A-side "Bicycle Race" Recorded 1978 | Format 7" Genre Hard rock, glam rock | |
Released 13 October 1978 (1978-10-13) Length 4:16 (album version)
3:22 (single version) | ||
"Fat Bottomed Girls" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, the track featured on their 1978 album Jazz, and later on their compilation album, Greatest Hits. When released as a single with "Bicycle Race", the song reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 24 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
Contents
The song is formed around an open bluesy, metallic guitar tuning, with the tune opening with its chorus. It was one of the few Queen songs played in an alternative guitar tuning, being played in drop D tuning. The song's music video was filmed at the Dallas Convention Center in Texas in October 1978.
Live performances
Queen performed "Fat Bottomed Girls" in concert from 1978 to 1982. Since its release, the song has appeared on television and film, and has been covered by a number of artists.
The song was performed on the setlists of their Queen + Adam Lambert tours in 2012 & 2014-2015 featuring Adam Lambert and at the iHeartRadio Music Festival 2013 as Queen + Adam Lambert featuring Fun It was also performed during the Return Of The Champions Tour and the Rock the Cosmos Tour, both tours by Queen + Paul Rodgers.
Versions
The song featured a different vocal arrangement from the studio recording when performed live. In live performances, the lead vocals during the chorus were sung by Freddie Mercury and harmonised with an upper voice (Roger Taylor) and a lower voice (Brian May). In the studio version, there is no higher harmony. The lead vocals on the verses are sung by Freddie Mercury, while Brian May sings the lead vocals on the chorus.
The single version (which can be found on Greatest Hits) omits the extended guitar interludes between the verses as well as fading out before the ending.
In the US, the 1991 Hollywood Records reissue of Jazz included a bonus remix by Matt Wallace.
In 1992, Organized Konfusion remixed the track for inclusion on the later-cancelled BASIC Queen Bootlegs compilation. This version included an alternate vocal track by Mercury, as well as hip-hop production and added rap verses.
"Fat Bottomed Girls" was released as a double A-side with the song "Bicycle Race", and includes the line "Get on your bikes and ride 'em". "Bicycle Race" contains the lyrics "Fat bottomed girls, they'll be riding today/So look out for those beauties, oh yeah", completing a double cross-reference between the two songs.
Cover versions
Mark Salling also performed the song on Glee. American singer Kid Rock has recorded a live country version. The fictional band Jeffster also performed the song for an episode of the NBC show Chuck.