Body Language (song)

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"Body Language"
"Body Language" cover
Single by Queen
from the album Hot Space
Released 19 April 1982
Format vinyl record (7")
Recorded 1982
Genre Disco/Rock
Length 4:29
Label EMI, Elektra
Writer(s) Freddie Mercury
Producer(s) Queen and Mack
Chart positions
  • #25 (UK)
Queen singles chronology
"Under Pressure"
(1981)
"Body Language"
(1982)
"Las Palabras de Amor"
(1982)

Body Language is a 1982 disco/rock hit from the English rock band Queen. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury and was a fairly big hit in the United States, where it received extensive radio-play. However, the single only received a luke-warm response in the United Kingdom. The track was the second single released from their 1982 album Hot Space.

[edit] History

The massive success of "Another One Bites the Dust" inspired Queen to temporarily abandon their glam and heavy metal rock roots in the early 1980s, and experiment with disco, funk and soul music. "Body Language" and, more importantly, its parent album Hot Space were the results of this change. At the time of its release, the song confused just about everyone, even those who had learned to adjust to Queen's erratic musical directions. It contained no guitar during the body of the song, only a short two-note riff during the fade out, and few hints that it was performed by the same band who had chalked up hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions". The song's key feature was its minimal yet sparse production, with main focus on a "suggestive" synth bass line and writer Freddie Mercury's moans and groans. The drastic change causing the single to stall at #25 on the UK charts. However, it did far better in the U.S., where it peaked at #11, the Americans appearing to be a lot more supportive of Queen's forays into dance music. The B-side "Life Is Real (Song for John Lennon)" may also have had some role in the single's success, as this single was released just a little over a year after Lennon's assassination. What many Americans didn't fully appreciate was the accompanying music video, which caused a considerable amount of controversy. Featuring lots of skin, lots of sweat (but apparently not enough clothing save for the members of Queen themselves), it was deemed unsuitable for a television audience in 1982 and was not accepted by MTV, eventually becoming the first ever music video to be banned from that television station.

Queen
John Deacon | Brian May | Freddie Mercury | Roger Taylor
History | Live performances | Songs
Discography
Studio albums: Queen | Queen II | Sheer Heart Attack | A Night at the Opera | A Day at the Races | News of the World | Jazz | The Game | Flash Gordon | Hot Space | The Works | A Kind of Magic | The Miracle | Innuendo | Made in Heaven
Live albums: Live Killers | Live Magic | Live at Wembley '86 | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions
Compilation albums: Greatest Hits | At the Beeb | Greatest Hits II | Classic Queen | Queen Rocks | Greatest Hits III | Stone Cold Classics
DVDs: We Will Rock You | The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert | Greatest Video Hits 1 | Live at Wembley Stadium | Greatest Video Hits 2 | We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan | Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl | Return of the Champions | Super Live in Japan
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