Queen, Radio Ga Ga - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@tomdid1]

I'd urge you to watch Queen's live performance at Live Aid, to see the effect this song has on a crowd, and also see the way Freddie has the crowd in the palm of his hand.

[@chergui77]

Indeed!!! Totally agree!!!

[@callumbruce4154]

Can't wait for Amy to watch the Live Aid performance. I'm sure she mentioned it before but said she will wait until she completes the Queen 50 series so she doesn't hear anything out of sequence. I remember watching Live Aid in 1985 and being blown away by how the audience totally submitted to this song. It wasn't even a Queen audience.

[@mightyV444]

​@@callumbruce4154 - Amy hasn't actually _seen_ Freddie and his mates in action yet, or has she?! 😀 Oh I'm looking forward to _that_ reaction! 😁

[@thundernels]

How much do you want to wager that the capstone of the series will be Live Aid?

[@Manicpanicanticant]

She should react to queen at live aid

[@jimiewilliams7623]

Lady Ga Ga, named herself after this song. It's one the most well known things about her.

[@johnmcgregor5415]

The song is not about her....

[@celtasnake]

@@johnmcgregor5415 That is not what he said.

[@Ozymandi_as]

​​@@celtasnakeI think he was making a joke. It made me chuckle in any case, and it defused the irritation I felt at the OP, for its somewhat reproving tone. I mean, sigh, _everyone_ knows that Lady Gaga took her name from Queen's song, don't you know _anything?_ So Jim's riposte pricked that bubble very nicely, or so it seemed to me.

[@letsgomets002]

Nobody said it was about her​@@johnmcgregor5415

[@celtasnake]

@@Ozymandi_as I see it the other way. The op is beung informative without no reproving tone. But i do find a not very nice tone in your message.

[@CLechleitner42]

You should watch the video too - and then a live performance! Even at Live Aid, which was not a Queen concert in particular, *everyone* ..., you'll see ;-)

[@bruno-id1wh]

Yeah, it really was a Queen concert. Everyone else there was just playing support. 😉

[@eduardocervantesaca]

You need to watch a live performance of this song. IT is a bit faster and they fixed something with the metric of the song. Then it is amazing how they engage a whole stadium for them to clap. The live at Wembley 86 version is a clear example of what I just described.

[@wowbagger66]

I saw Queen one week earlier in Newcastle and it was amazing to be part of a huge audience all doing the claps in perfect harmony 😊

[@MusiCatsKing]

I'd also recommend the medley finale of that concert. We will rock you straight into Friends will be friends (dropped to F). Finished an the A chord and immediately begins into the F chord with A note lead. Then near the end of a chorus it finishes on the C chord as Freddy begins the Cm piano intro to We are the champions.

[@SirWussiePants]

Every time I hear this song I can totally see the crowd at Live Aid. When it first aired I was in awe seeing hundreds of thousands of people clapping. It still sends shivers down my spine.

[@tconnolly9820]

Actually, Amy HAS seen the movie Bohemian Rhapsodynif I recall correctly, so she has heard this song and several other Queen songs before being introduced to them on this channel.

[@steelheadplayer]

You have reached the stage where the video and live versions of these songs became essential to understanding their effect and attachment to their fans, they took on a life of their own and the live performances became part of legend. You will gain a greater understanding by viewing them.

[@clairemeehan7250]

Whilst this isn't one of my favourite Queen songs, when you see them playing it live it brings everyone together in a beautiful way which I really appreciate.

[@sambirch6784]

What this song reaffirms is that synthesisers and drum machines are just musical mediums, like any other instrument, and the central element of Queen's success is the strength of their songwriting. If you gave Brian May a pair of spoons, Roger Taylor a tea chest and John Deacon a piece of string I'm pretty sure they could come up with a listenable piece of music because Queen were, at heart, brilliant songwriters in whichever medium they chose to use.

[@nickjoy8868]

Beautifully said

[@kendallneason3645]

And Freddie’s magical voice and charisma and his polishing of every aspect of their music.

[@martijnalblas]

I never cared about this song much, until I learned to learn to play (and listen to) the bassline. It is absolutely stunning.

[@XFLexiconMatt]

This is pretty much the polarization phase with Queen, the whole 'Works' album was not like this, the next track 'I Want To Break Free' is pop, the next 'It's A Hard Life' is a great ballad, 'Hammer To Fall' is very heavy rock, if you add 'Is This The World We Created...?" Is a plantive, social acoustic ballad, the track "Keep Passing The Open Windows" is a cool, anti suicide song. Very broad album.

[@Gatito938]

And...Man on the Prowl....☹️😳🤦

[@surferles589]

What makes this song so nostalgic is that while it pines for radio to stay, you know it is firmly in the past, and those days will never return

[@baptistemalik5753]

I was not expecting many songs from Hot Space but at least Cool Cat.

[@celtasnake]

Yes !!! Great song.

[@celt67]

Or Las Palabras De Amor.

[@Mrs_People]

Yes as others have mentioned please watch the Live Aid performance. Freddie had that enormous audience in the palm of his hand.

[@lowkey1969]

"Freddy, what instrument do you play best?" "The audience, Darling."

[@Mrs_People]

@@lowkey1969 yes 😆👏👏👏

[@Paul-D-Hoff]

I so miss Freddie Mercury.

[@PedroLopez-z8t]

Me too

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

That's the thing though, by now he would be 77 and probably long retired.

[@Paul-D-Hoff]

@@Quotenwagnerianer Not has long as his voice held out. But if anything, we would have had more of his voice.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@@Paul-D-Hoff I doubt his voice would have held out. Voices in that range don't last. We'll never know but from my personal experience with high tenor voices he would have probably gone into retirement about 10 years ago and we would have wished he would have done it 15 years ago. ;) Still that's 15 years we would have been able to enjoy more of him. It is what it is.

[@kendallneason3645]

It’s still amazing to me that all four members of Queen were able to write such successful and interesting music. Freddie Mercury’s voice of course helped make all their music lovely. The fact that each member could come up with at least 4 hit songs is still amazing and showed their talent especially when they all worked together. In this song to me it was a farewell to our reliance on radio and the new phase of television music videos. It was an homage to the way these guys first heard music and fell in love with it through radios. Another Queen hit that involved the audience clapping their hands as shown in the futuristic video.

[@bluebell3720]

This was Rogers first single 1984 Hit in several countries

[@peterobrien8399]

I would love Brian May to do a review with you, I think he would be on the same wavelength

[@BlunderCity]

The popularity of podcasts shows that radio is still alive. It's not exactly radio because it's pre-recorded but radio now has children. That's one way to never die.

[@Walesbornandbred]

You should really watch Queen's Live Aid performance, it's only 20 minutes. Everyone agrees they were the best band there. His command of what wasn't even a Queen audience is a masterclass, he was a true showman. Farrokh Bulsara may have died in 1991 but Freddie Mercury is alive as long as we still play Queen's music.

[@gagamemnonripe]

Radio Luxemburg has played a huge part in early musical growth, in the formation of musical tastes of many British classical rockmen.

[@rog2224]

Across most of mainland Britain, on long wave, in the evening, you could also hear AFN Germany (American Forces Network) when I was listening to it in the late 70s, they played a lot of classic Wolfman Jack programmes, which often played things we didn't hear in the UK (and, of course, that era had John Peel on the 10 to midnight slot on BBC Radio 1, when the gloves came off, and you had someone who cared about the music, not what the programmers wanted)

[@celsonicoliniTV]

For me, the phrase "You made us feel like we could fly" references Superman's radio adventures from the 1940s-1950s. Despite the song criticizing music videos, the Radio Ga Ga clip generated one of the most impressive audience collaborations during Queen's performances: the double clap beat in the chorus. Therefore, it is worth checking out both the music video and a live performance of the song. Furthermore, while Freddie Mercury performs the single in a more restrained way, his energy on stage elevates the song to another level.

[@starryk79]

I always think of my father when i hear these lyrics who told me how important his little radio was to him as a teenager sitting in his room in the attic trying to catch a station that played the english rock songs of the time. He grew up in the GDR (born in 1952) where this kind of music was banned. So he tried to catch the station from West Berlin to listen to the music he liked. And yeah he still listens to the Radio a lot, while I don't do that anymore. I did also record songs from the radio in my early teenage years but i also recorded from MTV (every Week they had the European Top 20 which i used to record songs) but of course with the advent of MP3 i moved on from that. So this song always makes me a bit emotional.

[@markwatson6579]

These songs are beginning to set up one of their best songs imo -The Show Must Go On 😢

[@Othraerir]

and Innuendo

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

We are at "The Works" there are still two albums in between the Innuendo Album and this. So hold your horses. ;)

[@markwatson6579]

@@Quotenwagnerianer Freddie knew he was Ill and his days could be numbered many months before his death . Many of his songs reflected this in the last few albums

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

@@markwatson6579 In 1984 he only knew that something was off, but what it was was not clear yet. He showed symptoms from 1982 onwards and his diagnosis came in 1987.

[@radman8321]

It was genius. It was guaranteed tons of radio airplay just because of the subject of the song. The fact that it was very good was a bonus. It was also tailor made for crowd participation at gigs.

[@chattikathy4391]

*Taylor-made 😁

[@mightyV444]

​@@chattikathy4391 - You beat me to it! 😄

[@chattikathy4391]

@@mightyV444 🤣

[@mightyV444]

@@chattikathy4391 - 😁

[@radman8321]

Just took me 10 minutes to work out why you substituted the name of a golf brand. Then I finally got it. I'm so slow this morning.

[@yvrkid7070]

Roger listened to the radio and kept up with current trends in music. He is also an encyclopedia of pop trivia. He used to go on a game show called Pop Quiz in the 80s and do very well. I've never been a big fan pf synthesizer and drum machines so I prefer the live version of this song. Live Aid or Wembley 86 are great examples. "you made us feel like we could fly". Indeed!

[@darkiee69]

Vinyls didn't become vinyls until the CD came around.

[@rog2224]

LPs, 12 inch [single], and 45s were the terms we used in the 80s. For The Works, I collected all the 12 inch singles.

[@darkiee69]

@@rog2224 12" = Maxi single, 45's 0 single here in Sweden.

[@mightyV444]

​@@darkiee69 - LP, Single and Maxi Single also in Germany. And also EP, if I remember correctly 🙂

[@DhenxnFncnend]

You have to check out “it’s a hard life” from “the works” very different from the rest of the album and really highlights Freddie’s maturity as a singer and the bands growth at writing power ballads!

[@arnehenkler8391]

Tune in tomorrow for that song!

[@davidmacfarlane1763]

I agree, but Hammer to Fall is different too.

[@egads69]

Hopefully she will react to both "Hammer To Fall" and "I Want To Break Free", so she covers songs from all 4 members on this record.

[@davidmacfarlane1763]

@@egads69 Aye, she got spared Hot Space and Flash, so there is plenty of room to do that... though the next couple of Albums are dense with important tracks

[@guidolitjens5796]

The March of the Black Queen, go there to find out how complicated this song is. Try it if u dare! U will be in for a wild wild ride

[@guidolitjens5796]

Try it ! Next time?

[@guidolitjens5796]

It’s from Queen 2 from 1974, listen to it

[@guidolitjens5796]

Please Amy!

[@sleeper9]

Lady Gaga did in fact partly name herself after this song!

[@nolaspeaker5656]

Which is subsequent to the release of the song by several decades.

[@karen6477]

Partly?

[@zzzaphod8507]

@@karen6477 Not the "Lady" part?

[@centrasseptyni8277]

@@karen6477 Her name is Lady Gaga not Radio Gaga

[@mightyV444]

​@@zzzaphod8507 - Off-topic, but I once had been the drummer for a band called Zaphod Beeblebrox! 😁

[@FABIO_MARTINSS]

Amy is right. The production and "sound design" may be modern/ futuristic ( even for the nowadays level) with a sense of exaggeration or parody, but the melodic/harmonic construction is tradicional and classic. You can sing this song just with a piano accompaniment and you'll get a ballad like "melancholy blues" or "Barcelona". The arranjment here adds a sociological comment.

[@hansaugustsson7288]

John (bass) and Roger (drums) are pulling the song into the future. Freddie (vocals) and Brian (guitar) are pulling it back into the past. The lyrics and the arrangement convey the same message. Quality music!

[@Zhaggysfaction]

This song is such a banger live. With the audience participation and all. It sort of doesn't seem like a great live song but it absolutely is one of the best Queen songs live. I've only had the opportunity to see them live with Adam but he is great and this song is so good.

[@somthingbrutal]

a lot of the visuals in the video for this song comes from the 1920's Scifi movie metropolis

[@imgoodatmoaning9561]

Freddie’s lovely voice ❤

You should actually watch some of the music videos. They can be quite extravagant.

[@RatelRegalement]

Perhaps ironically, the music video for this is also fantastic :)

[@KevinQHall]

The Live Aid concert everybody is referring to below is probably one of THE best live performances by a group EVER. Do yourself a favor. It'll hit you a LOT like the Barcelona piece!!

[@mooghead]

Will be interesting. The first Queen song you will have heard with so many programmed sounds. Roger's first single as a writer. And a crowd anthem. The B Side is little known but brilliant.

[@lynby6231]

Great backing vocals from Roger on the chorus too

[@michaeltelson9798]

We were spoiled in the New York metropolitan area during the late 1960’s to the very early 1980’s with WNEW-FM. This was a progressive Rock radio station led by Scott Muni. Scott and his staff presented so much of the evolving music scene that it was great. Elton John’s live album was 11-17-70 is from a show the station sponsored, Scott was friends with John Lennon and played an advance copy of “She Came Through the Bathroom Window” prior to the album release. Live on air appearances, like Harry Chapin and David Bromberg coming to the studio at the same time, and my favorite was the 4 one hour Easter Shows by Steve Goodman. Steve was in NYC for checkups and treatments for his leukemia at John Hopkins in the 1970’s. (Those recordings are combined in a cd available at Red Pajama Records. I believe that Queen also showed up as well. The format changed in about 1983 which ended an era. It is said that the tv sitcom “WKRP” took themes from that station such as Alison Steele’s evening shows “The Night Bird”. The Venus Fly Trap character is roughy based on her. She was at KFOG in San Francisco for a time afterwards. Listening to that station was a big portion of my day back then.

[@Deathbird_Mitch]

Yes we were, and it was great. That programming type continued through most of the 80s, as I grew up. I loved Scott Muni's programming and influence.

[@Hornet71]

‘So stick around ’cause we might miss you When we grow tired of all this visual.’ Roger’s vision that the 80s obsession with videos will subside and radio will become a bit more prominent again.

[@gedece]

Radio became Podcasts. Thematic radio on demand.

[@davidmacfarlane1763]

Whis is IRonic, as Queen kind of started the video craze for music ;)

[@GrahamNicholson56]

0:14. Oh it does have something very important to do with Lady Gaga - it was the inspiration for her stage name!

[@bettybaby63]

“The conflict we feel moving into a modern age.” Ha I felt that. Great discussion.

[@martinaalderink7773]

Being part of the crowd with this song at The Magic Tour In Leiden ( Netherlands ) in `86 was unforgettable.

[@jackcolbert05]

First or Second night? 🌝 (11th or 12th)

[@jackcolbert05]

I’d be able to send u a Bootleg of the Gig if u remember the Date

[@martinaalderink7773]

@@jackcolbert05 2nd. 1st was soldout nationwide within 20 minutes

[@martinaalderink7773]

@@jackcolbert05 i have a bootleg^^ Still thnx for the offer.

[@jackcolbert05]

@@martinaalderink7773 yeah the 2nd Night was a Good One I must say, I’d argue better than the 1st but others in the Bootleg Community would probably say the first 😂 anyways cool to hear from the perspective of someone who go to see them on that Tour

[@modernclics]

This 'modern' sound was thanks to the producer of the album Reinhold Mack. The synths / drum synths sound much more refined to what we are used to from 80s music. Certainly a nice blend of classic Queen with 80s POP.

[@egads69]

Mack was also responsible for Billy Squier's hits at the time. Freddie and Roger sang backup on Billy's song "Emotions in Motion".

[@Paul-D-Hoff]

As a kid in the 50s and early 60s, I always like electronic sounding music. The old big church organs were the same for that time centuries ago.

[@RoinbinRobin]

you should really, and i mean REALLY react to their live aid performance, this song is made so much better in that like HOLY

[@mightyV444]

Someone here in the comments mentioned that she's planning to watch Queen's _whole_ Live Aid performance once she's done with listening to 50 of their songs 😀👍

[@RoinbinRobin]

@@mightyV444 oh yoo great :D

[@mightyV444]

@@RoinbinRobin - And can you believe it: Just after entering a local café this morning, the audio from Queen's performance of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at Live Aid started playing! 😳😀

[@kebapp]

you realy should listen to their live performances.

[@mightyV444]

...while also _watching_ them! 😀👍

[@ungainlytitan1460]

This is the album that got me into Queen. I loved it, would never have discovered the band without it.

[@celtasnake]

A good one to do from this album would be "Keep on passing the open windows". Very underrated.

[@tukutime]

Lady Gaga - her name really is an hommage to Queen's song

[@bluebell3720]

Songs unless stated weren't collabs / worked on together as such But Freddie did tend to ' polish up' Rogers songs as such Also helped John a lot but more of supporting him But they did write a few songs together Wish you'd done cool cat

[@MrJackd47]

You must see Radio Gaga live version !!! Live wembley 86

[@GinMae]

Thanks, VR.. if you don't watch the "Live Aid" performance, you are totally missing out... another Freddie/Queen crowd participation classic! enjoyed your reaction...(p.s. pretty sure it was this song that put Roger in the class of #1 hits.. to make all four members of the band #1 hit writers.. no other band has that distinction.. to my knowledge.. I actually encountered the question in a "Trivial Pursuit" game.. "what band has all four members with #1 hits..." and I laughed and said "Queen, of course".. and my nephew was totally surprised... lol)

[@tetleyT]

I love how technological angst has been reflected in songs throughout the years. Video Killed the Radio Star, Radio Ga Ga, Who Listens to the Radio... And here we are in 2024 totally deconstructing a song from 1984, which just goes to show that true art -- no matter the format -- never dies.

[@mightyV444]

'Who Listens To The Radio' by The Sports from Australia? 🙂

[@regpolice7459]

Please listen to Radio Ga Ga as performed at the Live Aid Concert in 1985. The crowd reaction is amazing.

[@karentargaryen7959]

In Chicago, we still have WFMT the classical music station. It's one of my go to stations in the car and you can also listen online which I do at work. The best of both, radio and internet.

[@sharont8229]

WUSF in Tampa used to be a classical music station until it split into two stations. WUSF is now news and talk and WSMR is the classical station. I enjoy both however WSMR has a weaker signal and since we live about 40 miles from Tampa it doesn't come in well on the car radio. Thank goodness it's available via internet.

[@cameronwilliams6439]

One of my favorites of your videos. The closing is touching and meaningful to me. Thank you.

[@jj-xt1yz]

Radio Gaga was primarily performed on synthesizer by Fred Mandel. Queen had alot to learn about keyboards at that time in their career so they looked for experience in the format to help them out

[@notanotherenigma7759]

Cant believe only 1 song from Hot Space. I realise it wasn't their most successful, but there were a few great tracks. I really liked Body Language and Cool Cat was, well, cool! I saw Queen's The Works Tour when they came to Australia, it was an awesome experience.

[@michaelkruska6097]

"Song for Lennon" is my favourite and widely overlooked

[@lisar6510]

One of your finest reactions ❤ that you enjoyed this one Amy..... love to see you singing along❤❤❤😊

[@SandeshG]

such a unique and brilliant Reaction to a video

[@cavebeastdemon3631]

Yah, I saw an interview where she said she got her name from this.

[@yinoveryang4246]

"Radio Ga Ga'" a straightforward song. By the 1980s, pop music had integrated more drum machines and synthesizers. This trend, frankly speaking, allowed record companies to promote music which frankly relied heavily on skilled production and replacing people with machines, rather than any innate talent of the musicians they were signing. So Queen, who were on the other hand a highly talented and authentic band, were forced to adapt themselves to stay relevant. Roger Taylor, most certainly the band's most rock-oriented member, seems to have written this one. Ironically, this song is now played more frequently than some of Queen's earlier, more sophisticated songs. They were definitely dedicated to maintaining their career at all costs. And had the talent to do it.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

As straightforward as it is, it is still a stroke of genius that musically surpasses many of the songs of that era. I mean the entire harmonic build up to the chorus is just marvellous.

[@kendallneason3645]

It does strike me as ironic that these talented musicians had to dampen their skills to stay relevant. Today’s music is so much less rich and interesting to our ears so that young creators are making a living out of reacting to older music because it’s quite simply better than much of what is available today. I hope the true musicians battle back and shed all the machines and shortcuts of today.

[@yinoveryang4246]

@@kendallneason3645 The next thing that will happen in this regard is that Ai I will come into the frame. It’s existence as a songwriting tool, will inspire more sophistication from people. I believe the future may be more positive than we think.

[@kendallneason3645]

@@yinoveryang4246 I hope you are right! 😁

[@rodrigoclaudiolopez6834]

What a good definition you gave since the album the works has that component in various moments of the fight between man and machine, of the old and the new and has condiments of the classic queen (it's a hard life, hammer to fall) with things modern (Radio gaga, i want to break free) and in the case of "gaga" with a lot of melancholy in that modern sound

[@SamLovesMovies25]

There actually IS an audience participation, hand-clap thing with this song. You see it in the music video, which uses clips from the 1927 Fritz Lang film Metropolis. Of course, in the live shows, the audience would follow suit and they'd have the whole audience putting their fists up and clapping. Pretty cool to see in the live concert videos!

[@wadorobin]

Brilliant, as usual 👍😊

[@SlwRpr]

I never thought about the Barcelona sound, but you're right.

[@EmeraldWings90]

Great video, great intro summary, that was useful :) I'd add that this song feels a lot more powerful live - and not just because of the audience clapping in rhythm. The instrumentation is different a bit, too, since they play live... And Freddie's energy. :) You are cultivating what they preach here by listening to music without watching videos with it - to keep the music in focus, not the visual :)

[@LeeKennison]

While I'm not a big fan of this 80s style electronic music, I admire Queen for giving us their version of it, which is consistent with them always being a band that could play in different styles. "Radio Ga Ga" was one I didn't initially like, but grew to appreciate. I much prefer a real drum sound, rather than the drum machine type sounds. But that was what was popular in the music of that day, and is still found in electronic music. I know that drummers were worried at the time that they would no longer be needed. Fortunately, enough people still preferred hearing real drummers on actual drums, so they have survived. So in a way, I am surprised that Roger Taylor, the drummer, was the one who wanted to use the drum machine. Today in our home studios we a huge library of real sampled drum sounds that we can use in our own songs that have fairly convincing real drum sounds, without having to be a skilled drummer ourselves or making room in our home for a drum set. You still have to know how the different drums on a drum kit are used in songs, but it is much easier to learn to program the parts than to become a skilled "real" drummer. Funny cockatoo reference and impersonation Amy. You were so modern with buttons on your phones, we had to use dials that were much harder on the index finger. You could get blisters if you made a lot of calls, until you developed calluses. We used to call them "records" too from the 60s onward (and earlier before I was born) to refer to vinyl records. I rarely called them vinyl back then, it was mainly the terms "records" and "tapes" that were used. With "albums" applying to both, although the word album still makes me think of vinyl. "Spirit of Radio" by Rush is my favorite song about radio. Brilliant lyrics by Neil Peart that express his love for radio, while also touching on the darker side of the influences that the music industry had on radio, "One likes to believe in the freedom of music / But glittering prizes and endless compromises / Shatter the illusion of integrity." I loved the radio, which is how I was exposed to new songs, in addition to those my friends introduced to me from their record collections. Great reaction. I really enjoyed this one.

[@joelhammond4162]

Great comment. Saved me from typing out many of the same thoughts and sentiments. ❤

[@LeeKennison]

@@joelhammond4162 Thanks! I wish I would have found somebody too say all this too. It probably all gets said elsewhere, just spread over several comments. Whereas I tend to jam them all into one long one. Which then of course becomes too long for anyone to want to read.😉 So I appreciate that you took the time to read it.

[@joelhammond4162]

@@LeeKennison thats because I tend to the same and I appreciate detail. I think a lot of folks are just too impatient for that now.

[@stephencolbertcheese7354]

"One likes to believe in the freedom of music / But glittering prizes and endless compromises / Shatter the illusion of integrity." i never really thot about wut Geddy was singing here 4 some reason - thanx 4 making me think Lee (also Neil) :D

[@LeeKennison]

@@stephencolbertcheese7354 Yeah for sure Stephen. Neil, through Geddy's vocals, has certainly got me to think over the years.

[@stevemccormack9948]

It's always great to see a song dedicated to something other than boy-girl relationships. This has an historic ring to it. As someone with a special interest in radio myself I always found it very engaging.

[@jayeff6712]

I remember our first radio with two speakers and just putting my face right in front of it to have the full stereo experience.

[@j0hnf_uk]

You can tell the 80's were well and truly established by this point. A far cry from, 'no synthesizers!' Not only was this song a critique against pop videos becoming the chosen media to experience songs, but in a small way, a critique of the quality of pop songs in general. Although, it wasn't quite _that_ bad... not yet! It would be a few more years before the homogenisation of pop music would occur. Not all, of course, but the mainstream of what was deemed to sell would amalgamate to the point where songs took on a very similar, almost, 'rubber stamp', moulded feel to them, almost identical to the one before and the one after. A factory style production of samey, mediocre, 'hits', that lacked individuality or anything of note. This song, in it's own way, was kind of pointing toward that, in the, 'all we hear is radio ca-ca.' Again, the album this was from was another transitional period for Queen. (So what's new?) Although, I think they got the mix just right, with, 'modern', (for the time), themes like, 'Radio Ga Ga', and, 'I Want To Break Free', appealing to the singles market, whilst still having a more, 'traditional', sound in some of the album tracks. 'Man on the Prowl', being the obvious choice. 'Hammer To Fall', being more of what we expected from Queen as a single. And, we can't ignore the closing track, 'Is this the World We Created?', of course, which would be poignant a year later. 'Machines.. back to Humans', would be an interesting one.

[@OuryLN]

The music video is great too!

[@Vrealita]

The beautiful appearance of the guitar at the end of the song foreshadows a good deal of the best Queen yet to come, specially as we approach their last masterpiece album Innuendo, full of beautiful pieces and arrangements

[@LemmyD_from_Germany]

When the small guitar sound in the end comes in I can hear the word AWAY ... everytime.

[@barnigranero5882]

I still listen to the radio. It is essential for keeping up with a five day cricket match.

[@bukeksiansu2112]

We as teenagers when listening to this song in the 80s never realized all the aspects of the music as you analyze. We just listen and enjoy it. Thank you, now we realize how amazing this song is even though it sounds simple.

[@dusty3913]

A great counterpart to this sentiment is Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio”. It is nostalgic for radio while lyrically expressing concerns for the business of radio and music expression in general.

[@getexis8685]

I only have 1 comment: Fantastic music. Is this too short? Sometimes simplicity is all that marvels.

[@tigranayvazyan5974]

1:03 In fact, if you listen to the BVs carefully, they do sing "ca ca." It wasn't until they got to record Freddie's lead vocals, that they were convinced to change the lyric to "ga ga" to avoid certain associations with the original word.

[@davaughan100]

Prince also used the Linn Drum quite a bit.

[@jca111]

This song is all about the power of the live performance. If you watch live aid or any other performance of it... you will see what I mean.

[@rossanderson5447]

I love your question "how are we going to preserve the real living" ? I think this strikes at the essence of the song. It's totally relevant to the whole AI vs the artist "analogue". We are not looking for a compromise here, we are looking for the new sound that can "entertain" this conflict and find the child of these two "parents'. A pure AI approach wants to throw away the living facets, that is to say the "humanity" of the music. We need to embrace the new but preserve the old. Thank you so much for articulating this serious problem by illustrating how this song can show a way forward.

[@DeusExAstra]

You should watch the Live Aid performance. The whole thing, not just Radio Ga Ga. IMO one of, if not THE, greatest live performances of all time. On one video you mentioned Freddie's stage presence. You see it there in full effect.

[@Paul-D-Hoff]

It is something that many can not shed their teen years when it comes to music. My namesake grandfather said that they that they don't make any good music anymore, he was locked into the 1910s,

[@Inara-Serra]

spent many, too many, hours cruising the backroads of San Andreas to this song.

[@keithwright2637]

I really appreciate how much you love music. There isn't much more beauty in the world than a great song.

[@egads69]

I know that "Hot Space" wasn't their finest moment, but I'm surprised that Vlad chose to skip the entire album - it did have some nice moments on it. Yes, I know Amy reacted to "Under Pressure" but that was a standalone single which was included on the subsequent album, so it wasn't really part of the "Hot Space" sessions.

[@sandgroper1970]

When this came out I purchased the extended play vinyl single of this song. I also have the album on compact disc.

[@МарияСмурова-ъ3ф]

👏👏👏💓 You would like the official video.

[@johnpickard9953]

On the subject of things that are no longer around: I remember 78rpm shellac records, 45 rpm vinyl records, 33 1/3 rpm albums, reel to reel tape recorders, cassette tape decks. Then on the vision side of life. Film cameras, KODAK film for 8mm cine, 35 mm still cameras, VHS video recorders. Telephone number 194 (my parents house number), asking an operator to connect you. Staying up late to watch the first grainy black and white tv pictures live from America via the Telstar satellite. Then the first moon landings. Life seemed so much more exciting! Those were the days. Amy carry on the good work as you work through my record collection!!

[@pieterb3271]

Roger did not abandon the idea to use this for his solo album: I Cry For You (love hope and confusion), a song based on the Radio Ga Ga chord progression is featured on his brilliant 1984 solo album Strange Frontier.

[@clintonsmith5163]

I Cry For You is my favorite Roger Taylor solo song. It is a uniquely beautiful track. I wish more people knew about Roger's solo work.

[@thekaratekidpartii2169]

I remember having a rotary phone and a record player... although, this was not pre either button phones nor CDs-the first CDs and mobile phones came out in 1982 and 1984, respectively-so I was just around early enough for the transitional period.

[@S0ldeed]

Wait. What? Nothing else from Hot Space? Shame we didn't cover Cool Cat. Nothing else like it in the catalog. However, this was a great dissection of the song. It took me years to really appreciate it, but Amy has grabbed lots of really interesting things about the production and the style and has helped me enjoy it even more. Looking forward to It's A Hard Life for obvious reasons!

[@kimd.9070]

I was also hoping for Soul Brother (the B side of Under Pressure), one of my favourites.

[@MrJackd47]

Hot Space is Queen s worst album .B May and Roger Taylor hate it .

[@joex9865]

​@@MrJackd47my favorite one

[@mightyV444]

​@@MrJackd47 - Whenever that album title gets mentioned, I 'hear' Freddie wail 🎵"Sexy bodyyy!!"🎵 🙈 😅

[@S0ldeed]

@@MrJackd47 I'm not sure they hate it. Brian has said he felt the timing was wrong and it could've done better if released a little later when Michael Jackson was having success fusing rock and funk. Also, Life is Real is one of Fred's best. Put Out The Fire is as good as Hammer To Fall. Cool Cat is it's own thing and genius. Staying Power using the legendary Arif Mardin is just awesome. Dancer is infectious. Las Parablas is one of my favourite Brian songs. I really don't understand the hate for this album.

[@mightyV444]

1984 = 40 years ago! 🤯😅 And what an enjoyable and also entertaining reaction to this wonderful song which always brings back great memories of my then 14-year-old self, whenever I hear it 😊 *PS:* She should probably revisit 'Hot Space' for the song 'Cool Cat' - many people in the comments seem disappointed by its omission! 😉

[@johnanderson290]

This song holds a very special place in my heart. I was only 10 years old when it was released, and I’ve deeply loved it since the first time I heard it. I found your closing words to be so eloquent, touching, beautiful and inspiring. Thank you Amy for another remarkable reaction!🔥🎶

[@Bobbyorange84]

Its a crowd interaction song live 🎉

[@vonVile]

Amy, I suggest you listen to the similar themed "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles and watch the live version from the Prince's Trust Concert.

[@mightyV444]

Great suggestion! 🤩👍

[@timcampbell5758]

I much prefer studio versions of songs to live ones, especially for first time listening. Now that you have heard it though, you must watch the Live Aid recording of this song, it’s very emotional with the crowd participating with Freddie and the rest of the band.

[@gerardoaguayozamorano5660]

It's a hard life surely will be next. Love you

[@mightyV444]

'I Want To Bake Three' (cakes) first, though! 😁

[@blokewithsuperpowers3475]

I really appreciate the (mostly) lack of cuts, it shows to some degree that you're thoroughly digesting what you're listening to, and, really attempting to articulate your thoughts on any specific piece of music