🔘 Save Me – Single: Jan. 1980

Released: January 25, 1980 (UK)

Label: EMI Records

Catalogue Number: EMI 5031

Format: 7" Vinyl Single

Queen’s sweeping, emotional ballad from The Game — backed with the live‑wire Let Me Entertain You.

Issued on EMI, the single showcased Brian May’s songwriting and the band’s dramatic late‑’70s/early‑’80s production style.

🔘 Overview

Save Me was released on January 25, 1980 as a UK 7" single and served as the final pre‑album release ahead of The Game. Written by Brian May, the track delivered one of Queen’s most heartfelt ballads, blending piano, soaring guitar lines, and Freddie Mercury’s powerful, vulnerable vocal performance.

The B‑side, Let Me Entertain You, taken from Jazz, added a sharp, high‑energy contrast. EMI 5031 arrived in a picture sleeve and became a key single in Queen’s transition into the 1980s.

🔘 Track List (Common Configurations)

7" Vinyl — EMI 5031

A. Save Me

B. Let Me Entertain You

Written by: Brian May (A) / Freddie Mercury (B)

Produced by: Queen, Reinhold Mack

🔘 Release Details

Label: EMI Records

Formats: 7" Vinyl

Country: UK

Year: 1980

Notes:

- Final UK single before The Game

- Emotional Brian May‑penned ballad

- Issued in picture sleeve

- B‑side from the 1978 album Jazz

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified)

Variant 1

UK – EMI – EMI 5031 (1980)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Paper Label)

Variant 2

UK – EMI – EMI 5031 (1980)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Injection‑moulded label, select pressings)

🔘 Chart Data (BBC / Official Charts Company)

Peak Position: UK — No. 11

Weeks on Chart: 9

Chart Run (Official Charts):

02 Feb 1980 — No. 40

09 Feb 1980 — No. 23

16 Feb 1980 — No. 15

23 Feb 1980 — No. 11

01 Mar 1980 — No. 13

08 Mar 1980 — No. 18

15 Mar 1980 — No. 26

22 Mar 1980 — No. 36

29 Mar 1980 — No. 49

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

A rich, emotional production — piano‑led verses, soaring guitar climaxes, and Mercury’s expressive vocal range at full power.

Collector Notes

Clean picture sleeves are highly desirable. Early paper‑label pressings are especially prized among Queen collectors.

Legacy

One of Queen’s most affecting ballads — dramatic, melodic, and a defining moment of their early‑’80s sound.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1979)

Next Single

Play the Game (1980)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Save Me — 1980

Let Me Entertain You — 1978

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Jan. 25, 1980 — UK single released

Feb.–Mar. 1980 — Peaks at UK No. 11

🔘 Glam Flashback

Queen at their most heartfelt — soaring, cinematic, and unmistakably Mercury‑May magic.

🔘 Sources

EMI Records

Discogs

Official Charts Company

Queen archival documentation