Album · Soundtrack
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is Queen's first soundtrack album, written for the science fiction film of the same name. Released on 8 December 1980, it counts as their ninth studio album and follows The Game, with Hot Space still to come. Only two of its tracks carry lyrics, so much of it is instrumental score rather than a run of conventional songs.
What sets it apart from most soundtrack records is the way it keeps audio from the film in the mix, with dialogue woven into the theme song and the score pieces. "Flash's Theme" was the one single, issued as "Flash". The album reached number 10 in the UK and number 23 on the US Billboard 200. It is one of only two film soundtracks the band made, the other being Highlander, so it is a curious side road in their catalogue and a good one for fans who like Queen at their most theatrical.
Flash Gordon: tracklist, credits and charts
18 tracks · 35:16Tracklist
- 1Flash’s Theme3:22
- 2In the Space Capsule (The Love Theme)2:21
- 3Ming’s Theme (In the Court of Ming the Merciless)2:53
- 4The Ring (Hypnotic Seduction of Dale)1:15
- 5Football FightFreddie Mercury1:29
- 6In the Death Cell (Love Theme reprise)2:26
- 7Execution of FlashJohn Deacon0:43
- 8The Kiss (Aura Resurrects Flash)2:11
- 9Arboria (Planet of the Tree Men)1:41
- 10Escape From the SwampRoger Taylor1:37
- 11Flash to the RescueBrian May2:47
- 12Vultan’s Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)1:15
- 13Battle ThemeBrian May2:20
- 14The Wedding March0:56
- 15Marriage of Dale and Ming (and Flash Approaching)Brian May and Roger Taylor2:04
- 16Crash Dive on Mingo CityBrian May0:46
- 17Flash’s Theme Reprise (Victory Celebrations)1:39
- 18The HeroBrian May3:31
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980–81 | 10 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1980–81 | 23 |
| Austrian Albums · 1980–81 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1980–81 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1980–81 | 7 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1980–81 | 11 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1980–81 | 12 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1980–81 | 25 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1980–81 | 29 |
| Swedish Albums · 1980–81 | 29 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1981 | Gold |
| Japan · 1982 | Gold |
| Poland · 2009 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1981 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
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Also released on 8 December
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More from Queen
Full discography →
Queen
1973
Queen II
1974
Sheer Heart Attack
1974
A Night at the Opera
1975
A Day at the Races
1976
Queen’s First E.P.
1977
News of the World
1977
Jazz
1978
Live Killers
1979
The Game
1980
Greatest Hits
1981
Hot Space
1982
The Works
1984
A Kind of Magic
1986
Live Magic
1986
Hungarian Rhapsody: Live in Budapest
1987
The Miracle
1989
At the Beeb
1989
Innuendo
1991
Greatest Hits II
1991
Box of Tricks
1992
Classic Queen
1992
The 12″ Collection
1992
Live at Wembley ’86
1992
Five Live
1993
The Greatest 3
1995
Made in Heaven
1995
Queen Rocks
1997
The Crown Jewels: A 25th Anniversary Celebration
1998
Greatest Hits III
1999
Highlander
2000
Greatest Hits I, II & III: The Platinum Collection
2000
We Will Rock You
2002
Jewels
2004
We Are the Champions: Final Live in Japan
2004
Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl
2004
Stone Cold Classics
2006
The A–Z of Queen, Volume 1
2007
Rock Montreal
2007
The Singles Collection, Volume 1
2008
The Singles Collection, Volume 2
2009
Absolute Greatest
2009
The Singles Collection, Volume 3
2010
The Singles Collection, Volume 4
2010
Deep Cuts, Volume 1 (1973–1976)
2011
Deep Cuts, Volume 2 (1977–1982)
2011
Deep Cuts, Volume 3 (1984–1995)
2011
Icon
2013
Live at the Rainbow ’74
2014
Queen Forever
2014
A Night at the Odeon
2015
Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack
2018
Riffs
2025
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2025
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Mr. Crowley Live EP
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More on Elektra
The label →
Ride the Lightning
Metallica · 1984
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
News of the World
Queen · 1977
The Game
Queen · 1980
Sheer Heart Attack
Queen · 1974
Jazz
Queen · 1978
A Day at the Races
Queen · 1976
Stiff Upper Lip
AC/DC · 2000
Reinventing the Steel
Pantera · 2000
Greatest Hits
Queen · 1981
Sound of White Noise
Anthrax · 1993
The Nothing
Korn · 2019
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 8 December 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 December 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 8 December 1980 | |
| UK / Europe release | 8 December 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
31 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | AR | EMI | 077778949923 | other |
| — | CA | Hollywood Records | 00050087245511 | remaster |
| — | CA | Hollywood Records | 00050087522001 | other |
| 1980 | JP | Elektra | other | |
| 1980 | GB | EMI | other | |
| 8 December 1980 | GB | EMI | original | |
| 27 January 1981 | US | Elektra | other | |
| 1986 | DE | EMI | 077774621427 | other |
| 1986 | GB | EMI | 077774621427 | other |
| 1986 | DE | EMI | 077774621427 | other |
| 22 April 1987 | JP | EMI | 4988006612211 | other |
| 3 September 1991 | US | Hollywood Records | 720616120328 | other |
| 1994 | XE | Parlophone | 077778949923 | other |
| 1994 | IT | Parlophone | 077778949923 | other |
| 5 April 1994 | GB | Parlophone | 077778949923 | other |
| 25 February 2004 | JP | EMI | 4988006818187 | other |
| 12 July 2004 | GB | — | other | |
| 3 August 2008 | ES | EMI | 8423793300218 | other |
| 2011 | US | Hollywood Records | deluxe | |
| 22 June 2011 | JP | Island | 4988005667922 | remaster |
| 22 June 2011 | JP | Universal Island Records | 4988005667922 | remaster |
| 27 June 2011 | GB | Island | 602527717708 | remaster |
| 27 June 2011 | XE | Universal Island Records | 602527717692 | remaster |
| 13 September 2011 | US | Hollywood Records | 050087245511 | remaster |
| 22 February 2012 | JP | Universal International | 4988005697653 | remaster |
| 2014 | GB | EMI | 00602547025678 | deluxe |
| 25 September 2015 | XE | Virgin EMI Records | 602547202765 | other |
| 2 September 2016 | JP | Island | 4988031175422 | other |
| 20 March 2019 | JP | Island | 4988031321829 | other |
| 17 July 2024 | JP | Universal Music | 4988031658956 | other |
| — | — | EMI | 00602527717708 | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2832x2800 to 2800x2800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2832×2800 | cropped: cropped from 2832x2800 to 2800x2800 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |