Flash Gordon (Original Soundtrack Music)

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In 1979, the director Mike Hodges approached Queen about writing a soundtrack for his movie adaptation of the comic book <i>Flash Gordon</i>. The band members were game: Not only was this an opportunity for them to explore a new medium—it was also an opportunity to contribute to a mythology that at least a couple of the members had lived with since childhood. (In a clash that foreshadowed countless internet arguments to come, Hodges’ idea faced resistance from film producer Dino De Laurentiis, who thought Queen was too campy.) You wouldn’t mistake 1980’s <i>Flash Gordon</i> for a proper Queen album, but it continues the musical evolution the group had begun on <i>The Game</i>. That album had found Queen finally embracing the synthesizer—an instrument that plays a central role in <i>Flash Gordon</i> (“In the Space Capsule,” “Football Fight”). And, at a time when the band was exploring a more spontaneous approach, Hodges’ film gave Brian May plenty of room to shape, layer, and play with sound—as evidenced by a handful of instrumentals that weave in dialogue and effects from the movie itself (“Flash to the Rescue,” “Vultan’s Theme”). De Laurentiis may have been resistant to Queen coming aboard <i>Flash Gordon</i>, but anyone listening to the soundtrack now would have a hard time thinking of a band more perfectly suited for Hodges’ tongue-in-cheek epic. Queen was just as lighthearted, action-packed, and state-of-the-art as <i>Flash Gordon</i> itself—not to mention equally retro. Besides, the group had been making superhero music for years—tights and sequins and fate-of-the-universe grandiosity included. <i>Flash Gordon</i> just let them take it to another galaxy.

via Apple Music