Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen Song Info
Fat Bottomed Girls" is a hit single by the English rock band Queen. It was released in 1978 on the album Jazz. The song was written by Queen guitarist Brian May and was one of the few Queen songs played in an alternative guitar tuning commonly called "drop D tuning". The lyrics express the axiom "Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder", albeit done in a humorous and overtly sexual tone, and is a good-natured jab at groupies that hang onto bands and musicians. The song is also considered ironic due to the ambiguous sexuality of lead singer Freddie Mercury. May once mused, of the song's lyrical content, "Why does everybody love the idea of having casual sex with people that they, otherwise, would not want to be with?" Vocal arrangements are quite different between the studio version and the live version. In live performances, the lead vocals during the chorus were sung by Freddie Mercury and harmonised with an upper voice (Roger Taylor) and a lower voice (Brian May). In the studio version, there is no higher harmony. The lead vocals are sung by Freddie Mercury, while Brian May sings lead on the intro and choruses. The single version (which can be found on Greatest Hits) omits the extended guitar interludes between the verses as well as fading out before the ending. "Fat Bottomed Girls" was released as a Double A-side with the song "Bicycle Race." This cut includes the line "Get on your bikes and ride". Bicycle Race also contains the line "Fat bottomed girls, they'll be riding today, so look out for those beauties, oh yeah", completing a double cross-reference between the two songs. The original single cover featured a nude woman riding a bicycle. When many stores refused to stock the single because of the cover, the label altered the image so that the woman was wearing panties.
