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⚫
"'''Bicycle Race'''" is a song by the British rock band [[Queen (band)|Queen]]. It was released on their 1978 album ''[[Jazz (Queen album)|Jazz]]'' and written by Queen's lead singer [[Freddie Mercury]]. It was released as a [[double A-side]] single together with the song "[[Fat Bottomed Girls]]", reaching number 11 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number 24 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the US.<ref name="US Chart">[[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]] (2006). The ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books.</ref><ref name="UK Chart">Roberts, David (2006). [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]. London: Guinness World Records Limited.</ref> The song is included in their 1981 ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' compilation.


The song is notable for its video featuring a bicycle race with nude women at [[Wimbledon Stadium]]. The controversial video was edited or even banned in several countries. The song itself has appeared in various media with a bicycle theme.<ref>{{cite news |title=Victoria Pendleton back on her bike for Strictly Come Dancing |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/victoria-pendleton-back-her-bike-strictly-come-dancing-8320166.html |access-date=19 June 2021 |newspaper=The Independent |quote=She and professional partner Brendan Cole are due to perform a paso doble to the Queen hit Bicycle Race. Her arrival is expected to be reminiscent of the flying bike scene in movie hit ET}}</ref>
⚫
"'''Bicycle Race'''" is a single by the British rock band [[Queen (band)|Queen]]. It was released on their 1978 album ''[[Jazz (Queen album)|Jazz]]'' and written by Queen's lead singer [[Freddie Mercury]]. It was released as a [[double A-side]] single together with the song "[[Fat Bottomed Girls]]", reaching number 11 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number 24 in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the US.<ref name="US Chart">[[Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]] (2006). The ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books.</ref><ref name="UK Chart">Roberts, David (2006). [[British Hit Singles & Albums]]. London: Guinness World Records Limited.</ref> The song is included in their 1981 ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' compilation. It is also one of the most downloaded bicycle-themed songs.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tour de France: 10 most downloaded bike-themed songs revealed! |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/tour-de-france-10-most-downloaded-bike-themed-songs-revealed-__4297/ |access-date=19 June 2021 |agency=Official Charts Company}}</ref>

The song is notable for its video featuring a bicycle race with nude women at [[Wimbledon Stadium]], which was controversial at the time, with the video being edited or even banned in several countries. The song itself has appeared in various media with a bicycle theme.


==Composition==
==Composition==
The song was written by Freddie Mercury and was inspired by watching the 18th stage of the [[1978 Tour de France]] passing [[Montreux]], where the band were recording ''Jazz'' in the [[Mountain Studios]].<ref name=b1/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=M. Felsani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80i-yJVN2TwC&pg=PA16 |title=Queen. Tutti i testi con traduzione a fronte |last2=M. Primi |last3=M. Saita |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1997 |isbn=978-88-09-02418-2 |pages=16 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref> It starts with a chorus unaccompanied by instruments. The chorus is followed by two verses connected with a [[bridge (music)|bridge]], both followed by a chorus. Around the middle of the song is a solo played with numerous [[bicycle bell]]s. The song has an unusual [[chord progression]] with numerous [[modulation (music)|modulations]], a change of [[meter (music)|metre]] (from [[4/4 time|{{music|time|4|4}}]] to [[triple metre|{{music|time|3|4}}]]) in the bridge, and [[multitrack recording|multitracked]] vocal and guitar [[harmonies]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queen Songs – The Book: Bicycle Race |url=http://www.queensongs.info/the-book/songwriting-analyses/modern-era-queen/the-works/Bicycle-race.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |website=Queensongs.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721231706/http://www.queensongs.info/the-book/songwriting-analyses/modern-era-queen/the-works/Bicycle-race.html }}</ref>
The song was written by Freddie Mercury and was inspired by watching the 18th stage of the [[1978 Tour de France]] passing [[Montreux]], where the band were recording ''Jazz'' in the [[Mountain Studios]].<ref name=b1/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=M. Felsani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=80i-yJVN2TwC&pg=PA16 |title=Queen. Tutti i testi con traduzione a fronte |last2=M. Primi |last3=M. Saita |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1997 |isbn=978-88-09-02418-2 |pages=16 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref> It starts with a chorus unaccompanied by instruments. The chorus is followed by two verses connected with a [[bridge (music)|bridge]], both followed by a chorus. Around the middle of the song is a solo played with numerous [[bicycle bell]]s. The song has an unusual [[chord progression]] with numerous [[modulation (music)|modulations]], a change of [[meter (music)|metre]] (from [[4/4 time|{{music|time|4|4}}]] to [[triple metre|{{music|time|3|4}}]]) in the bridge, and [[multitrack recording|multitracked]] vocal and guitar [[harmonies]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Queen Songs – The Book: Bicycle Race |url=http://www.queensongs.info/the-book/songwriting-analyses/modern-era-queen/the-works/Bicycle-race.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |website=Queensongs.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721231706/http://www.queensongs.info/the-book/songwriting-analyses/modern-era-queen/the-works/Bicycle-race.html }}</ref>

==Reception==
''[[Cash Box]]'' called it "a jaunty theatrical tribute to bike riding."<ref name=cb>{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=November 4, 1978|page=26|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2022-01-01|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1978/CB-1978-11-04.pdf}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that it combines "inventive lyrics and harmonies" with class.<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=November 11, 1978|accessdate=2023-02-13|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/78/RW-1978-11-11.pdf}}</ref>


==Lyrics==
==Lyrics==
The lyrics are topical for the time and contain social, political, and pop culture references, such as [[religion]], [[Vietnam War]], [[Watergate]], [[cocaine]], fictional characters ([[Peter Pan]], [[Frankenstein's monster|Frankenstein]] and [[Superman]]), and the films ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''.
The lyrics are topical for the time and contain social, political, and pop culture references, such as [[religion]], the [[Vietnam War]], [[Watergate]], [[cocaine]], fictional characters ([[Peter Pan]], [[Frankenstein's monster|Frankenstein]] and [[Superman]]), and the films ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''.


Brian May has said that the song was not an autobiographical portrait of Mercury and that Mercury did not particularly enjoy bicycling, also noting that despite the lyric "I don't like Star Wars", Mercury was a ''Star Wars'' fan.<ref name="Starwars">{{Cite web |last=Van Luling |first=Todd |title=5 Things You Didn't Know About Queen, Even If You Know Every Word Of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/05/queen-band-didnt-know_n_5768476.html |access-date=2015-12-24 |website=Huffington Post|date=5 September 2014 }}</ref>
[[Brian May]] has said that the song was not an autobiographical portrait of Mercury and that Mercury did not particularly enjoy bicycling, also noting that despite the lyric "I don't like Star Wars", Mercury was a ''Star Wars'' fan.<ref name="Starwars">{{Cite web |last=Van Luling |first=Todd |title=5 Things You Didn't Know About Queen, Even If You Know Every Word Of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/05/queen-band-didnt-know_n_5768476.html |access-date=2015-12-24 |website=Huffington Post|date=5 September 2014 }}</ref>


The song references the band's song "[[Fat Bottomed Girls]]" with the lyric "fat bottomed girls, they'll be riding today". "Fat Bottomed Girls" reciprocates with the lyric: "Get on your bikes and ride!" The two songs were released together as a [[double A-side]]d [[Single (music)|single]].
The song references the band's song "[[Fat Bottomed Girls]]" with the line "fat bottomed girls, they'll be riding today". "Fat Bottomed Girls" reciprocates with "Get on your bikes and ride!" The two songs were released together as a [[double A-side]]d [[Single (music)|single]].


==Video==
==Music video==
Filmed by Denis de Vallance, the promotional video featured 65 nude women, all professional models, bicycle racing at [[Wimbledon Stadium|Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium]], southwest London. The group rented the stadium and several dozen bicycles for one day for filming the scene; however, when the renting company became aware of the way their bikes were used, they requested that the group purchase all the bicycle seats.<ref name="b1">{{Cite book |last1=Phil Sutcliffe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=adNONbUWLjgC&pg=PT122 |title=Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock |last2=Peter Hince |last3=Reinhold Mack |date=15 November 2009 |publisher=MBI Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-7603-3719-6 |pages=122 |access-date=2011-02-23}}. Sutcliffe counters a popular belief that Mercury was inspired by seeing the Tour through a hotel window in Nice by that the Tour did not pass through Nice that year.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter Buckley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=haEfq-nKqjgC&pg=PR7-IA782 |title=The rough guide to rock |date=28 October 2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-105-0 |pages=7 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref> The original video used special effects to hide the nudity.<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/videos/queenpromo.htm Queen Promo Videos – Bicycle Race] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 2011-09-03.</ref> However, due to the nudity, the video is [[Age restrictions|age-restricted]] on [[YouTube]] and banned in several countries, including China.
Filmed by Denis de Vallance, the promotional video featured 65 nude women, all professional models, bicycle racing at [[Wimbledon Stadium|Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium]], southwest London. The group rented the stadium and several dozen bicycles for one day for filming the scene; however, when the renting company became aware of the way their bikes were used, they requested that the group purchase all the bicycle seats.<ref name="b1">{{Cite book |last1=Phil Sutcliffe |title=Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock |last2=Peter Hince |last3=Reinhold Mack |date=15 November 2009 |publisher=MBI Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-7603-3719-6 |pages=122 }}. Sutcliffe counters a popular belief that Mercury was inspired by seeing the Tour through a hotel window in Nice by that the Tour did not pass through Nice that year.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Peter Buckley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=haEfq-nKqjgC&pg=PR7-IA782 |title=The rough guide to rock |date=28 October 2003 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=978-1-84353-105-0 |pages=7 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref> The original video used special effects to hide the nudity.<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/videos/queenpromo.htm Queen Promo Videos – Bicycle Race] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 2011-09-03.</ref> However, due to the nudity, the video is [[YouTube#Moderation and offensive content|age-restricted]] on [[YouTube]] and banned in several countries, including China.


==Distribution==
==Distribution==
The song was released as a single and is also included in the following albums and box sets: ''Queen'', ''Bohemian Rhapsody'', ''15 Of The Best'', ''Queen Live In Concert'', ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' and ''[[The Singles Collection Volume 1]]''.<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/discography/queenalbumsnonuk.htm Queen Non-UK Albums Discography]. Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.</ref>
The song was released as a single and is also included in the following albums and box sets: ''Queen'', ''Bohemian Rhapsody'', ''15 Of The Best'', ''Queen Live In Concert'', ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' and ''[[The Singles Collection Volume 1]]''.<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/discography/queenalbumsnonuk.htm Queen Non-UK Albums Discography]. Ultimatequeen.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-02-20.</ref>


The single was mostly distributed in 1978, on 7-inch [[Gramophone record|vinyl records]], with "Fat Bottomed Girls" on the B-side and EMI record label. In Argentina, the titles were translated as "{{lang|es|Carrera de Bicicletas}}" and "{{lang|es|Chicas Gordas}}" respectively. The labels were changed to Pepita in Hungary and to [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Polish issue had the label of Tonpress<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT97 |title=Billboard |date=1 September 1979 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |pages=97– |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=2011-02-24}}</ref> and either "[[Spread Your Wings]]" or nothing on the B-side. Both 7-inch and 12-inch records were issued in the US; there the song also appeared in 1979, on the B-side of the single "[[Crazy Little Thing Called Love]]". In nearly all countries, the covers featured a backside photo of a naked woman on a racing bike, with a red bikini painted over the original photo.<ref name=b1/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-05 |title=BBC Two – Queen – Days of Our Lives, Episode 1 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011pwd9 |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref> A brassiere was added to the US covers.<ref name="cd">[http://www.pcpki.com/cgi-bin/discography.cgi?qs:BICYCLE+RACE BICYCLE RACE as an a-side], pcpki.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-30 |title=Bicycle Race (Велогонка) — Queen : Интересные факты о песне |url=http://music-facts.ru/song/Queen/Bicycle_Race/ |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Music-facts.ru |language=ru}}</ref>
The single was mostly distributed in 1978, on 7-inch [[Gramophone record|vinyl records]], with "Fat Bottomed Girls" on the B-side and EMI record label. In Argentina, the titles were translated as "{{lang|es|Carrera de Bicicletas}}" and "{{lang|es|Chicas Gordas}}" respectively. The labels were changed to Pepita in Hungary and to [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Polish issue had the label of Tonpress<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT97 |title=Billboard |date=1 September 1979 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |pages=97– |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=2011-02-24}}</ref> and either "[[Spread Your Wings]]" or nothing on the B-side. Both 7-inch and 12-inch records were issued in the US; there the song also appeared in 1979, on the B-side of the single "[[Crazy Little Thing Called Love]]". In nearly all countries, the covers featured a backside photo of a naked woman on a racing bike, with a red bikini painted over the original photo.<ref name=b1/><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-05 |title=BBC Two – Queen – Days of Our Lives, Episode 1 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011pwd9 |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Bbc.co.uk}}</ref> A brassiere was added to the US covers.<ref name="cd">[http://www.pcpki.com/cgi-bin/discography.cgi?qs:BICYCLE+RACE BICYCLE RACE as an a-side], pcpki.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-05-30 |title=Bicycle Race (Велогонка) — Queen : Интересные факты о песне |url=http://music-facts.ru/song/Queen/Bicycle_Race/ |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Music-facts.ru |language=ru}}</ref>


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
*[[Freddie Mercury]] – [[Lead vocalist|lead]] and [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]], [[piano]], [[bicycle bell]]s
*[[Freddie Mercury]] – lead and backing vocals, piano, bicycle bells
*[[Brian May]] – [[electric guitar]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]], [[bicycle bell]]s
*[[Brian May]] – electric guitar, backing vocals, bicycle bells
*[[Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)|Roger Taylor]] – [[Drum kit|drums]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]], [[bicycle bell]]s
*[[Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)|Roger Taylor]] – drums, backing vocals, bicycle bells
*[[John Deacon]] – [[bass guitar]], [[bicycle bell]]s
*[[John Deacon]] – bass guitar, bicycle bells


==Chart performance==
==Chart performance==
Line 112: Line 114:
|9
|9
|-
|-
|Portugal<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1979/Billboard%201979-02-03.pdf|title=Hits of the World|date=February 3, 1979|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 9, 2021|page=78}}</ref>
⚫
|UK<ref name="r2">{{Cite web |title=Queen International Singles Chart Positions |url=http://www.pcpki.com/queen/singles.html |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Pcpki.com}}</ref><ref name="uk">{{Cite web |title=Official Charts Company |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Bicycle%20Race_slash_Fat%20Bottomed%20Girls |access-date=2011-02-24 |df=dmy}}</ref>
|9
| 3 February 1979
|2
|-
⚫
|UK<ref name="r2">{{Cite web |title=Queen International Singles Chart Positions |url=http://www.pcpki.com/queen/singles.html |access-date=2016-10-13 |website=Pcpki.com}}</ref><ref name="uk">{{Cite web |title=Official Charts Company |website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/Bicycle%20Race_slash_Fat%20Bottomed%20Girls |access-date=2011-02-24 |df=dmy}}</ref>
|11
|11
|25 Nov – 9 Dec 1978
|25 Nov – 9 Dec 1978
|11
|11
|-
|-
|US ''Billboard''<ref name=r2/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT95 |title=Billboard |date=26 June 1982 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |pages=95– |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref>
|US ''Billboard''<ref name=r2/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT95 |title=Billboard |date=26 June 1982 |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |pages=95– |issn=0006-2510 |access-date=2011-02-23}}</ref>
|24
|24
|Jan 1979
|Jan 1979
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<br />
<br />
{{clear}}
{{clear}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|title=Bicycle Race|artist=Queen|award=Platinum|relyear=1978|certyear=2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}


==Sample==
==Sample==
The song's chorus was sampled by [[Eminem]] in "[[C'mon Let Me Ride]]" by [[Skylar Grey]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Eminem Sings Classic Queen Hook on Skylar Grey's New Single |work=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eminem-sings-classic-queen-hook-on-skylar-greys-new-single-187008/ |access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>
The song's chorus was sampled by [[Eminem]] in "[[C'mon Let Me Ride]]" by [[Skylar Grey]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Eminem Sings Classic Queen Hook on Skylar Grey's New Single |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eminem-sings-classic-queen-hook-on-skylar-greys-new-single-187008/ |access-date=5 April 2019}}</ref>


==Alternate artwork==
==Alternate artwork==

Latest revision as of 07:47, 6 February 2024

For the sport, see Cycle sport.

"Bicycle Race"
UK single picture sleeve
Single by Queen
from the album Jazz
A-side“Fat Bottomed Girls" (double A-side)[1]
Released13 October 1978
RecordedJune–July 1978
GenreRock
Length3:01
Label
Songwriter(s)Freddie Mercury
Producer(s)Queen and Roy Thomas Baker
Queen singles chronology
"It's Late"
(1978) 		"Bicycle Race" / "Fat Bottomed Girls"
(1978) 		"Don't Stop Me Now"
(1979)
Music video
"Bicycle Race" on YouTube

"Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", reaching number 11 in the UK Singles Chart and number 24 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.[2][3] The song is included in their 1981 Greatest Hits compilation.

The song is notable for its video featuring a bicycle race with nude women at Wimbledon Stadium. The controversial video was edited or even banned in several countries. The song itself has appeared in various media with a bicycle theme.[4]

Composition

[edit]

The song was written by Freddie Mercury and was inspired by watching the 18th stage of the 1978 Tour de France passing Montreux, where the band were recording Jazz in the Mountain Studios.[5][6] It starts with a chorus unaccompanied by instruments. The chorus is followed by two verses connected with a bridge, both followed by a chorus. Around the middle of the song is a solo played with numerous bicycle bells. The song has an unusual chord progression with numerous modulations, a change of metre (from 4
4 to 3
4) in the bridge, and multitracked vocal and guitar harmonies.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Cash Box called it "a jaunty theatrical tribute to bike riding."[8] Record World said that it combines "inventive lyrics and harmonies" with class.[9]

Lyrics

[edit]

The lyrics are topical for the time and contain social, political, and pop culture references, such as religion, the Vietnam War, Watergate, cocaine, fictional characters (Peter Pan, Frankenstein and Superman), and the films Jaws and Star Wars.

Brian May has said that the song was not an autobiographical portrait of Mercury and that Mercury did not particularly enjoy bicycling, also noting that despite the lyric "I don't like Star Wars", Mercury was a Star Wars fan.[10]

The song references the band's song "Fat Bottomed Girls" with the line "fat bottomed girls, they'll be riding today". "Fat Bottomed Girls" reciprocates with "Get on your bikes and ride!" The two songs were released together as a double A-sided single.

Music video

[edit]

Filmed by Denis de Vallance, the promotional video featured 65 nude women, all professional models, bicycle racing at Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium, southwest London. The group rented the stadium and several dozen bicycles for one day for filming the scene; however, when the renting company became aware of the way their bikes were used, they requested that the group purchase all the bicycle seats.[5][11] The original video used special effects to hide the nudity.[12] However, due to the nudity, the video is age-restricted on YouTube and banned in several countries, including China.

Distribution

[edit]

The song was released as a single and is also included in the following albums and box sets: Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, 15 Of The Best, Queen Live In Concert, Greatest Hits and The Singles Collection Volume 1.[13]

The single was mostly distributed in 1978, on 7-inch vinyl records, with "Fat Bottomed Girls" on the B-side and EMI record label. In Argentina, the titles were translated as "Carrera de Bicicletas" and "Chicas Gordas" respectively. The labels were changed to Pepita in Hungary and to Elektra in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The Polish issue had the label of Tonpress[14] and either "Spread Your Wings" or nothing on the B-side. Both 7-inch and 12-inch records were issued in the US; there the song also appeared in 1979, on the B-side of the single "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". In nearly all countries, the covers featured a backside photo of a naked woman on a racing bike, with a red bikini painted over the original photo.[5][15] A brassiere was added to the US covers.[16][17]

Personnel

[edit]

Chart performance

[edit]
Land Peak
position 		Held during Charted
for (weeks)
Australia[18] 28 9
Austria[19] 21 Jan 1979 4
Belgium[19] 15 Jan 1979 5
France[20] 7 November – December 1978 11
Germany[21] 27 11–18 Dec 1978 12
Ireland[22] 10 7
New Zealand[19] 20 8
The Netherlands[23] 5 25 Nov – 2 Dec 1978 11
Norway[23] 7 9
Portugal[24] 9 3 February 1979 2
UK[18][25] 11 25 Nov – 9 Dec 1978 11
US Billboard[18][26] 24 Jan 1979 12


Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sample

[edit]

The song's chorus was sampled by Eminem in "C'mon Let Me Ride" by Skylar Grey.[28]

Alternate artwork

[edit]

A bicycle race with nude women was held to promote the Jazz album, the single and the "Fat Bottomed Girls" single. This photo was included as a fold-out poster with the album Jazz. It was also included as an alternate single cover.[29]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bicycle Race - Queen | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books.
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited.
  4. ^ "Victoria Pendleton back on her bike for Strictly Come Dancing". The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2021. She and professional partner Brendan Cole are due to perform a paso doble to the Queen hit Bicycle Race. Her arrival is expected to be reminiscent of the flying bike scene in movie hit ET
  5. ^ a b c Phil Sutcliffe; Peter Hince; Reinhold Mack (15 November 2009). Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. MBI Publishing Company. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7603-3719-6.. Sutcliffe counters a popular belief that Mercury was inspired by seeing the Tour through a hotel window in Nice by that the Tour did not pass through Nice that year.
  6. ^ M. Felsani; M. Primi; M. Saita (1997). Queen. Tutti i testi con traduzione a fronte. Taylor & Francis. p. 16. ISBN 978-88-09-02418-2. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Queen Songs – The Book: Bicycle Race". Queensongs.info. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  8. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 4 November 1978. p. 26. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 11 November 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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  11. ^ Peter Buckley (28 October 2003). The rough guide to rock. Rough Guides. p. 7. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
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  16. ^ BICYCLE RACE as an a-side, pcpki.com
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  28. ^ "Eminem Sings Classic Queen Hook on Skylar Grey's New Single". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  29. ^ "Sixty-five naked women were perched atop bicycles rented from Halford's Cycles and sent racing around Wimbledon Stadium". Queenpedia.com. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
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