Staying Power

1982 single by Queen

"Staying Power"

Japanese single picture sleeve

Single by Queen

from the album Hot Space

B-side

"Calling All Girls"

Released

July 1982

Recorded

1981–1982

Genre

Funk rock
post-disco

Length

4:10 (7" album version)
5:52 (12" extended version)

Label

Elektra

Songwriter(s)

Freddie Mercury

Producer(s)

Queen
Reinhold Mack

Queen singles chronology

"Calling All Girls"
(1982)

"Staying Power"
(1982)

"Back Chat"
(1982)

"Staying Power" is the first track on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. It was written by lead singer Freddie Mercury and is notable as being the only Queen song to have a horn section, which was arranged by Arif Mardin. The song is driven by a funk-styled bass riff (played by Mercury) beginning in D minor and modulating to E minor throughout the song. John Deacon does not play bass guitar on this song—instead playing rhythm guitar on a Fender Telecaster. Roger Taylor programmed a Linn LM-1 drum machine for the track. Brian May is on his Red Special. In a Stylus review of the album, critic Anthony Miccio described the song's style as "an electro-disco track with frenetic horns."^[1]

The song was released as a single in Japan.

Live performances

This song was played throughout the Hot Space Tour and to an extent, on The Works Tour. The live version of "Staying Power" is slightly different from the album version. Morgan Fisher took over the keyboard parts and replaced the Oberheim with a Roland Jupiter 8. Taylor replaced the drum machine with acoustic and electric drums. Also of note is that it was the only song played live in which Deacon played rhythm guitar, as the bass was performed via keyboard. With the electronics scaled back on the live version, the song is transformed into a funk rock song—rather than a disco-influenced rock song that stays strong to its disco influences. The live version is on Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl, Queen Greatest Video Hits 2 and on the Hot Space 2011 deluxe CD album.