Flash (Queen song)
"Flash" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
File:Flashusa.jpg UK single picture sleeve | ||||
Single by Queen | ||||
from the album Flash Gordon | ||||
B-side | "Football Fight" | |||
Released |
| |||
Recorded | October 1980 | |||
Genre | Hard rock[1] | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Brian May | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Flash" on YouTube |
"Flash" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, "Flash" is the theme song of the 1980 film Flash Gordon.
There are two versions of the song. The album version ("Flash's Theme") is in fact the start to the film, with all the dialogue from the first scene. The single version contains dialogue cut from various parts of the film, most memorably, Brian Blessed's character exclaiming "Gordon's alive?!" This version was also included on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1981.[2]
Flash is sung as a duet between Freddie Mercury and Brian May, with Roger Taylor adding the high harmonies. May plays all of the instruments except for the rhythm section. He used an Imperial Bösendorfer Grand Piano (with 97 keys instead of 88, having an extra octave on the low range), Oberheim OB-X synth (which he plays in the video) and his homemade Red Special electric guitar.
The song reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number three in Germany. On the U.S. charts, "Flash's Theme aka Flash" reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number 39 on the Cash Box Top 100.[3]
Music video
The video for the song was filmed at Advision Studios, London, in November 1980 and directed by Don Norman and shows the band performing the song to a screen showing clips from the film.[4] An alternative version broadcast during the Concert for Kampuchea in 1981 with different clips included on the Flash Gordon 2011 iTunes edition.
Personnel
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals
- Brian May – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer
- Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals, timpani
- John Deacon – bass guitar
Charts
Chart (1980–1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] | 16 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] | 1 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] | 19 |
Canada RPM Top Singles[8] | 24 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[9] | 3 |
Ireland (IRMA)[10] | 10 |
Italy (Musica e dischi)[11] | 14 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] | 18 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 13 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14] | 32 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] | 17 |
UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 10 |
US Billboard Hot 100[17] | 42 |
US Cash Box Top 100[18] | 39 |
Sales and certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Vanguard remix
"Flash" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Queen + Vanguard | ||||
B-side | "Jam" (Vanguard)[20] | |||
Released | 10 February 2003 | |||
Length | 3:04 (radio mix) | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Brian May | |||
Producer(s) | Vanguard | |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"Flash" on YouTube |
German producers Vanguard released a cover of "Flash", credited to "Queen + Vanguard", on 10 February 2003.[21] The single peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, number two on the UK Dance Chart, and number 17 in Germany.
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[22] | 95 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] | 44 |
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[24] | 2 |
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[25] | 12 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[26] | 44 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[21] | 17 |
Scotland (OCC)[27] | 15 |
UK Singles (OCC)[28] | 15 |
UK Dance (OCC)[29] | 2 |
UK Indie (OCC)[30] | 1 |
Live recording
In other media
The song is played during an ice dancing routine in the 2007 film Blades of Glory.[31]
The song is played in The Flash episode "Into the Void" where Cisco Ramon plays it when Barry Allen / The Flash enters a black hole to save Chester P. Runk, mentioning that he has been saving the song "for the right moment".[32]
In 2022, the song appears in the Toyota Corolla Cross commercial in Australia but it uses "Cross" instead of "Flash".
References
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Flash's Theme - Queen | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ "Queen: Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 May 2012
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 21, 1981". Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ Hince, Peter (2015). Queen Unseen - My Life with the Greatest Rock Band of the 20th Century: Revised and with Added Material. Bonnier Zaffre.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 243. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Queen – Flash" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Queen – Flash" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 21 March 1981. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Queen – Flash" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Flash". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Queen".
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Queen" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Queen – Flash" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Queen – Flash". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Queen – Flash". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Queen: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Queen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 21, 1981". Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "British single certifications – Flash". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ Flash (UK CD single liner notes). Queen, Vanguard. Nebula, Frisbee Tracks, Virgin Records. 2003. NEBCD041.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Queen + Vanguard – Flash" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 227.
- ^ "Queen %2B Vanguard – Flash" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Queen %2B Vanguard – Flash" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Queen %2B Vanguard – Flash" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 15. 5 April 2003. p. 13. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Blades of Glory (10/12) Best Movie Quote - Final Routine (2007)". YouTube.
- ^ "The Flash FINALLY Uses the Song We've Waited Five Years For". CBR. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
External links
- Official original music video on YouTube
- Lyrics at Queen official website Archived 2017-05-30 at the Wayback Machine (original version, reprise, single version)
- CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
- CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes)
- Use dmy dates from July 2014
- Use British English from July 2014
- Articles with hAudio microformats
- Singlechart usages for Austria
- Singlechart usages for Flanders
- Singlechart usages for Germany
- Singlechart usages for Ireland2
- Singlechart usages for Dutch40
- Singlechart usages for Dutch100
- Singlechart usages for New Zealand
- Singlechart usages for Sweden
- Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname
- Singlechart called without song
- Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100
- Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom
- Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures
- Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote
- Singlechart making named ref
- Singlechart usages for Flanders Tip
- Singlechart usages for Flanders Dance
- Singlechart usages for Scotland
- Singlechart called without artist
- Singlechart usages for UK
- Singlechart usages for UKdance
- Singlechart usages for UKindie
- Webarchive template wayback links
- AC with 0 elements
- Film theme songs
- Queen (band) songs
- 1980 singles
- 1981 singles
- Flash Gordon
- Male–male vocal duets
- Songs written for films
- Songs about comics
- Songs about fictional male characters
- Songs about outer space
- Songs written by Brian May
- Song recordings produced by Reinhold Mack
- EMI Records singles
- Elektra Records singles
- Hollywood Records singles
- Virgin Records singles
- 1980 songs
- Music based on science fiction works
- UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles