This was likely due to the risk of damage involved in the shot in which Mercury snatches the guitar from May, then appears to throw it back to him which was played back in reverse so that it would be easier for May to play the solo after 'catching' the guitar in the video.

Brian May did not use his trademark Red Special guitar, instead using a Fender Stratocaster replica made by Satellite. The sleeve of the single, as well as its promotional video directed by Brian Grant, marked the first time Mercury appeared in either format with moustache. Both 'Play the Game' and 'It's a Hard Life' are of a similar structure, revolving around Mercury's piano playing and the band's multi-layered harmonies. Later singles ' It's a Hard Life', ' Let Me Live' and ' You Don't Fool Me' revisit the theme presented in 'Play the Game', with Mercury writing from the same lover's perspective years later in the former song, and reflecting on the memories of the failed relationship in the latter.

Record World said that 'Freddy Mercury leads a celestial choir of pretty falsettos juxtaposed with soaring guitars.'

Cash Box similarly said that this was a return to Queen's 'patented high tech, progressive pop sound' and they commented on 'Freddie Mercury's breathless falsetto and sweet piano work' and 'Brian May’s soaring lead guitar'. Mercury also played piano on the track.īillboard considered 'Play the Game' to be a return to Queen's traditional 'epic, rather grand sound' after deviating from that sound with the rockabilly of their prior single ' Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. The song features a soft vocal by Mercury, ending with a strong A4 rising in pitch all the way to C5 in chest voice (contrary to the other C5s being hit in falsetto). They played it in their live shows from 1980 to 1982. The song commences with a series of overlapping rushing noises on an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, heralding the band's acceptance of electronic instruments into their once explicitly 'no synths' sonic repertoire. 14 in the charts, and in the US, peaking at No. The single was a hit in the UK, reaching No. It also appears on their album Greatest Hits. It is the first track on the first side of their 1980 album The Game. ' Play the Game' is a song by British rock band Queen, written by Freddie Mercury.

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