Radio Ga Ga (5:44)

“Radio Ga Ga” is a song performed and recorded by Queen, and was written by their drummer Roger Taylor for the band’s 1984 album The Works. It was released as a single with I Go Crazy, a Brian May-written track, as its original B-side (3:42).

The single was an enormous worldwide success for the band. It reached number two in the UK (kept from the number one spot only by Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s smash hit “Relax”). In the USA it reached the number 16 spot. This was also their last Top 20 hit single in the US until 1992.

“Rado Ga Ga” is said to be a commentary on the invention of television’s overtaking radio’s popularity and how one would listen to radio for a favorite comedy, drama, or sci-fi program and so on. It also pertained to the advent of the music video and MTV. (Ironically, the video would become a regular staple on MTV in 1984.)

Taylor originally conceived it as “Radio Ca-Ca” (apparently from something his toddler son once said), a slam against radio for the decrease in variety of programming and the type of music being played. It was eventually changed to “Radio Ga Ga”, because that sounded better, clearer, and rolled off the tongue more easily. There are rumors that the publishers objected to the original title because of the close resemblance of “Ca-Ca” to a common word for feces in many languages.

Freddie Mercury spoke about the song in a 1984 interview.