According to the YouTube series “Queen the Greatest,” David Bowie’s collaboration with Queen began as a spur-of-the-moment decision. In July 1981, Queen was recording in Montreux, Switzerland, and Bowie was invited to swing by and watch the band at work. “Suddenly you’re writing something together and it was totally spontaneous, it certainly wasn’t planned. It was peculiar!” Bowie said in archival footage included in the episode. Queen’s Drummer, Roger Taylor, remembered that night as being part party atmosphere, part jam session. “We were all drunk,” Taylor recalled in the documentary. After playing a variety of tunes, he recalls Bowie suggesting they write something new.
Queen guitarist Brian May credits the group’s bassist, John Deacon, with getting things started by crafting a catchy bass line, per Entertainment Weekly. Despite playing the notes repeatedly, Deacon forgot the riff after the group took a pizza break. Fortunately, Taylor saved the day by remembering it, according to the documentary.
While Queen favored a more structured approach to crafting songs, Bowie emphasized improvisation. “Each of us went into the vocal booth consecutively, without listening to each other and listening to the track, vocalized the first things that came into our heads, including any words,” May recalled of the experience (via Biography). Following the rough draft, Bowie’s creative vision for the song lyrics took center stage. “It’s a significant song because of David and its lyrical content,” May later told Mojo (via New Musical Express).
