"The Game", "Queen's" eighth, was released on June 30, 1980 !!!
Let's tell you 25 facts about the album:
1. The original name of the album was "Play The Game", but Roger Taylor feared from the meaning this title would bring so the band settled for "the Game".
2. This is the band's only album to reach number one in both the UK and the US.
3. It is also the only "Queen" album to reach number one in the US.
4. It is also the band's best-selling album in the United States with sales of over four million copies.
5. This is the band's first album which included the use of a synthesizer. It's also an album that makes less use of guitars.
6. On this album the band made a significant change in style compared to the previous albums, in favor of a more basic rock and roll.
7. Five successful singles were released from the album.
8. On the cover of the third single released from the album - "Play the Game", Freddie Mercury is seen for the first time with his new look that included a mustache. It is interesting to note that on the cover of the first two singles and on the cover of the album Freddie looks without a mustache.
9. The song was written by Freddie Mercury about his partner, Tony Bastin, after they broke up. It is interesting to note that the singles "It's a Hard Life" and "You Don't Fool Me" that the band will release years later will return to the subject of the failure of Freddie's relationship.
10. The song "Dragon Attack" starts with a jam session in the studio. Brian May added the lyrics and melody that are quite reminiscent of those from the song "We Will Rock You". The lyrics refer to the new recording technician Mack who changed the band's perception regarding the manner of recording.
11. The song "Another One Bites the Dust" was written by John Deacon who also plays most of the instruments in it. Bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, with Brian May adding the guitar noises and Taylor recording drum loops.
12. Deacon was influenced in the writing from the song "Good Times" by the disco band "Chic".
13. The band members did not think of releasing the song as a single, but Michael Jackson who adored the band pressured Freddie to release it and it was the right move, because it became one of the band's biggest hits.
14. The song was supposed to be the theme song of the movie Rocky 3, but was eventually replaced by "Eye of the Tiger" by "Survivor".
15. The song caused a stir among the evangelical Christians in the United States who claimed that if you play parts of it backwards you will hear hidden messages like "Decide to smoke marijuana, It's fun to smoke marijuana" and more.
16. The song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is "Queen's" first song to reach number one on the Billboard 100.
17. Mercury wrote the song in ten minutes while taking a bubble bath at the hotel, where he was staying in Germany while recording the album.
18. This is the first song in which Freddie also plays rhythm guitar and he claims that it was precisely his limited talent in this instrument that made him sound the way he is.
19. The song sounds more like an Elvis song than Queen's.
20. The lyrics include Freddie's name in the sentence - "Ready Freddie".
21. The song "Sail Away Sweet Sister" was written by May and he also sang it except for the bridge part sung by Freddie. Although May also plays the piano in the songs he writes, this time he asked Freddie to do so because he thought his timing and performance were better. This song was never played by Queen live, but "Guns N'Roses" performed it on stage.
22. The song "Coming Soon" was written by Taylor during the sessions of the album "Jazz". He sang it along with Mercury.
23. The song "Save Me" was written by May in honor of a friend whose marriage fell apart. Brian May plays most instruments including guitars, piano and synthesizer.
24. This is also the first song the band released as a single and includes the use of synthesizers.
25. The DVD-Audio Surround version of the album from 2003 includes a different version of the song "Coming Soon", since the master recordings of the song were lost.
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