Flash (Queen song)

"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. The soundtrack released to coincide with the film contained only the music composed and performed by Queen.

There are two versions of the song. The album version ("Flash's Theme") is in fact the start to the movie, with all the dialogue from the first scene. The single version features dialogue cut from various parts of the movie, most memorably, Brian Blessed's character exclaiming "Gordon's alive?!" This version was also included on the Greatest Hits compilation from 1981.^[1]

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 OBX synth (which he plays in the video) and his homemade Red Special electric guitar.

Music Video

The video for the song was filmed at Anvil Studios, London in November 1980 and directed by Don Norman and features the band performing the song to a screen showing clips from the film. An alternate version which was broadcast during the Concert For Kampuchea during 1981 featuring alternate film clips was included on the Flash Gordon 2011 iTunes edition.

Personnel

Freddie Mercury - lead vocals and backing vocals
Brian May - lead and backing vocals, lead guitar, piano, synthesizer
Roger Taylor - harmony vocals, drums, timpani
John Deacon - bass guitar

Sales and Certifications


Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)^[2]	Silver	250,000^{^}
^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Remixes and covers

UK DJ Vanguard remixed the theme and released as single during the early DVD release of the film. The single managed to peak at #15 on the UK Singles Charts at that time.^[3]
In 1988, Public Enemy used a sample of "Flash" for their song "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic", released on the album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.^[4]
Chicago-based band Tub Ring has been known to cover the song at concerts.
The song was played by My Chemical Romance on the Projekt Revolution tour, in several shows.
San Diego based band The Locust have released a cover of the song.
Garage rock band Louis XIV covered the song on the 2007 EP The Distances from Everyone to You.
Tenacious D starts their concert with Flash on the DVD The Complete Master Works.^[5]
The Protomen performed Flash in their Queen tribute concert and it's included in their album Present: A Night of Queen
MaxNormal.TV used "Flash" in their song "Rap Fantasy". Instead of "Flash" they changed the words to "Max Normal".
This song was mashed up with Badger Badger Badger to create Save the Badger Badger Badger, a record produced in protest of badger culling in the United Kingdom.^[6]

Uses in popular culture

A segment of the song is often played at Miami Heat home games when Dwyane Wade, who is nicknamed "Flash," makes a spectacular play.
The song was played at Philadelphia Phillies home games when Phillies reliever Tom Gordon, whose nickname is "Flash Gordon", entered the game.
The song is played in the film Blades of Glory when Will Ferrell and Jon Heder do their final competition together, with the song as the background and basis for their routine at the end of the movie.^[7]
Some Sci Fi Channel teaser-advertisements for the 2007 Flash Gordon series play the signature beats from the song over a simple logo. The song is not used in the actual show.
Mark Dudbridge, an English darts player, uses it as his entrance music on stage. A take on his nickname Flash.
"Flash" has been used as the opening theme song for Fuji TV's Formula One coverage in Japan since the 2007 season.
This song has been played on Toy Story 2 advertisement on ABC1 and Disney Channel using "Buzz" instead of "Flash".
NBA star Shaquille O'Neal sang the song during a press-conference, but replaced Flash with "Shaq, Ah! Ah! Greatest of the universe!".^[8]
The song was featured in the Family Guy episode "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven", when Brian wonders why nobody has even seen God and what does he do up there.^[9]
The song was used in a 2011 commercial for the Blackberry Playbook, with "Flash" referring to the tablet computer's inclusion of Adobe Flash Player.
The song has recently been used in the UK Innocent smoothie advertising campaign replacing "Flash" with "Fruit"
The song was used on a promo for the CBS reality show The Amazing Race, replacing "Flash" with "Phil", referring to the show's host Phil Keoghan.
"Flash", along with other songs from the soundtrack, was used in the 2012 comedy film Ted.

Live recording

References

↑ "Queen: Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 May 2012
↑ "British single certifications – Flash". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Flash in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
↑ "Public Enemy's Terminator X to the Edge of Panic Sample of Queen's Flash theme" Whosampled.com. Retrieved 12 May 2012
↑ "Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 May 2012
↑ "Brian May to release 'The Badger Song' ahead of planned government cull - listen". New Musical Express. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
↑ "Blades of Glory (2007) - Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 12 May 2012
↑ "All Is Right With Shaq's Universe". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 May 2012
↑ Family Guy Season 7 Episode 11 Not All Dogs Go To Heaven (10:53-11:02). Retrieved 12 May 2012

External links

Official YouTube videos: original music video, 'Flash/The Hero' (Live At The Bowl)
Lyrics at Queen official website (original version, reprise, single version)

Flash Gordon

Created by: Alex Raymond

Characters	Dale Arden Hans Zarkov Ming the Merciless Princess Aura Prince Barin Prince Thun Prince Vultan

Locations	Mongo

Lie-action TV Series	Flash Gordon (1954 TV series) Flash Gordon (2007 TV series)

Animated TV Series	The New Adventures of Flash Gordon Defenders of the Earth Flash Gordon (1996 TV series)

Film	Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All Flash Gordon

Movie serials	Flash Gordon Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

Other media	List of Flash Gordon comic strips Flash Gordon (soundtrack) "Flash" (Queen song) Flash Gordon (pinball) Flash Gordon (video game) Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter Flash Gordon & the Warriors of Mongo

Related articles	Al Williamson Flesh Gordon Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders Flash Gordon Classic Jungle Jim King Features Syndicate Mac Raboy

Queen singles discography

Queen	"Keep Yourself Alive" "Liar"

Queen II	"Seven Seas of Rhye"

Sheer Heart Attack	"Killer Queen"/"Flick of the Wrist" "Now I'm Here" "Lily of the Valley"

A Night at the Opera	"Bohemian Rhapsody" "You're My Best Friend" "Love of My Life"

A Day at the Races	"Somebody to Love" "Tie Your Mother Down" "Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" "Long Away" "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"

News of the World	"We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" "Spread Your Wings" "It's Late"

Jazz	"Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls" "Don't Stop Me Now" "Jealousy" "Mustapha"

Live Killers	"Love of My Life" (Live) "We Will Rock You" (Live)

The Game	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Save Me" "Play the Game" "Another One Bites the Dust" "Need Your Loving Tonight"

Flash Gordon	"Flash"

Hot Space	"Under Pressure" (with David Bowie) "Body Language" "Las Palabras de Amor" "Calling All Girls" "Staying Power" "Back Chat"

The Works	"Radio Ga Ga" "I Want to Break Free" "It's a Hard Life" "Hammer to Fall"

A Kind of Magic	"One Vision" "A Kind of Magic" "Princes of the Universe" "Friends Will Be Friends" "Pain Is So Close to Pleasure" "Who Wants to Live Forever" "One Year of Love"

The Miracle	"I Want It All" "Breakthru" "The Invisible Man" "Scandal" "The Miracle"

Innuendo	"Innuendo" "I'm Going Slightly Mad" "Headlong" "I Can't Live With You" "The Show Must Go On" "These Are the Days of Our Lives"

Made in Heaven	"Heaven for Everyone" "A Winter's Tale" "I Was Born to Love You" "Too Much Love Will Kill You" "Let Me Live" "You Don't Fool Me"

Queen Rocks	"No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)"/"Tie Your Mother Down"

Greatest Hits III	"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)"

Non-album singles	"Thank God It's Christmas" "Another One Bites the Dust (Small Soldiers Remix)" "We Will Rock You" (with Five) "We Are the Champions" (with Robbie Williams) "Flash (Vanguard Mix)" "Another One Bites the Dust (The Miami Project Remixes)" "Bohemian Rhapsody" (with The Muppets)

Other songs	"Doing All Right" "Father to Son" "White Queen (As It Began)" "Ogre Battle" "The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" "Nevermore" "The March of the Black Queen" "See What a Fool I've Been" "Brighton Rock" "Stone Cold Crazy" "In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited" "Death on Two Legs" "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon" "I'm in Love with My Car" "'39" "Sweet Lady" "Seaside Rendezvous" "The Prophet's Song" "Good Company" "Sheer Heart Attack" "Is This the World We Created...?" "Ride the Wild Wind" "Delilah" "Made In Heaven" "Mother Love" "Let Me in Your Heart Again" "Love Kills" "There Must Be More to Life Than This"

Book Category Portal Template WikiProject

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 07, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.