lullabies With A Difference". The general melody could have been conceived by May as early as 1980 as the intro to the live version of "Save Me" exhibits.

In addition, the lyrics "I'm naked and I'm far from home" were uttered near the end of the pilot episode of the television series "Highlander" (whose theme was another Queen song, "Princes of the Universe") by Christopher Lambert's character.