🔘 Bicycle Race / Fat Bottomed Girls – Single: Oct. 1978

Released: October 13, 1978 (UK)

Label: EMI Records

Catalogue Number: EMI 2870

Format: 7" Vinyl Single

A powerhouse double‑A‑side pairing from Queen’s Jazz era — Bicycle Race backed with Fat Bottomed Girls.

Issued on EMI, the single showcased the band’s playful theatricality and hard‑rock muscle in equal measure.

🔘 Overview

Released on October 13, 1978, Bicycle Race / Fat Bottomed Girls arrived as a major UK double‑A‑side from Queen’s forthcoming album Jazz. The two tracks were designed as complementary opposites: Freddie Mercury’s whimsical, multi‑layered Bicycle Race paired with Brian May’s driving, riff‑heavy Fat Bottomed Girls.

The single was issued in a picture sleeve and became one of Queen’s most recognisable late‑’70s releases, supported by bold promotional campaigns and extensive radio play.

🔘 Track List (Common Configurations)

7" Vinyl — EMI 2870

A. Bicycle Race

AA. Fat Bottomed Girls

Written by: Freddie Mercury (Bicycle Race) / Brian May (Fat Bottomed Girls)

Produced by: Queen, Roy Thomas Baker

🔘 Release Details

Label: EMI Records

Formats: 7" Vinyl

Country: UK

Year: 1978

Notes:

- Double‑A‑side single

- Drawn from the Jazz album

- Issued in picture sleeve

- Supported by a high‑profile promotional campaign

🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified)

Variant 1

UK – EMI – EMI 2870 (1978)

Format: 7" Vinyl (Paper Label)

Variant 2

UK – EMI – EMI 2870 (1978)

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):

21 Oct 1978 — No. 23

28 Oct 1978 — No. 15

04 Nov 1978 — No. 11

11 Nov 1978 — No. 13

18 Nov 1978 — No. 17

25 Nov 1978 — No. 22

02 Dec 1978 — No. 29

09 Dec 1978 — No. 36

16 Dec 1978 — No. 49

🔘 Context & Notes

Recording Notes

Bicycle Race features intricate vocal layering, tempo shifts, and playful arrangements, while Fat Bottomed Girls delivers a heavy, blues‑rock punch — a classic example of Queen’s stylistic range.

Collector Notes

Picture sleeves in clean condition are highly collectible. Early pressings with crisp print quality are especially prized.

Legacy

One of Queen’s most iconic double‑A‑sides — theatrical, muscular, and unmistakably late‑’70s Queen.

🔘 Related Material

Previous Single

It’s Late (1978)

Next Single

Don’t Stop Me Now (1979)

🔘 Discography (Selected, Chronological)

Bicycle Race — 1978

Fat Bottomed Girls — 1978

Don’t Stop Me Now — 1979

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

Oct. 1978 — Jazz promotional campaign begins

Oct. 13, 1978 — UK double‑A‑side single released

🔘 Glam Flashback

A perfect Queen split‑personality — camp brilliance on one side, rock swagger on the other.

🔘 Sources

EMI Records

Discogs

Official Charts Company

Queen archival documentation