A lot of Queen’s body of work is favorable and cemented them as one of the most iconic rock bands to exist. Most known for “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Another One Bites the Dust,”Queen is one of the most influential bands in the rock music scene. Their legacy has never been diminished, not even withtheir controversial and largely forgotten hit,“Body Language,” which left a bad taste in the mouths of their UK fans.
The fans are not the only ones who had an issue with “Body Language.” Members of Queen disliked the song, and it left the band divided. MTV also criticized the music video for its homoerotic scenes, prompting them to ban the music video.Queen has made history as a band, but one of their historical moments includes having their “Body Language” music video become the first to be banned from MTV.
Why Was Queen Divided Over “Body Language”?
Freddie MercuryImage via Instar Images
“Body Language” is different from the rest of Queen’s discography. It abandoned its roots as a classic rock band, as it dove into disco. “Body Language” may have been a hit in the US, but it was a different story across the pond. However, in the studio, the reaction to “Body Language” was far worse.
Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury really championed the release and creation of “Body Language,” and he and his assistant, Paul Prenter, wanted to encourage the band to embrace an upbeat sound.“Body Language” did not go down so well with the band due to its jarring arrangements and homoerotic lyrics that were on “the gay side”,according to Brian May. The song was also not a typical Queen song,which would often include stunning guitar solos that would captivate their listeners. Unlike a few rock bands,Queen were very collaborative in their creation process, but “Body Language” was the song that only Mercury loved, making it one of the first songs where the band was split on creativity.
In an interview with Guitar World, May recalled criticizing Mercury for his lack of collaboration for “Body Language.” “I can remember having a go at Freddie because some of the stuff he was writing was very on the gay side,” he said, while remembering his fears of the song alienating their fan base. “I remember saying, ‘It would be nice if this stuff could be universally applicable because we have friends out there of every persuasion. “It’s nice to involve people,” he continued. “What is not nice to do is rope people out, and I felt kind of roped out by something that was very overtly a gay anthem.”
Queen’s “Body Language” Didn’t Please The Fans
Queen Days of Our Lives TV MovieImage via BBC
Although “Body Language” made its way to radio stations, a lot of fans were left less than impressed with the song. This song can also be considered a chart failure and flop, asit missed out on the top ten on the Billboard charts and peaked at 25 on the UK singles chart. Many fans welcomed Queen’s new direction into disco, but the overwhelmingly poor reaction was too loud to ignore.
Mercury, being the only Queen member to be eager to release “Body Language”, took the fans’ reactions to the song to heart. With the release of the single and their 1982 album Hot Space, Mercury wanted to create an entire album inspired by “Another One Bites the Dust.” He admitted in his book Freddie Mercury: A Life, In His Own Words, “I’m extremely upset — outraged, in fact. I just think they could have given it a chance. I mean, I know ‘Body Language’ was the first one of its kind from us, but it met with such disapproval in England. God!”
“If they think that because of that situation, I’m going to send leave back and come out with a rehash of ‘[Bohemian] Rhapsody’, they’re mistaken.”
Queen Made History As MTV Banned “Body Language”’s Music Video
While “Body Language” did not land well with the UK audience, the music video caused even greater upset. The music video, which featured half-naked dancers, drew criticism from MTV. The music video ended up being the first music video banned from MTV for its “homoerotic undertones” and for “nudity”, despite the members being fully clothed. Although the reaction to the song and the music video was lukewarm and negative, Mercury became one of the biggest figures in the LGBTQ+ community many years down the line.
“Body Language” may not be Queen’s best work, but it was the song that the band needed to release for themselves. The song helped them embrace dance and disco music as a band and venture into different genres and explore themselves musically, whether Mercury’s bandmates wanted to or not. After the release of “Body Language” and Hot Space, the band soon returned to their roots. Dance and disco may not be their genre, but the ability to explore and delve into different genres is their achievement to revel in.