Maps of Music

Hot Space (1982)

Where the lyrics of Hot Space take you, and where it was really made.

Queen's tenth album swapped guitar rock for disco, funk and synth-pop, and the fans who loved the band's old sound largely turned away from it.

Key places

Munich sessions (1982)

Recording site Musicland Studios — The album was made in Munich, and the sessions took much longer than usual, according to May. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Montreux studio jam (1982)

Recording site Mountain Studios — Under Pressure began as an impromptu jam session in the band's studio in Montreux. It was released in 1981 and reached number one in the UK. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Horn arrangement in New York (1982)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Arif Mardin's horn arrangement for Staying Power was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York. The original demo had a guitar in place of the horns. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Hot Space: tenth studio album by Queen
• Released 4 May 1982 by EMI Records in the UK and Elektra Records in the US
• Marked a clear change in direction from the band's earlier rock work
• Uses disco, funk, R&B, dance, synth-pop and new wave elements
• Fans who preferred the traditional rock style associated with the band found it less appealing
• Backlash against disco music at the time added to the album's lukewarm reception

Background

• The decision to record a dance-oriented album grew out of the 1980 US success of "Another One Bites the Dust"
• Before 1979, Queen had never used synthesisers on their albums
• The Game began the band's use of Oberheim OB-X synthesisers
• Hot Space introduced the drum machine for the first time
• Most of the album is rhythm and blues, funk, dance and disco; the rock songs keep a pop rock direction, with "Put Out the Fire" as an exception
• In a 1984 interview, Roger Taylor said it was John Deacon who turned the band towards a more disco sound
• Brian May and Taylor were critical of Paul Prenter, Mercury's personal manager from 1977 to 1984, and of his influence on the singer
• Producer Reinhold Mack said Prenter disliked rock music and was in Mercury's ear throughout the sessions
• The making of the album in Munich took much longer than usual
• "Under Pressure", a collaboration with David Bowie, was recorded ahead of the album as a separate project and reached number one in the UK in 1981

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1970 by Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).
• John Deacon (bass) joined in February 1971, completing the classic line-up.
• Mercury suggested the name "Queen".
• Early works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, later expanding into arena rock and pop rock.

Members

• Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano, 1970–1991, died 1991).
• Brian May (guitar, vocals, 1970–present).
• Roger Taylor (drums, vocals, 1970–present).
• John Deacon (bass, 1971–1997, retired).
• Paul Rodgers (vocals, 2004–2009) and Adam Lambert (vocals, 2011–present) toured as "Queen +".

Career

• First UK chart hit with Queen II (1974); international success with A Night at the Opera (1975) and "Bohemian Rhapsody", which topped the UK chart for nine weeks.
• News of the World (1977) contained "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", now sports anthems.
• Greatest Hits (1981) is the best-selling album in UK chart history.
• Live Aid performance (1985) is ranked among the greatest in rock history.
• Estimated record sales of 250–300 million, one of the world's best-selling music artists.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and the Polar Music Prize in 2025.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Sounds: Sandy Robertson gave the album four stars and called it fairly lickable funk-pop
• Rolling Stone: its review at the time said Queen offered more than bluster, but judged most of the songs routinely competent
• The Guardian: Alex Petridis gave the album two stars and argued that disco had mutated into a sound that did not suit Queen

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the band, who once said they did not use synthesizers, had reversed course entirely
• He described the first side as robotic, new wave dance-pop driven by drum machines, with Brian May's guitar appearing only occasionally
• Retrospective notes say "Under Pressure" remains one of the band's staple songs despite the album's mixed reception
• In a 1986 interview, Deacon called the reception a blow to the group's inner confidence

Records

• "Body Language": peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1982
• "Body Language" was the album's biggest hit in America
• "Back Chat": stalled at number 40 on the UK charts as the album's final single and failed to chart in the US
• "Calling All Girls": peaked at number 60 in the US and number 33 in Canada
• "Put Out the Fire": peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart
• "Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)": peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart
• "Las Palabras de Amor": a top 20 hit in the UK
• "Under Pressure": reached number one on the UK singles chart in 1981

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• "Body Language" was banned in a few territories after its video of scantily clad models was judged controversial, and it ran mainly as late-night showings on MTV.
• Bowie was unhappy with his vocals on "Cool Cat" and asked for them to be removed days before the album was due out; Mercury sings the album version entirely in falsetto.
• "Cool Cat" was used in a 2023 Amazon Prime commercial.
• "Action This Day" takes its title from a Winston Churchill catchphrase that he attached to urgent documents.
• Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme said the album taught him that music does not have to be driven by guitar.
• Michael Jackson, a close friend of the band at the time, later cited Hot Space as an influence on Thriller.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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