In July 1981, Queen and David Bowie came together at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, to create something special. Tensions flared during the sessions, but that only added to the magic. Bowie dropped by while Queen was working on their album, *Hot Space*, and that’s when the collaboration began.
The song evolved from an earlier track, and producer Dave Richards described the process as chaotic. Bowie initially contributed backing vocals to a Queen song, but those vocals didn’t make it into the final version. Guitarist Brian May recalled, “It wasn’t easy because we were all precocious boys, and David was very… forceful. Freddie and David definitely clashed.” But those clashes led to creativity, and that’s what made the song great.
During recording, Bowie took charge of the lyrics, leading to some disagreements with Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon created the iconic bassline, though there’s some debate about its origins. May remembered Bowie questioning Deacon’s approach, to which Deacon confidently replied that he was the bass player.
At first, May wasn’t thrilled with the final mix. “I wasn’t happy about the mix at the time,” he said. “But looking back, I still think it’s a very special song.” Much of his heavier guitar work was replaced with earlier acoustic versions.
The single was released on October 26, 1981, and quickly climbed to No. 1 in the UK within a week. The track is credited to all four members of Queen—Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon—along with Bowie. Mercury and Bowie had known each other since their teenage years, adding a personal touch to this legendary collaboration.
